subject says it all

On Thu, 5 Jul 2007 10:24:58 -0700, "G Kunstmann"
wrote:

subject says it all

I used a stainable wood filler (I think it was Elmer brand) from Lee
Valley, thinned it with water until it was like runny pudding and
rubbed it in with a cloth. It was a PITA and my arm hurt like hell
when I was done, but it did a good job on the pores and it took the
stain just fine. The trick is to work in small areas because that
stuff dries FAST.

Even after two applications I still had to apply and cut back several
coats of finish to get a really flat surface, but without the filler
it would have taken forever.

Some other thoughts on staining red oak:
1) I would recommend a dye, rather than pigment stain. If you use a
pigment you will get very deep colour in the coarse-grained part
(where the pores are) and almost no colour in the tight-grained part.
(One is "early wood" and the other is "late wood", but I don't know
which is which.) With dye you get more even colour.

2) The ray-flecks will not stain like the surrounding wood. You
probably already know that.

- Ken

"G Kunstmann" wrote in message
...
subject says it all


Why do you want to seal the pores?

G Kunstmann wrote:
subject says it all


What look are you trying for?

Red oak is one of the most easily stained and finished woods available.
Usually, some pigment lodging in the pores, as well as the ray flecks
becoming more visible are desirable characteristics.

If you can provide more detail on what you're after, or a specific
problem, I'd be glad to help. Also, are you mainly dealing with solid
stock or QS red oak plywood?

"B A R R Y" wrote in message
et...
G Kunstmann wrote:
subject says it all

What look are you trying for?

Red oak is one of the most easily stained and finished woods available.
Usually, some pigment lodging in the pores, as well as the ray flecks
becoming more visible are desirable characteristics.

If you can provide more detail on what you're after, or a specific
problem, I'd be glad to help. Also, are you mainly dealing with solid
stock or QS red oak plywood?

In the past, I stained QS red oak by applying the stain liberally, wiping
the excess off, buffing it dry, and retired for the day. Next day, the
stain had apparently "leaked out", leaving small dark spots surrounding the
pores. Had a very arduous task getting the spots out.

"G Kunstmann" wrote in
news

"B A R R Y" wrote in message
et...
G Kunstmann wrote:
subject says it all

What look are you trying for?

Red oak is one of the most easily stained and finished woods
available. Usually, some pigment lodging in the pores, as well as the
ray flecks becoming more visible are desirable characteristics.

If you can provide more detail on what you're after, or a specific
problem, I'd be glad to help. Also, are you mainly dealing with
solid stock or QS red oak plywood?

In the past, I stained QS red oak by applying the stain liberally,
wiping the excess off, buffing it dry, and retired for the day. Next
day, the stain had apparently "leaked out", leaving small dark spots
surrounding the pores. Had a very arduous task getting the spots out.




That's because it's red oak. That's the nature of the beast.

Stain your project in the early morning. Wipe up the stain about every
90 minutes to three hours all day long. Retire sometime after the
Letterman show finishes.

Or switch to another type of wood.

Patriarch,
t shirt owner...

On Fri, 6 Jul 2007 14:42:46 -0700, "G Kunstmann"
wrote:


In the past, I stained QS red oak by applying the stain liberally, wiping
the excess off, buffing it dry, and retired for the day. Next day, the
stain had apparently "leaked out", leaving small dark spots surrounding the
pores. Had a very arduous task getting the spots out.

Use less stain. G

No, I'm not being a wiseacre!

---------------------------------------------
** http://www.bburke.com/woodworking.html **
---------------------------------------------

On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 19:31:20 -0400, B A R R Y
wrote:

On Fri, 6 Jul 2007 14:42:46 -0700, "G Kunstmann"
wrote:


In the past, I stained QS red oak by applying the stain liberally, wiping
the excess off, buffing it dry, and retired for the day. Next day, the
stain had apparently "leaked out", leaving small dark spots surrounding the
pores. Had a very arduous task getting the spots out.

Use less stain. G

I forgot to mention that besides using less stain, WHICH stain can
also help. Some of the faster drying pigment stains, like H. Behlen
and Mohawk, pure dye products like Solar ], or gel stains, like
General Finishes, leach out for a much shorter time, if at all.

If you are using "home center" products, applying one wiped on, then
quickly wiped off coat, can allow the stain's binder to seal the
pores. If you want it darker, a second application of stain will
leave more pigment in the pores and won't be able to soak in so far,
so you'll have less to leach back out.

The leaching out is mostly a function of slow-drying consumer stains,
applied much too heavily.

Try my tips on some scrap and let us know how they work for you.

---------------------------------------------
** http://www.bburke.com/woodworking.html **
---------------------------------------------

thanks for the inputs

"B A R R Y" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 19:31:20 -0400, B A R R Y
wrote:

On Fri, 6 Jul 2007 14:42:46 -0700, "G Kunstmann"
wrote:


In the past, I stained QS red oak by applying the stain liberally, wiping
the excess off, buffing it dry, and retired for the day. Next day, the
stain had apparently "leaked out", leaving small dark spots surrounding
the
pores. Had a very arduous task getting the spots out.

Use less stain. G

I forgot to mention that besides using less stain, WHICH stain can
also help. Some of the faster drying pigment stains, like H. Behlen
and Mohawk, pure dye products like Solar ], or gel stains, like
General Finishes, leach out for a much shorter time, if at all.

If you are using "home center" products, applying one wiped on, then
quickly wiped off coat, can allow the stain's binder to seal the
pores. If you want it darker, a second application of stain will
leave more pigment in the pores and won't be able to soak in so far,
so you'll have less to leach back out.

The leaching out is mostly a function of slow-drying consumer stains,
applied much too heavily.

Try my tips on some scrap and let us know how they work for you.

---------------------------------------------
** http://www.bburke.com/woodworking.html **
---------------------------------------------

"G Kunstmann" wrote in message
news

"B A R R Y" wrote in message
et...
G Kunstmann wrote:
subject says it all

What look are you trying for?

Red oak is one of the most easily stained and finished woods available.
Usually, some pigment lodging in the pores, as well as the ray flecks
becoming more visible are desirable characteristics.

If you can provide more detail on what you're after, or a specific
problem, I'd be glad to help. Also, are you mainly dealing with solid
stock or QS red oak plywood?

In the past, I stained QS red oak by applying the stain liberally, wiping
the excess off, buffing it dry, and retired for the day. Next day, the
stain had apparently "leaked out", leaving small dark spots surrounding
the pores. Had a very arduous task getting the spots out.

Your stain may benefit from thinning.

Wiping the semi dry stain with a cloth moistened with thinner may help. As
someone else mentioned, starting earlier in the day may allow you time to
remove the 'leakage spots' as they appear but before they dry using the
cloth moistened with thinner.

I like to apply a preliminary coat of thinned stain after glue work and
preliminary sanding is complete but before final finishing. This gives some
protection from sweat and dirty hands and allows the grain to raise. After
final detail sanding and assembly a second coat of thinned stain results in
the character I like which is somewhat varied.

A different brand of stain may give you better results, it took me several
tries to find a brand of stain that I like but we are all looking for
different effects, I like the way the softer oak darkens more than the
harder wood and also makes the rays stand out. I think it results in a bold
character that I find pleasing. YMMV

Thu, Jul 5, 2007, 10:24am (EDT-3) (G*Kunstmann)
doth mumble:
subject says it all

Playdough springs to mind.



JOAT
I do things I don't know how to do, so that I might learn how to do
them.
- Picasso