Most of you know of my experimenting. Some goes good, some goes
not so good.

The thinkked Titebond II and Elmers as finishes went well, and seem
to be holding up quite well. I got the Elmers very cheap, which is why
I used it, all in all, I prefer Titebond. I also tried some thinned
latex paint as a stain. That also seems to be going quite well, and has
the added benefit of allowing custom colors to be mixed, if desired.

I had maybe 2 ounces of th thinned Elmers left over, so decided to
see how the latex would do as a stain and finish at the same time.
Interesting.

I had about an ounce of red latex so put a bit in with the Elmers.
Hmm, light pink, that's not good. More red. Pepto Bisom. Also not
good. So dumped it all in. After shaking, about the only way I can
describe it is what I've heard called coral. Kinda da deep Pepto Bismo
color maybe. But, after two coats it darkened up. And after bout 3
costs it looks decent.

But it is not really what I was after. If I stick to using thinned
latex as a stain, then using thinned Titebond as a finish, it is much
more attractive. Actually one of my tries came up with a very authentic
looking mahogany color.

Besides not looking like I wanted, coloring glue as a stain and
finish combined would require an additional container for each color.
Not good. Much better to just use a small container - used pill
containers comes to mind - and mix up a small batch of thinned latex, no
more than what is needed at the time, and use it as a stai, and then use
the thinned glue as a finish.

Interesting tho. Hmm, that reminds me, I've got some green tea,
and I never tried any of that as a stain. I'll have to brew up some and
see how it does. The regular tea experiments came out quite well, but
haven't had any call to use it since. Very rapid drying, so you can
quickly put on multiple coats, and can drink your leftover.



JOAT
My memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory is not as
sharp as it used to be.

Fri, Dec 21, 2007, 4:04am (J*T) did posted
some 'speermint results:

Today the results look some bettter than they did last night. The
color has darkened a bit, and is now close to what I was shooting for in
the first place. but not quite. However, it does look decent.

The first two test pieces, the coats were put on thick - applied by
right index finger. After 3 coats the grain can still be seen. The
third piece a coat was put on, then wiped off. Then another, thin, coat
was put on - this one looks much better than the other two. The first
coat came out kinda pale pink, the second dried to quite a bit more red,
and the grain is much more in evidence. I'll put another thin coat on
and see how that comes out.

But all n all, I think this method is more of a PITA than it is
worthwhile. Thinning latex to act as a stain, then thinned Titebond, or
Elmers, as a finish is much more rewarding all around. Actually the
last test piece looks very similar to some of the dyed wood pieces I've
seen sold, but I don't find that look especially appealing.



JOAT
My memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory is not as
sharp as it used to be.

Are you really going to try the green tea stain?

--
Mike
Watch for the bounce.
If ya didn't see it, ya didn't feel it.
If ya see it, it didn't go off.
Old Air Force Munitions Saying
IYAAYAS
"J T" wrote in message
...
Fri, Dec 21, 2007, 4:04am (J T) did posted
some 'speermint results:

Today the results look some bettter than they did last night. The
color has darkened a bit, and is now close to what I was shooting for in
the first place. but not quite. However, it does look decent.

The first two test pieces, the coats were put on thick - applied by
right index finger. After 3 coats the grain can still be seen. The
third piece a coat was put on, then wiped off. Then another, thin, coat
was put on - this one looks much better than the other two. The first
coat came out kinda pale pink, the second dried to quite a bit more red,
and the grain is much more in evidence. I'll put another thin coat on
and see how that comes out.

But all n all, I think this method is more of a PITA than it is
worthwhile. Thinning latex to act as a stain, then thinned Titebond, or
Elmers, as a finish is much more rewarding all around. Actually the
last test piece looks very similar to some of the dyed wood pieces I've
seen sold, but I don't find that look especially appealing.



JOAT
My memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory is not as
sharp as it used to be.

Fri, Dec 21, 2007, 5:22pm (EST-2) (asmurff) doth
query:
Are you really going to try the green tea stain?

Any reason not to?



JOAT
My memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory is not as
sharp as it used to be.

Not that I can see, tea has been used as a dye for along time that is where
khaki came from, the British soldiers got tired of standing out in India.

I think it would make a cool stain.

--
Mike
Watch for the bounce.
If ya didn't see it, ya didn't feel it.
If ya see it, it didn't go off.
Old Air Force Munitions Saying
IYAAYAS
"J T" wrote in message
...
Fri, Dec 21, 2007, 5:22pm (EST-2) (asmurff) doth
query:
Are you really going to try the green tea stain?

Any reason not to?



JOAT
My memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory is not as
sharp as it used to be.