I don't want to use the Polyshade product, I want to use a traditional
stain and then poly as that is what I have experience using to get a
decent result. I really like the redness of the Bombay Mahogany stain
though. The regular Minwax product of "Red Mahogany" is hardly red at
all, more dark brown. Is there any product out there that will get me
close to the Bombay Mahogany color?

If it matters, I am using this over red oak wood.

You might want to try mixing stains. I recently had to use a sedonna red
.... it is very red... Add that to bombay mahogany or start with sedonna
red and work from there.

Also I thought olympic or zar had something that started to approach the
color you are looking for... It can be rewarding to mix and come up with
a color you want... It can also be frustrating when it changes because
of your choice of topcoat... so test all the way.

wrote:
I don't want to use the Polyshade product, I want to use a traditional
stain and then poly as that is what I have experience using to get a
decent result. I really like the redness of the Bombay Mahogany stain
though. The regular Minwax product of "Red Mahogany" is hardly red at
all, more dark brown. Is there any product out there that will get me
close to the Bombay Mahogany color?

FWIW, thinned Minwax Red Mahogany is just right for my tastes over
mahogany.

Though I don't have any actual Bombay pieces, I have some similar to
them. They are not made of mahogany. These have a bright red stain in
certain places that would suggest that the "redness" comes from a
multi-step stain process. Check out the experts at
http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/. I'm no pro finisher, but I suspect
you could use water based aniline dye in bright red and apply it
slightly diluted to the entire piece, then follow with thinned Red
Mahogany. You can now glaze and/or spray a tinted lacquer to shade
additionally if needed. Remember to practice on scrap from your
project and to prep appropriately with raising grain and sanding prior
to the dye, etc.

This is on a FWW article based on mahogany finishing. The author
applied an amber dye to tone the various natural pigments of several
different mahogany boards used in the project. Good luck!
SS

Trouper...

You might want to try General Finishes "Rosewood" water based stain.
I recently used it on my TV stand, built with a combination of birch
plywood with some oak edging. I hadn't intended on using oak, but not
having a thickness planner or a local (EZ) source for birch/cherry, I
used the oak. After applying a wood conditioner wet, I rubbed on the
stain, got my color, then waited a day and sealed it with Bullseye
wax-free Seal Coat thinned 2:1 with Behlen's Behkol. The finish was 3
coats of water-based satin finish urethane (Minwax).

BTW, General Finishes are sold at Woodcraft and they have a nice
selection stain options in their store here in West Springfield, MA.

I know Bombay's kind of redish mahogany, and the only other product I
could recommend would be a bit bizzare... Chris-Craft Red Mahogany
filler by Interlux which is awfully hard to find. The last time I
bought some it was from a boat outfitter/yard in Rhode Island on a tip
I got from a Interlux techie.

Mike

On 7 Feb 2005 05:57:22 -0800, wrote:

I don't want to use the Polyshade product, I want to use a traditional
stain and then poly as that is what I have experience using to get a
decent result. I really like the redness of the Bombay Mahogany stain
though. The regular Minwax product of "Red Mahogany" is hardly red at
all, more dark brown. Is there any product out there that will get me
close to the Bombay Mahogany color?

Consider using a red dye under the mahogany stain. I have found using
moderate dyes and stains together works better than using either a stong dye
or stain alone.

I know Bombay's kind of redish mahogany, and the only other product I
could recommend would be a bit bizzare... Chris-Craft Red Mahogany
filler by Interlux which is awfully hard to find. The last time I
bought some it was from a boat outfitter/yard in Rhode Island on a
tip
I got from a Interlux techie.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...oductId=143628

I am leaning towards the Rosewood stain. Is the seal coat necessary
and what does it do? Does a water-based urethane have to be used or
can I use an oil base one over the stain?