using water dye

[PaulS]

A question about ubeauts water dye.
I am planning on using this on some pine for a dolls house i am building. It is an open plan 'chalet style'

like this one...
http://www.plantoys.com/catalog/products_detail.php?id=7139

I have done a test on some pine and it comes up a little blotchy.

If i use sanding sealer under it, will that help? can i make my own using some shellac flakes?

Thanks

Paul

[watson]

G'day Paul,
up in the Library section you'll get the data sheets on both products, especially the shellac.

[Wizened of Oz]

A bit late not too late, I hope.
Pine rarely stains satisfactorily, wildly different absorption between fast growth and slow growth wood. Best to coat with tinted shellac. Colour your shellac with spirit stain (e.g. Feast Watson Prooftint). Depth of colour will depend on amount of stain added and the number of coats.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

:whs:

I've found that I can reduce the blotching to some degree by wetting the timber down first. But it still blotches to some degree. :~

[ubeaut]

Skew hit the nail right on the head. Wetting down first will help no end. Apply a weaker mix of stain using a dampened rag, rather than full strength. If it's not a deep enough colour apply more than once, each time you apply it the colour will deepen until it reaches saturation.

You can use a shellac based sanding sealer beneath it but it must be dewaxed white shellac. Not made from flakes as this is waxy and won't allow the stain into the timber. If you plan on using our White Shellac (http://www.ubeaut.com.au/dewaxed.html) over the dye then you can mix a little of the shellac with 10 parts metho and it will work brilliantly. You must sand very lightly ithe very fine abrasive (800 or higher) after the sealer is dry. Just a lite wipe over not a heavy cut back sanding.

Hope this is of some help.

Cheers - Neil :)

PS Sanding up to around 800 grit will give you much better results than sanding to 400 or less.

[PaulS]

Thanks for the info, now i need to just do it!!