dark cherry on vic ash with photo

hi,
my name is lachie an i am currently doing year twelve. iv completed construction on my design technology project (a nice sexy entertainment unit). i want to stain it to a dark cherry red color. the wood is victorian ash. i checked a couple of local shops but everyone seems to be getting rid of there chemical stains or something so quantity and options are very limited. can anyone tell me a place were i can get a good asortment of stains thats fairly local to me (north fitzroy melbourne). i realy dont want to just varnish it, i feel that the finish will make or break this project. cheers

Bunnings sell Prooftint (Mahogany) water based stain. You could then use a wipe on polyurethane like Minwax (gloss) also sold by Bunnings. UBeaut (the board sponsor) also sell a range of colours in their water based dyes which are probably more versatile and can be found here http://www.ubeaut.com.au/dye.html

hi lachie,
Ive always found vic ash hard to stain well espesially with synthetic stains.
Whenever I restore a piece of ash or tassie oak I have the hardest time removing rust stains black marks from to bottom of old cans, nails or any thing made of steel that was left to sit on it.
you could try this in reverse by making a natural iron stain.
My thoughts are that you shouldnt try to take a timber too far from the colour it was meant to be, less is more if you take my meaning.
a lot of synthetic staiains have an unnatural brightness that screams at you, so unless you are prepared to buy several cans and experiment with mixes I would leave the colour alone and concentrait on a really good finish.
I think ash will deepen if you wash it down with humble soda crystal.
I assume that cost of materials is an issue, so try experamenting with some simple stains like coffee, tea, soda. google some recipes.
I assure you that all proffessional restorers use these things from time to time especially when they want a special look for a special piece.
always test a cut off piece first.

good luck
astrid

thanks for that guys. i would really like it to match my bed which coincidently is also vic ash. it looks almost black from two meters away but if come a bit closer its a very dark and deep red. and i really like it! the problem with just doing a good finish is that the piece will be going on a floorboard floor in a room with big pine doors and trim, i feel that a simple finish will blend to a point were its just "another piece of furniture" not anything special. i definatly want it to be darker and less "shiny" than all the other furniture and makings in the room. im open to sugestions. but it has to be darker i feel. i don't mind the color, infact i feel it almost criminal to cover it. but if i want to notice it every time i open my door then it cant be like everything else. Do you Follow?
Cheers

sorry ,inotice from your photo that some of the planks you used are different in grain and colour. maybe you could use this as a feature emphisising the natural variation of the timber.
I dont mean dont stain it at all, but be discrete.
if you want more info i will be glad to advise but its your piece.
astrid

i like the variation in the timber, its quite attractive. but as i said above i feel it should be darker. its a crime to let this thing become an extension of the floor

Sorriy lachie
We were posting at the same time
ok i fully understand where your coming from now.
trouble is oil based stains are deeper but muddy up the grain.
spirit bases dont penetrate ash well.
if this is a vce project i guess you will do better by showing some initiative,
experiment on off cuts.
water based stains tend to fade unless they are really solid stains like iron.
there are ways of getting deep black stains with various acids but not very safe and not for a student.
a good mainstay are van dyke crystals that penetate well, are colorfast and are natural,
i believe made from walnuts.
depending on how you mix it you get from orange to deep almost red black
however i havent used these on ash so i dont know how it will penetrate.
maybe somone else here can advise.
astrid

thanks your advise is really helping me start to get an idea of were i want to go. but keep it coming if you can. i havnt heard of van dyke crystals before. what are they? were do i get them? and as you said if anyone else can comment on how well they penetrate that would be good...

Certifi,

If you want try matching colors from another piece, can you take a couple of photos, and then post them here.

If you knew the basic colorant colors, then we could talk colors. Trying to explain colors is not a good idea if your trying to match a color.

If you want to learn to be a finisher, you need to learn the basic colors by their names and by sight.

I will soon post a color box that will show you what I mean.

Good Luck

MacS

Certifi,

Here you go, with these colors you will be able to match just about any furniture color.

If you interested in colors I have a few articles on dyes and pigments.

I hope this helps.

Good Luck

MacS

For shops, have you checked out Manfax :

Manfax Paints Pty Ltd
166 Gertrude St Fitzroy VIC 3065



Cheers,


Justin.

Thease are a very old traditional stain.
I dont know which bit of walnuts they come from but I think its the husk.( thats the fleshy skin surrounding the shell when it comes off the tree.
I get mine from graham brown in malvern but if you Email me I can send you some of mine of Ill mail you my phone number and we can chat.
Im on the other side of town.
astrid

I havent figured out how to send or receive private messages yet