partial staining?

[dereks]

I'm doing a carving project and would like to stain part of the piece and not the rest of the piece. Is it possible to do this and have it not bleed into the rest of the piece? I believe I'm working with ash. I know its wierd that I don't know what kind of wood I'm working with, but it started as a replacement shovel handle. Any advice would be great!

[Cruzi]

Your best bet would be seal the piece with a sanding sealer, then using a brush, (how fine depends on the size of the area), "paint" the stain onto area required. Really thin down your stain and be patient, it may take a few coats to get colour desired.

The sealer should prevent the stain from spreading or leeching.

[joe greiner]

If the design allows it, incise a V-groove between the stained and unstained parts. Experiment on some scrap to find out how deep the stain penetrates, and make the groove about the same depth, so as to prevent a siphon effect. End grain may behave different from side grain; end grain typically appears darker, which could be an additional "feature."

Cheers,
Joe