Stain being rubbed out under clear.

[Tegmark]

The walnut colour & darkness of the stain is being rubbed out while I sand moderately with say 400 or even 800 in between coats of can poly clear. I'm on my 4th coat on thin plywood & trying to rub out the dust & I cant, as it will lighten the stain up.

How could this be? Maybe the clear at the bottom of the can is no good? Or the plywood?

I have waited a few days in this heat with this coat & so I think its plenty of time to hit it with fresh 400.

[springwater]

The walnut colour & darkness of the stain is being rubbed out while I sand moderately with say 400 or even 800 in between coats of can poly clear. I'm on my 4th coat on thin plywood & trying to rub out the dust & I cant, as it will lighten the stain up.

How could this be? Maybe the clear at the bottom of the can is no good? Or the plywood?

I have waited a few days in this heat with this coat & so I think its plenty of time to hit it with fresh 400.

I wouldn't think the stain is being rubbed out unless your breaking through the poly layer when sanding, especially if you've put four coats over it.

Maybe it's just the refraction of light on the surface after sanding that makes it look lighter. Has it darkened after applying a coat of poly?

[Hermit]

A pic maybe?

[Tegmark]

I wouldn't think the stain is being rubbed out unless your breaking through the poly layer when sanding, especially if you've put four coats over it.

Maybe it's just the refraction of light on the surface after sanding that makes it look lighter. Has it darkened after applying a coat of poly?

Hi, it becomes very obvious when dried off or with new coat on it. Small patchy areas lighten, first i thought it was my eyes playing tricks, but it became very obvious. Maybe some chemical reaction with uncured clear & slight friction? All i can think of.

I should take a photo to get a better idea.

basically the colour was very uniform & dark at the beginning.
cl.jpg

[springwater]

What type of stain is it?

[Tegmark]

Walnut from bunnings, cant think of the brand right now. Maybe the excess stain I put on was what rubbed off & its suppose to look liken this?

[CMB]

Some of it looks typical to me. Ply can do some weird and wonderful things. I've never experienced it to that extent though. What grade of ply are you using? My theory is that on cheaper grades not made specifically for furniture etc the glues penetrate the top layers enough to prevent full saturation or absorption off certain coatings. I reckon it's not rub through or the stain.

[springwater]

Oil or acrylic based stain? I reckon there may have been something on the surface of the ply before you started. Have you got something else to test the method you've used?

[Hermit]

After applying the stain did you wipe off all of the excess after a few minutes, while it was still wet? It looks a bit like a combination of too much stain on the surface + rubbing through the poly.
As CMB (Edit: and springwater) says, it might just be the plywood. It gives the appearance that the stain didn't soak in in some areas.

[Tegmark]

After applying the stain did you wipe off all of the excess after a few minutes, while it was still wet? It looks a bit like a combination of too much stain on the surface + rubbing through the poly.
As CMB (Edit: and springwater) says, it might just be the plywood. It gives the appearance that the stain didn't soak in in some areas.

I'm sure I used too much stain. It was spirit based. Also happened a little on chipboard veneer with alot harder sanding though. I had no idea about rubbing off excess stain, maybe some contaminants on the stain too. opps.

To be honest I really like the look, it looks antique & natural.