Dyes and Glazes

[Arch Stanton]

After months of getting myself set up I am ready to make my first real piece of furniture.

I am going to make an Arts & Crafts mirror from silky oak. I have a book, Authentic Arts & Crafts Furniture Projects, which was published by the editors of Popular Woodworking. I really like the colour and look of the finishes in the book and would like to achieve something very similar. Of course I realise being pictures they will vay a bit from the real thing.

Their finishing method is:

* Apply a water based reddish dye ( Moser's Light Sheraton Mahogany)
* A coat of shellac
* A coat of warm brown glaze
* 3 coats of your favourite clear finish.

Of course it is an American book so I have to do a bit of translating and currency conversion, and that creates my problems.

I don't expect I will be able to get the same brand in Australia and it will be hard to match a colour to something I haven't got a sample for but does anyone have any ideas on the dye? I looked at Neil's range and the red wasn't reddish, it was red.

The book alludes to glaze being stain. Is glaze the same as stain?

Warm brown? I am sure it probably goes by a dozen other names.

So, if you are an expat yank, who has read the same book and tried the finishes back home then moved to Melbourne and continued on with the same method using Australian products please help.

Brian

[thumbsucker]

Hi - I would think that stain and glaze are two distinct things.

stain - color (a material or object) by applying a penetrative dye or chemical : wood can always be stained to a darker shade.

glaze - 1 a substance used to give a smooth, shiny surface to something, in particular • a vitreous substance fused on to the surface of pottery to form a hard, impervious decorative coating. • a liquid such as milk or beaten egg, used to form a smooth shiny coating on food. • chiefly Art a thin topcoat of transparent paint used to modify the tone of an underlying color. 2 a smooth, shiny surface formed esp. by glazing : the glaze of the white cups. • a thin, glassy coating of ice on the ground or the surface of water.

I would Go to St. Lukes on Smith street in Collingwood, they have a huge range of dies, stains and colors and are most helpful and informative group of ladies. I am sure they could find what you are looking for.

[ubeaut]

For starters you will most likely, never get anywhere near the same colour as in the book through staining, because they more than likely used a white-wood which needed to be stained. Silky Oak is more into the red colour and and won't take a stain in anywhere near the same way as in the book.

A glaze is a mixture of shellac and colouring or varnish and colour which is applied to to give more depth of colour to a finish, usually applies prior to the final finish but sometimes after the finish as in the case of gold leaf or brass etc to bring out highlights.

I have used it effectively over a white base on turned candle sticks and other projects where you want to give the appearance of the piece having a real depth of colour with a transparency. So when you look into it it looks like a sheet of coloured glass over a white base.

Cheers - Neil

PS you can't tell what colour a dye is until you apply it to the timber. The red could end up brown on one timber and brilliant crimson on another. Putting a weak wash of green over your silky could turn it brown, the cedar could be just what the doctor ordered.

There are so many variables in staining and dying that it is impossible to give clear direction to anyone apart from the most basic colour info on using them with white-woods and even there it will only be ball park as there are so many different shades in white-woods. Some will even turn yellow when wet.

[Arch Stanton]

Ok, It sounds like I can't buy a ready to use glaze off the shelf.

I'll get some dyes and play around with colour and strength.

Then make some glazes with shellac and stain.

Do a lot of experimenting.

Thanks for the responses.