Stain Under Hard Shellac

[Mmcbain]

Hi All,

In a previous post ("Hard Shellac Application") I indicated that I needed to stain a new piece of timber to blend in with the old piece a little better. I mentioned I was looking at possibly a gel stain (I think it was a Watyl product). I received a response from "Ben from Vic" who mentioned it rang alarm bells.

Could someone please recommend a stain that would be more suitable under hard shellac? I note that Ubeaut have water based stains, but I do not believe I have the knowledge or talent to mix to the required colour so would prefer to use a premixed product.

Appreciate as always all advise and tips.

Ciao for now.

Marls

[Eastie]

The alarm bells would be ringing in relation to spirit based stains (i.e like the feast watson ones), as the carrier chemical in shellac (metholated spirit) will draw the spirit stain out of the timber, making a fair mess of the grain.
That's not to say it can't be done with good results given correct application. Try mixing mixing spirit stain with hard shellac and then applying it (to a scrap piece of timber ). Another experiment you could try that has worked very well for me is to apply the spirit based stain neat to a scrap piece of timber until you get the desired color, allow it to dry then apply the stain/hard shellac mix over the top.

An alternative is to use a water based stain under the shellac

[Mmcbain]

Thanks for the tip Eastie - for armed is for warned - I think I will look for a suitable water based stain. Learning all the time.

Ciao for now.

Marls