# Stumped on dyes??



## Mark68 (19 Mar 2007)

Hi all.
I've been reading through the site for a while now,,,1 1/2 years,,finally joined.  

I was wondering if people might be good enough to help me a bit.
I'm in the process of building a new computer cabinet for myself,,,sides,top,bottom and shelfs are 18mm ply, lipped with 5mm mahogany strips and then both sides veneered with mahogany.
Its taking a little time, but then only get to work on it on saturdays.

I'm stuck on the finish for when its done,,i know how i want it to look,,at the moment the mahogany is a light colour,and the finish i want is that deep reddish brown colour,, to match the rest of the funiture here.

I been reading a few different books and web sites,,and fancy using a water dye, from all acounts easier to apply to larger panels??
Also i read that if you apply a yellow dye first that it helps to make the grain stand out even more or high lights it??

After,,thinking about coating it with danish oil,,seems to be a good finish??

I've used spirit stains before and never had no luck with them,,so this have lead me to think about water dyes.

Would be gratefull if someone might be able to tell me if i'm going down the right path,,,yellow dye,,liberon victorian mahogany pallet dye,,then a few coats of danish oil,, or will i be heading for a right mess??

And hopefully the easier the better...

many thanks
mark


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## gavin e (19 Mar 2007)

The thing to remember when staining is that the natural colour of the wood will alter the colour of the stain, so there is no way of telling the final colour you will achieve. The same stain on two different pieces of mahogany or oak will probably give two stightly different colours. Experience will give you a good idea of the colour, but if you have never used the stain before the only way to check is to do a test sample on some offcuts of timber or veneer. Remember to give your test sample a coat of the finish you intend to use, as this will alter the colour too.

When using water stains be aware that they can sometimes raise the grain of the surface being stained.

Make sure your surface is completely dry before applying an oil finish, which should be ok but bear in mind that an oil finish can become worn and mark easily in areas of heavy use. Have you thought about using a low sheen level lacquer? They are more durable and easy enough to apply, and can give a similar look to oil, but make sure that the finish you use is compatible with the stain and will not cause bleeding of the colour.

If in doubt - test samples!!!!


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## DomValente (19 Mar 2007)

Welcome Mark,

Have you tried Chestnut Brown Mahogany, think that may be the colour you're looking for, I know it's a spirit dye,_ just follow the instructions _

Dom


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## Mark68 (21 Mar 2007)

Hi.
Many thanks for the replies.

I still fancy going with a water dye,,i've used "spirit" stains before (colron) and never really been happy with the results i've got,,but then thats been with pine.
Being fairly large panels,i believe that with the water dyes you get a little bit more time to apply them before they dry, which sounds good.

I've had a look at the Chestnut products,and seen that they do an acrylic lacquer,,that looks good and looks pretty tough too.

Would anyone have experience of using this? plus using a brush to apply it with? is it fairly easy to use, also will it be ok to use it over a water dye.


Many questions, and the more you look at the different tyes of finishes out there the more mind boggleing it gets.

I'm kind of looking for a finish that will be fairly easy to apply( foolproof, in my case). and fairly tough as well.

Thanks.
Mark


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## Paul Chapman (21 Mar 2007)

Mark68":1c0xbfag said:


> I still fancy going with a water dye,,i've used "spirit" stains before (colron) and never really been happy with the results i've got,,but then thats been with pine.
> Being fairly large panels,i believe that with the water dyes you get a little bit more time to apply them before they dry, which sounds good.



Another advantage of water-based dyes is that, if you are not very experienced or confident with your ability to apply it well, you can blend it, lighten it and remove quite a lot of it with a damp rag - which might be quite handy. But always try it out (and the finish) on off-cuts first.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul

PS If using a water-based dye, which can raise the grain, go over it first with a damp rag to raise the grain, let it dry, then lightly sand the raised grain before applying the dye.


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## Anonymous (27 Mar 2007)

IMHO water based dyes look a bit insipid. Spirit dyes are hard to apply evenly and can end up blotchy.

My favourite is a cellulose based dye such as Morrell's Classique range.

http://www.morrells-woodfinishes.com/distributors.htm

You can brush it on, wipe off, and you will get great results.

Just put your fag out first!


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## Mark68 (31 Mar 2007)

Many thanks for the replies.

I went with the liberon pallet dye, just tried it out today on some scrap pieces. i wetted it first,,then sanded it down again and applied the dye.
Did not quite look the right colour,, but put a coat of 50/50 white spirit and poly varnish on it,,,and now it looks good!! will have to see how it looks after a few more coats. 

Thanks
mark.


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## Chris Knight (1 Apr 2007)

Mark,
One of the best ways of making mahogany look red is to use a strong solution of caustic soda - sold as a drain cleaner in most places like B&Q.

After applying, rinse off with very wet rag and neutralise with vinegar ,rinse again and you will have the best looking red you can imagine - works well on other hard woods too - oak, cherry etc - though the colour varies according to the species.


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## Mark68 (3 Apr 2007)

chris.

i tried the caustic soda on some offcuts,,wow,, i see what you mean.
only trouble is the cabinet has two different types of mahogany,,figured african on the outside,,cheap khaya on the inside. 
The figured went really dark,not very nice,,but the cheap khaya went a beautiful red colour,,an amazing colour. The colour i want!!!

Thats one tip i will remember in the future, got a half built writting slope here,,guess what colour thats going to be!!!

Thanks for all your replies.
mark.


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