More grain contrast

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erasmus59
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More grain contrast

Post by erasmus59 »

I'm fairly new to pipe making and on this forum and I've been reading here for a few weeks already. Now I would like to ask your advice for the following. Hope it hasn't been answered anywhere else on the forum (anayway, I didn't find it). If so, please excuse me. :oops:

I've a problem with staining a pipe I'm restoring. I stained it black after sanding it down to 400, then sanded it to 1200 an stained it mahogany. The grain contrast is much too low. It seems as if the stain is covering up everything. This is strange because when I rub the pipe with a damp cloth the grain comes out excellent. Is there anything I might do to increase the grain contrast? And can alcohol based stains be diluted ?

Greetings from Belgium.
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taharris
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Re: More grain contrast

Post by taharris »

Alcohol based stains can, and routinly are, diluted with alcohol. The alcohol used in these stains is denatured ethanol or DNA for short. In the States this can be purchased an any hardware store in the painting section. If you can't find DNA you might try rubbing alcohol (the alcohol used for medical purposes) this is isopropyl alcohol or IPA. I've never tried IAP, but it should work fine. Just make sure you get the IPA with the highese alcohol content available because the rest is just water.

I'm guessing that your Mahogony stain is too concentrated. Also, if you are planning to buff the pipe you will get some grain pop during that process.

Good luck!
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KurtHuhn
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Re: More grain contrast

Post by KurtHuhn »

Sanding to 1200 is mostly unnecessary. And unfortunately, staining after sanding that high will result in a lot of stain sitting on the surface and not penetrating the wood where it can do its job.

For higher contrast, stain at lower grits, and sand back slightly. For instance, apply the black after 220 or 320, then apply the mahogany after sanding with 400/500 and sand with worn abrasives to get a high contrast.

Also, after buffing and shining, the grain contrast will be a lot more apparent. You'll really be surprised at how much the difference after the shine is applied.
Kurt Huhn
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staffwalker
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Re: More grain contrast

Post by staffwalker »

You can remove a great deal of the Mahogany stain by pouring some rubbing alcohol on a folded paper towel and rubbing. If you do so, be careful you don't remove too much in one spot. I usually do a fast once over then come back to the more concentrated spots and go over them several times until I get the desired color. If you have sanded the black down so that it only remains in the grain, this process will allow the black to show through the Mahogany. I doubt though, if you will ever get a really good job because you are using two dark stains. It works much better with a dark (black or dark brown) first and a follow up with a lighter stain such as yellow or orange. I find frebing's orange to be too orange and mix my own with yellow and red to make any color of orange I want. Another mix I use for a light top stain is a combo of Tan and Yellow. bob gilbert
erasmus59
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Re: More grain contrast

Post by erasmus59 »

Thanks for the advice. Problem has been solved: sanded the pipe to 400 again and stained it yellow.
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bornagainbriar
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Re: More grain contrast

Post by bornagainbriar »

Read a cool article in a recent issue of "Pipes" magazine where the crafter used yellow stain to offset the contrast of the darker stain. It was not really noticeable that he had used yellow until someone pointed it out, but the darker stain really popped.
"A pipe is a good thing for all men. For wise men, it gives them time to think and ponder. For a fool, it gives him something to shove in his mouth." - Unknown...
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