pipemakersforum.com

What's the key?
I was planning black/medium brown/yellow

220 black
320 brown
400 brown
600 yellow
800 yellow
Polish

Will black and yellow still interact to make green if I put the brown down between them?

If you are using alcohol based stains then they will just blend together.

Fiebings dye

Fiebings is alcohol-based.

I think this is one area where you will find that secrets are kept rather than shared because often a particular finish is associated with a particular maker. The key is really just experimentation.

sandahlpipe wrote:Fiebings is alcohol-based.

Their institutional dyes are water based.

I've gotten decent contrast with two fiebings colors without them running together, I've just never used yellow....


Is my plan a hot mess in the making?
I'm close to a nice pipe and I hate to screw it up now

NathanA wrote:I think this is one area where you will find that secrets are kept rather than shared because often a particular finish is associated with a particular maker. The key is really just experimentation.

This is precisely the issue. Anyone can copy a shape, a stem, or a design from someone else. The finish is what gives each pipe its personality. Save your briar scraps and try out different processes on them. Mess around with staining at different grits, dyes, colors, additives, solutions and find out what works for you. When you find something that works for you, stick with it and your finish will have a different signature from the next pipe maker.

Basically, you need to figure out a way to get the pipe dark, remove some of the dark parts, then add a lighter color without the darker color bleeding into it. Minimizing bleed is the key to the whole thing. Probably as many ways to do a high contrast stain as there are pipe makers. Read everything you can find about it heres on PMF, start experimenting by changing one variable at a time. Figure out what works for you and your way of doing things.

It takes practice. Past threads cover the basics. The frequency of your dyeing will just frustrate you. I apply dye twice for a contrast stain, once for base color, once for contrast. Your sanding is fine, but you can cut your dyeing application in half. Applying the colors twice will most likely bleed them together (just like Chris said).

ok cool
it sounds like at this point I may be on my own but I guess its worth asking a couple more questions in case someone is willing to go further:

is it possible to do a pass with shellac to set the base color and then sand lightly and contrast stain over that? Or will ANY amount of shellac prevent further dye from getting in?

Adding the shellac will likely make it go blotchy.

You can tint over shellac, but there are better ways of setting the first layer. This is where research starts.

research as in experimentation?
I've read just about every thread I can find here on staining. They basically all say the same thing: start dark, sand, finish light.

but the details are mostly missing.

and I am still curious about this: will putting a different color (e.g., brown) in between black and yellow, prevent the black+yellow=green
phenomenon?

Better idea to avoid green: mix a little red into your black (reddish brown, oxblood, or straight red) and apply it as one layer. Slight red plus slight green equals slight brown.

calsbeek wrote:research as in experimentation?
I've read just about every thread I can find here on staining. They basically all say the same thing: start dark, sand, finish light.

but the details are mostly missing.

and I am still curious about this: will putting a different color (e.g., brown) in between black and yellow, prevent the black+yellow=green
phenomenon?

TIAFO

PremalChheda wrote: TIAFO

Toe-inhibiting ankle-foot arthrosis ? (seriously, that's what TIAFO mean's according to google...)

So when you googled TIAFO you attempted to try it and find out, but to no avail?

Ratimus wrote:So when you googled TIAFO you attempted to try it and find out, but to no avail?

I guess it shows I'm not a native English speaker

I would point you in the direction of a finishing process that is not prone to bleeding in the first place.