pipemakersforum.com

Hi everyone,

Sorry if this has already been discussed and I missed it.

When using a liquid alcohol stain, like Fiebing, do you use it straight from the bottle or thin it down?

I imagine there are different techniques for applying but is there a typical method of application? i.e. do you finish sand to a certain grit, apply the stain, sand again, spit coat with shellac and then buff?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Steve Shawl

The method you suggest is pretty normal and basic. You can cut the stains with denatured alcohol if you want to lighten the color. Sealing with shellac is also a good way to set the stain.

If you're only making the occasional pipe, then cutting stain with alcohol is the less expesive way to go to get a lighter shade. If you'll be using quite a bit of stain, get a whole range of brown/tan stains.

If you intend to do contrast staining, I suggest you search the forum, there are a number of excellent threads on what grit to sand to, etc.