"samson" <[email protected]> wrote:
> I built some bookshelves and stained them (finishing
> is my least favorite part) with some Minwax I bought
> at Home Depot.
I don't like stain either; however, you may want to check out WoodKote
gel stain.
It did a job for me.
Lew
"Leon" wrote:
> Having said that I do NOT care for General Finishes "Gel" Varnish.
Just curious, have you ever worked with WoodKote gel stains out of
Portland?
I'm not a stain person, but found this stuff when I was still back in
Cleveland and it solved my problem.
Found strictly in the pro finishes stores, at least that's where I
found them in SoCal.
Lew
"samson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I built some bookshelves and stained them (finishing
> is my least favorite part) with some Minwax I bought
> at Home Depot. The stain was blotchy. I asked the guy
> at Rockler and he confidently handed me a can of General
> Finishes. Wow, what a difference. I'll never make that
> mistake again.
>
> S.
Instead of trying to select the perfect stain to your project, match the
wood species to your project and avoid the stain.
No more stain for this dude in High Point who is quitely wishing he still
had a Rockler in town like you! ('wipes away tear')
--
www.garagewoodworks.com
Wed, Oct 10, 2007, 9:58pm .@. (GarageWoodworks) doth sayeth:
Instead of trying to select the perfect stain to your project, match the
wood species to your project and avoid the stain.
No more stain for this dude in High Point who is quitely wishing he
still had a Rockler in town like you! ('wipes away tear')
I've been speermenting with thinned latex as stain. Works fine, so
far, haven't tried it much yet. Custom colors too. This from a guy
who's never even been in a Rockler, and doesn't even know where there's
a Rockler, 'less there's one in Raleigh. But I've got a Lee Valley
catalog.
JOAT
"I'm an Igor, thur. We don't athk quethtionth."
"Really? Why not?"
"I don't know, thur. I didn't athk."
On Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:41:04 -0400, [email protected] (J T) wrote:
>Wed, Oct 10, 2007, 9:58pm .@. (GarageWoodworks) doth sayeth:
>Instead of trying to select the perfect stain to your project, match the
>wood species to your project and avoid the stain.
>No more stain for this dude in High Point who is quitely wishing he
>still had a Rockler in town like you! ('wipes away tear')
>
> I've been speermenting with thinned latex as stain. Works fine, so
>far, haven't tried it much yet. Custom colors too. This from a guy
>who's never even been in a Rockler, and doesn't even know where there's
>a Rockler, 'less there's one in Raleigh. But I've got a Lee Valley
>catalog.
>
Hey bro... Sort of on topic, I was wondering how your tests came out with
coffee, tea, etc. for staining..
It was for rifle stocks, I think??
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
Thu, Oct 11, 2007, 8:37am (EDT-3) [email protected]
(mac=A0davis) waves and sayeth:
Hey bro... Sort of on topic, I was wondering how your tests came out
with coffee, tea, etc. for staining..
It was for rifle stocks, I think??
Ah, I believe I did do some on a rifle stock. Tea, not coffee. I
liked it. But then got the idea about latex.
Pretty much gave up on the coffee. Gave some absolutely great
color, but took way long to dry - like about 3 weeks. I'm thinking it
needed thinning a bit, and more time drying between coats. I might well
have done more on coffee, but quit drinking it about that time. LOL
The tea gave a nice finish. Coats dried quickly, and the more
coats, the darker the finish. Never anywhere dark as the coffee got
tho. Make a pot, pour some into a container to brush from, drink the
rest. LOL Even brewed very strong it gave a light finish, but the more
coats the darker it gets. I like the results, and will be using it
again.
Get a few pieces of wood to speermint on, and you can do it in the
house - no unpleasant smell. I only tried on one or two different
woods, so may darken some wood more, or less. Hmm, just thought, be a
great way to keep young kids busy, let 'em put on a finish for you.
JOAT
"I'm an Igor, thur. We don't athk quethtionth."
"Really? Why not?"
"I don't know, thur. I didn't athk."
"J T" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> I've been speermenting with thinned latex as stain. Works fine, so
> far, haven't tried it much yet.
Actually General Finishes has a thinned paint/stain product. Put it on with
a brush and it looks painted, wipe it off with a rag and you get a stained
appearance. Its kinda cool to have some elements of a project with an
opaque finish in the same color as the stained areas.
Custom colors too. This from a guy
> who's never even been in a Rockler, and doesn't even know where there's
> a Rockler, 'less there's one in Raleigh.
FYI there is one in Houston~ ;~) No help huh? LOL
But I've got a Lee Valley
> catalog.
IIRC WoodCraft has General Finishes also.> .
>
Thu, Oct 11, 2007, 12:59pm (EDT+4) [email protected] (Leon)
hath posteded:
Actually General Finishes has a thinned paint/stain product. <snip>
FYI there is one in Houston~ ;~) No help huh? LOL
IIRC WoodCraft has General Finishes also.> .
They obviously stole my idea.
Not much help. I did enjoy my time in Ft Hood (mostly), but didn't
leave a thing in Texas I want to retreive. Wish I'd stayed there
instead of going to Turkey tho.
JOAT
"I'm an Igor, thur. We don't athk quethtionth."
"Really? Why not?"
"I don't know, thur. I didn't athk."
Thu, Oct 11, 2007, 12:59pm (EDT+4) [email protected] (Leon)
<snip> IIRC WoodCraft has General Finishes also.> .
It struck me just as I hit the send button, I've never been in a
WoodCraft either. LOL I think there IS one in Raleigh, so that may
change one day. Maybe.
JOAT
"I'm an Igor, thur. We don't athk quethtionth."
"Really? Why not?"
"I don't know, thur. I didn't athk."
Leon, Samson, et al . . .
I mentioned this article because, heretic that I am, the stains that I use
are primarily Minwax, a few other 'commonly available' brands, and a aniline
dyes. Granted, I don't make 'Fine Furniture', nor do I have the wherewithal
to use expensive woods like Cherry, etc.
That being said, my 'production' is more toward the 'functional', yet Joanne
has very specific demands for what I build for her. The latest was to
'refinish' a window shelf that was previously painted an ugly deep
Brown/Maroon {over about two layers of white}. Bottom line . . . it now
looks like an age-darkened piece of Maple. The surface is flat, high gloss,
and HARD. I had to sand it off and re-do the staining to get her
satisfaction - REVERSING the 'schedule' of light-light-dark to
DARK-light-light. The 'dark' was MAHOGANY, followed by the Maple. All
over-coated with water-based poly . . . all Minwax products.
From my background in shooting, boatbuilding, and 'life' - and as an
acknowledged experts {Flexner}'examples' illustrates - it's not the tools or
materials that are the most important, it's the skill {or dedication} of the
person doing the work.
Regards & Good Luck,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote
> "samson" <[email protected]> wrote
SNIP>
> "So there?s nothing at all inferior about the finishing products
> available at home centers. There?s only a limitation of what?s
> available. From these limited choices, however, you have many
> possibilities for achieving the results you want."
> Many of those products do indeed do the job, not as well as others. With
> the new faux, and distressed finishes that some people are going for these
> days, Miniwaz products are probably the better choice in that the finish
is
> inconsistant in many cases.
>
> I'm sure he knows what he's talking about, but in my experience
> the General Finishes stain was amazinginly better than the Minwax.
Wed, Oct 10, 2007, 6:48pm (EDT-1) [email protected] (samson) doth
sayeth:
<snip> I'll never make that mistake again.
Shopping at Home Depot?
JOAT
"I'm an Igor, thur. We don't athk quethtionth."
"Really? Why not?"
"I don't know, thur. I didn't athk."
Leon, Sampson, et al . . .
I can't comment about GF's '. . . depth of stain, uniformity of color . . .'
because I've never used the stuff. However, what method is simpler, or
easier, then 'slop it on with a rag or foam brush, smooth it out, wait about
3 minutes, then wipe it off '. The hardiest part, for me, is the THROUGH
wiping. I use paper towels - and toss them. Also Latex gloves for full
dexterity, because the trick is to work quickly. What could be thought of as
'blotch' may actually be a thin layer of dried stain that wasn't completely
wiped off.
Either way, if I get a chance to acquire some GF Stain - in a color I need
AND at a price that is 'attractive', I'll try a few 'experiments'.
Regards,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote
SNIP
> LOL, I'll not argue with that. Basically the better the product, the
easier
> it is to get the results.
> While you can build equal quality furniture with a hand saw as with a
> cabinet saw, the later does in deed make it easier to get more consistent
> results. This holds true with a lot of "stuff". ;~)
>
"Sampson" wrote . .
> I have no question that you are much more skilled and a
much harder worker than I am, but I'm telling you,
General Finishes was not just better than Minwax,
it was amazingly better in terms of depth of stain,
uniformity of color, and ease of use -- in my experience.
Your mileage may vary.
"Ron Magen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Ft5Ri.7776$2o1.7619@trnddc03...
> Leon, Sampson, et al . . .
> I can't comment about GF's '. . . depth of stain, uniformity of color . .
> .'
> because I've never used the stuff. However, what method is simpler, or
> easier, then 'slop it on with a rag or foam brush, smooth it out, wait
> about
> 3 minutes, then wipe it off '. The hardiest part, for me, is the THROUGH
> wiping. I use paper towels - and toss them. Also Latex gloves for full
> dexterity, because the trick is to work quickly. What could be thought of
> as
> 'blotch' may actually be a thin layer of dried stain that wasn't
> completely
> wiped off.
I have done this with a piece that I built for a customer. The customer
happened to choose a Miiwax color that I had on hand. I stained the 4
tables and two of the tables had a leg that had "light" spots where I
applied the Miniwax stain. The "light" spots would not take a deep
color/rich as with the rest of the leg. I completely sanded the leg bare
again, reapplied, and got the same result. Resanded "again" and applied a
different brand stain and had no problem. Resanded again, reapplied the
Miniwax for a 3rd time and got the light spot in exactly the same places
again. I eventually dabbed on more stain on the light spots and did not
wipe it off. I was very careful applying/dabbing a varnish to those spots.
Very strange but not unexpected.
This was not the first time I had problems with Miniwax stains but the
first time that I ruled out adequate preparation with the use of anoither
stain on the same wood, Oak.
Having said that I do NOT care for General Finishes "Gel" Varnish.
> Either way, if I get a chance to acquire some GF Stain - in a color I need
> AND at a price that is 'attractive', I'll try a few 'experiments'.
I have ben using General Finishes since 1978, their pretty good. Lately I
have started using Lawrence McFadden gel products and will order a case of
their varnish the next time I order. IIRC they are only mail/internet order
but case lots are almost half price when compaired to single quart and pint
pricing.
They mostly deal with the trades.
"Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Just curious, have you ever worked with WoodKote gel stains out of
> Portland?
No I have not.
> I'm not a stain person, but found this stuff when I was still back in
> Cleveland and it solved my problem.
I have really had no problems as long as I stick with a quality product.
This Lawrence McFadden brand that I mentioned has a wonderful gel varnish.
Their gel products are more like a heavy oil. the gel varnish oddly has a
purpley cast to it and covers quickly. Typically I am just getting started
with the 3rd coat on most gel varnishes, with this stuff 3 is plenty.
> Found strictly in the pro finishes stores, at least that's where I
> found them in SoCal.
I discovered the Lawrence McFadden products by accident. I had read that
they made some of Rocklers Home branded stains and recently bought out
Bartleys finishes. I contacted them about matching Bartleys and they
offered to send me a few quarts of their product for a half pint of my
Bartley Golden Oak stain.
I got the products in and have been extreemly pleased.
Their gel varnish can be put on by a beginner with great results.
>
> Lew
>
>
In article <NfwPi.17597$Cd7.13779@trnddc03>, [email protected] says...
> Just for the sake of argument . . . read Flenner's article in the latest
> issue of 'Popular Woodworking' . . .
>=20
> Regards,
> Ron Magen
> Backyard Boatshop
>=20
> "samson" <[email protected]> wrote i
> SNIP
> Minwax I bought at Home Depot. The stain was blotchy. . . .Rockler and
> General
> > Finishes. Wow, what a difference. I'll never make that
> > mistake again.
> >
> > S.
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/articledisplay?id=3D14849
Here's what he writes:=20
"So there?s nothing at all inferior about the finishing products=20
available at home centers. There?s only a limitation of what?s=20
available. From these limited choices, however, you have many=20
possibilities for achieving the results you want."
I'm sure he knows what he's talking about, but in my experience
the General Finishes stain was amazinginly better than the Minwax.
S.
In article <4CMPi.16$GR1.3@trnddc08>, [email protected] says...
> Leon, Samson, et al . . .
>
> I mentioned this article because, heretic that I am, the stains that I use
> are primarily Minwax, a few other 'commonly available' brands, and a aniline
> dyes. Granted, I don't make 'Fine Furniture', nor do I have the wherewithal
> to use expensive woods like Cherry, etc.
>
> That being said, my 'production' is more toward the 'functional', yet Joanne
> has very specific demands for what I build for her. The latest was to
> 'refinish' a window shelf that was previously painted an ugly deep
> Brown/Maroon {over about two layers of white}. Bottom line . . . it now
> looks like an age-darkened piece of Maple. The surface is flat, high gloss,
> and HARD. I had to sand it off and re-do the staining to get her
> satisfaction - REVERSING the 'schedule' of light-light-dark to
> DARK-light-light. The 'dark' was MAHOGANY, followed by the Maple. All
> over-coated with water-based poly . . . all Minwax products.
>
> From my background in shooting, boatbuilding, and 'life' - and as an
> acknowledged experts {Flexner}'examples' illustrates - it's not the tools or
> materials that are the most important, it's the skill {or dedication} of the
> person doing the work.
>
> Regards & Good Luck,
> Ron Magen
> Backyard Boatshop
I have no question that you are much more skilled and a
much harder worker than I am, but I'm telling you,
General Finishes was not just better than Minwax,
it was amazingly better in terms of depth of stain,
uniformity of color, and ease of use -- in my experience.
Your mileage may vary.
In terms of price, the General Finishes was the same
price as a can of Minwax (10 dollars), but the GF can
was smaller. It seemed to me, though, that I used less
GF than Minwax.
S.
In article <Ft5Ri.7776$2o1.7619@trnddc03>, [email protected] says...
> Leon, Sampson, et al . . .
> I can't comment about GF's '. . . depth of stain, uniformity of color . . .'
> because I've never used the stuff. However, what method is simpler, or
> easier, then 'slop it on with a rag or foam brush, smooth it out, wait about
> 3 minutes, then wipe it off '. The hardiest part, for me, is the THROUGH
> wiping. I use paper towels - and toss them. Also Latex gloves for full
> dexterity, because the trick is to work quickly. What could be thought of as
> 'blotch' may actually be a thin layer of dried stain that wasn't completely
> wiped off.
>
> Either way, if I get a chance to acquire some GF Stain - in a color I need
> AND at a price that is 'attractive', I'll try a few 'experiments'.
>
> Regards,
> Ron Magen
> Backyard Boatshop
I use those blue shop paper towels. They are clothlike without
the lint, and they are pretty cheap.
S.
Just for the sake of argument . . . read Flenner's article in the latest
issue of 'Popular Woodworking' . . .
Regards,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop
"samson" <[email protected]> wrote i
SNIP
Minwax I bought at Home Depot. The stain was blotchy. . . .Rockler and
General
> Finishes. Wow, what a difference. I'll never make that
> mistake again.
>
> S.
"Ron Magen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:4CMPi.16$GR1.3@trnddc08...
> Leon, Samson, et al . . .
>> From my background in shooting, boatbuilding, and 'life' - and as an
> acknowledged experts {Flexner}'examples' illustrates - it's not the tools
> or
> materials that are the most important, it's the skill {or dedication} of
> the
> person doing the work.
>
LOL, I'll not argue with that. Basically the better the product, the easier
it is to get the results.
While you can build equal quality furniture with a hand saw as with a
cabinet saw, the later does in deed make it easier to get more consistent
results. This holds true with a lot of "stuff". ;~)
"GarageWoodworks" <.@.> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Instead of trying to select the perfect stain to your project, match the
> wood species to your project and avoid the stain.
>
> No more stain for this dude in High Point who is quitely wishing he still
> had a Rockler in town like you! ('wipes away tear')
>
> --
> www.garagewoodworks.com
>
>
For the most part, not all stains are created equal. Minwax stains are
pretty much entry level. The General Finishes stain that the OP switched to
is on the other end of the spectrum.
That said, a natural finish is often better/much easier ;~), but some woods
simply do not come in a color that is required. I know that I try my
darndest to simply go with a clear varnish but because 80% of my work is
sold, I don't have the luxury of using a natural wood color when matching
existing customers cabinets or furniture.
Thu, Oct 11, 2007, 12:54pm (EDT+4) [email protected] (Leon)
hath said:
<snip> That said, a natural finish is often better/much easier ;~),
<snip>
My hallway is line on one side with knockapart bookshelves. No
finish at all. Except some dust. Every time I go buy I reach out and
touch the bare wood as I pass by. Still looks just as good as the day
they were made. I'm prety sure tho that other people would consider
them "unfinish", and paint 'em or something. Some of my personal stuff
is jleft as is. Because it makes me happy.
JOAT
"I'm an Igor, thur. We don't athk quethtionth."
"Really? Why not?"
"I don't know, thur. I didn't athk."
"samson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Here's what he writes:
"So there?s nothing at all inferior about the finishing products
available at home centers. There?s only a limitation of what?s
available. From these limited choices, however, you have many
possibilities for achieving the results you want."
You know, that sounds like politition double talk.
There is nothing wrong with the finishing products available at home
centers. There is only a limitation of what's available.
Many of those products do indeed do the job, not as well as others. With
the new faux, and distressed finishes that some people are going for these
days, Miniwaz products are probably the better choice in that the finish is
inconsistant in many cases.
I'm sure he knows what he's talking about, but in my experience
the General Finishes stain was amazinginly better than the Minwax.
True.
"samson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <Ft5Ri.7776$2o1.7619@trnddc03>, [email protected] says...
>
> I use those blue shop paper towels. They are clothlike without
> the lint, and they are pretty cheap.
I am actually using the blue shop towels right now for test purposes however
they do deteriorate and will leave fuzz on the piece if the stain or varnish
starts to become tacky.
For the real thing I much prefer the boxed white t-shirt remnants.