ok, after another horse
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i have now tried my hand at a rocking labrador.
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made a yellow first, using soft maple, it was "ok" but will likely not use it again and opt for red or white oak next time. didnt think the softness of the wood was that beneficial, and just doesnt have the same solid feel of the horses. still some room for improvement but i am pretty clear with what i need to do differently on the next one.
now i am getting inquiries about chocolate and black labs. chocolate is a slam dunk - walnut, but black? read through many discussions and very disparate reviews on using vinegar, so i tried it myself. most said let it stand a week, or wait until the steel wool is totally dissolved. well, i put a ball of 0000 in a pint jar of distilled vinegar and after less than 24 hours tried it on a fresh sanded surface of red oak. put on two wet coats, look great after 10 minutes when wet, let dry and it looked very dull, wiped on a bit of poly and well, pretty cool results if i may say so myself:
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left to right is ebonizing, pure tung oil, pure dark tung oil, and ebonized cherry on the bottom.
so the quandary - since this seems to work well, should i just go with it or try a dye instead? i am worried about all the nooks and crannies and grain surface changes on such a complex piece. if i do the vinegar and i get uneven results, couldnt i just apply a leather dye on top of that and be none the worse for the wear? really happy with the grain appearance through the black, thinking the alcohol based dye on top of the vinegar would give a rich even black and leave the grain texture since both are thin liquids........
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