I don't even know if I'm in the right place. I'm new to Sawmill so I'm crossing my fingers. does anyone know a good way to stain baltic birch to give it an antique (semi-sailorish) look?
I don't even know if I'm in the right place. I'm new to Sawmill so I'm crossing my fingers. does anyone know a good way to stain baltic birch to give it an antique (semi-sailorish) look?
I got an email the other day from MinWax. The have new stains, Weathered Oak and Classic Gray. You might look at that. I have not used it, Just a thought
Hello, My name is John and I am a toolaholic
Corey,
I love working with Baltic Birch but I have not had good luck with it and stain. Maybe one of the other guys will help us out with this one.
PS: Welcome to "The Creek".....
Army Veteran 1968 - 1970
I Support the Second Amendment of the US Constitution
There are three or four finishing gurus on the Creek that will probably chime in with some good advice. I am too old to remember their names, though.
Oh, and welcome to the Creek.
Edit: Just saw a couple of the names: Howard Acheson and Scott Holmes. And there are others.
Last edited by Jim Rimmer; 11-03-2011 at 1:19 PM. Reason: added names
Birch gets blotchy at the drop of a hat. Maybe gel stains are the ticket. But I'd go with the gurus, Scott and Howard, on this one.
If you can't fix it with a hammer, you have an electrical problem.
Haven't worked with Baltic birch, but we had a lot of blotching on a rock maple piece my wife was refinishing. She stripped it back down and used Min-Wax wood conditioner as the first coat and it came out perfect. I'm sure many other products work as well, but the Min-Wax worked so well that we never had a reason to try others... Might work well in your application.
Birch is indeed blotch prone.
Best approach is using dye, Gel stain would be next. As for the pre-stain conditioners, they partially seal the wood making the staining process more even in color but substantially lighter.
Sorry, your color "antique (semi-sailorish)" means nothing to me, colorwise.
What color(s) do you want?
What are you building?
Scott
Finishing is an 'Art & a Science'. Actually, it is a process. You must understand the properties and tendencies of the finish you are using. You must know the proper steps and techniques, then you must execute them properly.
Stains don't do much for creating an antique or aged effect. A common method of antiquing is to first seal the wood with a sealer (clear or colored to establish a base color) then when dry, wipe on an oil based paint of desired color, then rub it away leaving as much or as little desired remaining in the pores. Of course you should experiment with this method before trying on your project, and do not attempt this with water based paint.
I use a "spit coat" of shellac. Zinsser Seal Coat cut with denatured alcohol fits my needs. This will seal the surface allowing a wiping stain to work without adding a great deal of time to the finishing process. Some woods ABSOLUTELY have to be sealed. I seal most all projects.
Bill
On the other hand, I still have five fingers.