glaze technique with Mission style finish

[Peter J Lee]

I'm using Transtint, Sealcoat, glaze and topcoat to approach Jeff Jewitt's Mission stlye finish and match some existing cabinets in a kitchen. When I ran test pieces I focused on the color match, but now that I'm working on the actual project I notice that when I wipe the glaze, I'm pulling it out of the pores and not achieving the desired effect.

I've tried two different glaze products and am wiping with a clean piece of old t-shirt. If I wait longer, the glaze tends to dry over the whole surface.

Does anyone have any tips or techniques to share on coloring pores with glaze?

thanks

[John TenEyck]

You might try wiping cross grain first to get off the bulk of the glaze, and then very gently with the grain to get the look you want.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I've never developed "the touch" with glaze, but haven't really tried very hard or very often.

For the mission stuff I am doing - literally right now - I use waterborne transfast - 3/4# shellac - gel stain - 3/4# shellac, varnish, varnish, blah, blah. Couple points:

You didn't ask about this, but: Dunno what you use for a seal coat. I was told here some time ago - correctly - that the color from the transtint lifts with the application of the shellac [which I had been seeing], where there is almost zero lift with the transfast powders. If you are spraying, it matters not, but I use a padding cloth.

Next - on the glaze - I have zero problems with the gel stain - the consistency of not quite entirely finished chocolate pudding - I use General Finishes [antique walnut on these items]. I "glop" some on, and then use a plastic spreader to work across the grain, and down the piece. I move quickly - the only thing that takes time is to keep retrieving the glop and moving it, rather than leaving too much behind to wipe off.

Then - go after it right away before it starts to set [simply to make it easier to wipe] with clean cotton rags, always across the grain, wiping like heck to get as much as possible off, so it doesn't obscure the QSWO ray flecks, but still fills the deep pores. For smaller pieces, I will just dip the end of the rag into the gel stain, and work it in that way. I am always surprised at how little of the gel stain I use for the surface area I cover.

I do a very light scuff sanding after the dye [evens it out, and takes care of raised grain], and always take my time with the air nozzle to be sure I have gotten all the dust out of the pores.

It really is pretty much bulletproof.

[Peter J Lee]

Thanks to you both for the ideas and input.

Kent, I'm using shellac as the sealer. I ended up trying some Minwax from the big box and it works much better. I was going to try General Finishes, but the local Rockler didn't have the color I needed in stock.

Also your comment about the light scuff sand is dead on. Well, on to a Sunday of finishing... thanks again.