Pore filling/dye question

[Sean Walker]

Hi guys, I'm going to be making a blanket chest out of mahogany and want to pore fill and dye it but had a couple of questions for you.

1. Would I dye and then pore fill? I'm thinking about going with crystalac for the pore filler(any objections?).
2. Would I need to bother with pore filling and dyeing the inside of the chest? If not, would I just tape the inside edge around the top of the chest to make sure I don't get anything on the inside?

Thanks!

[Steve Schoene]

I generally dye first, then seal, and finally fill pores with a pigmented pore filler. For sealing I generally use a coat of dewaxed shellac. Crystallac has a reputation of shrinking a bit much so that it does sometime requires a second coat. Personally, I prefer oil based filler, since good ones shrink less and give longer working time so excess can all be scraped away before it sets and you have to do substantial sanding. On the other hand, waterborne pore fillers do sand a lot easier than oil based.

This is a case where you MUST, MUST make a test of the full finish schedule, since dye concentration can be varied dramatically, and you can't tell the final effect until topcoated. Also the amount of sealer will determine how much of the pore filler color will "stick" to the surface between pores.

I would definately NOT use pore filler on the interior, and NEver Never if I used an oil based filler. Oil based will smell almost forever inside. Waterborne won't smell, but it's just not needed and virtually never done.

[Sean Walker]

Thank you Steve for the response. So would you then bypass putting the dye on the inside too? I'm thinking i'm just going to apply shellac to the interior.

If you don't mind me asking, what pore filler brand do you use?

[Wayne Lomman]

Sean, 2nd question first, I don't consider it necessary to fill the grain on the inside of the chest. However, I don't recommend using masking tape. The stain will bleed under the edge of it and leave an uneven line. It is much better to use a rag and wipe the stain up to the edge. Have the rag only just damp with the stain so that it doesn't drip. Just make sure the interior is polished nice and smooth to touch. There is nothing worse than seeing a nice finish outside and the inside is left rough.

I always apply the filler and stain as one process. I make a brew that contains single pack polyurethane filler, oil based pigment stain and some dye type stain. The proportions vary depending on the result I need, but I used this specifically on mahogany furniture for many years and it works for me. The filler is Wattyl 1-Pot Woodfiller but that is an Australian brand and unlikely to help much.

As Steve says, the best course of action is to do the test panel and work out a procedure from that. Cheers