I am finishing a maple blanket chest with water based dye. I have already used it to finish a bed and the process was difficult, but pretty successful. To prevent blotching, I applied minwax wood conditioner after dewiskering. On the bed, I did this pretty well. Not too much, not too little. With the blanket chest, I thought I had followed the same application procedure and I let it dry for 24 hours. My test piece blotched. So, applied a second coat, keeping in mind the instruction "after 5 to 15 minutes, wipe of any excess". So I applied enough to have just a little excess after about 5 minutes, maybe 10, then wiped it clean.
The next day, the boards looked like they'd been unevenly urethaned, with a speckling of shiny spots over the surface and areas of some yellowing. So, I sanded lightly with 400 grit paper until the surface looked evenly white and without shiny spots.
The first board I stained clearly showed that the amount of sanding translated into more or less penetration of the dye, and that there were still some shiny spots where very little dye had been absorbed.
How the heck does one control this process? What should I do now, sand it all off and start over (PITA) ? I considered using gel stains to avoid the blotchies, but I think it will not match the bed that is already done and will obscure the grain too much. Suggestions?
TIA
David