Making QSWO "POP" (not for the faint of heart)

Great job. Looks wonderful. I really like the finish. Thanks for sharing. I may have to try Watco Black Walnut oil. Quartersawn White Oak is my favorite choice of wood.

-- Tim from Iowa City, IA

It sure does make the grain pop. It looks great!

I would be hard-pressed to turn the piece yellow and hope it works-out in the end. Way to see it through!

-- You're a unique and special person, just like everyone else.

Thanx for putting in those steps – looks amazing (at the end of course… haha)

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Nice job, Tim. I’ve been experimenting with dyes on the QSWO, but mostly with scraps. It seems yellow works best with figured maple and tamo ash, so I thought it should work ok on oak. I’ve been blending in other dye colors to change the appearance. Haven’t gone off the deep end yet and put it on a completed piece yet.
Looks nice though. Thanks for the post.

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

Great job. The rays really stand out.

Thanks for posting

-- MISSION FURNITURE-My mission is to build furniture

Impressive! I can imagine how much guts it takes to do this. :-)

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Who woulda thought Yellow was the magic base color? The finished looks fantastic and I admire your courage in moving past the initial step.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

Nice work. I love mission-style furniture and yours are a good example of fine arts & crafts design.

The color of the two pieces shown in the second is darker (or ore reddish) in tone than the one in the last picture which seems more brownish. I believe it’s due to difference in lighting when the pictures were taken. Question 1: Which of them better reflects the actual color using your receipe?

Question 2:...three coats of wipe on oil/varnish blend – Is this commercially available? If so, what is the brand name? If not, could you share how we could make it (including the brand names of the materials you used)?

Thanks for sharing.

-- The time I enjoy wasting is not time wasted

Nice looking grain. I did something similar with a reddish base and come back with a walnut gel on a Morris chair. I would never have thought of using yellow. Good job.

-- Garyb6, “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler” - Albert Einstein

Very impressive!

-- I never started a project I couldn't screw up.

WOW. Pop City!!! I am working on a conference table right now with Quarter sawed red oak. I might give yellow dye a try on some scraps and see what it looks like. Got the project on my blog.

Thanks for the post. Very impressive woodwork too. Let’s not forget the woodwork, guys and gals!

-- Makin' Sawdust!!!

W O W !!! Talk about an instant Antique ! I also have the same questions as ChuckM regarding the true color and “Home brew” or store bought finish .

These are gorgeous tables and it did take a lot of B*s to do this : )

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

OK, I like this idea a lot! This looks terrific!

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †

Tim – I just finished grain filling an A&C table lamp in qswo and came upstairs for a break (my lamps are in my project posts). That is a great finishing schedule and the best I’ve seen for making those rays pop-out. Thanks for the post.

-- Phil in British Columbia

Unusual concoction for sure but beautiful results. Nice looking project.

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

Very impressive, I use Watco on most of my work, but I never dreamed that you could do something like this.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

Tim nice combination of dyes and finish. It very startling when you started.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

what a great finished look. The wood is alive

-- making sawdust....

Thanks guys. As to color reproduction, It’s hard to know what it is you are actually seenig, everybody’s monitor will show a slightly different shade or tone. The photos themselves were taken under less than ideal light (a mix of high output flourecents & old “filckery” cheapo shop lights) The differance between the 2nd & 3rd shots can only be due to the flash on the camera. The 3rd is just a close up of the same sides showing in the 2nd shot.
Lots of people use the combination of varnish /oil. It starts with 1/3 varnish, 1/3 boiled linseed oil & 1/3 paint thinner. Use any reg or poly varnish you want, just do not start with “wipe on” varnish, it’s already cut too thin. I prefer high gloss, it’s a harder finish than any flattened varnish. Buff out the last coat with 1000 grit, ror scotch pads, followed with a coat of paste wax if you prefer a “softer” gloss (I do) You can also use Spar varnish if the project is going to be outside. Any brand of BLO. Cut it with paint thinner, turpintine( a little slower to set up) or Naptha ( a little faster set if the shop is cold). I usually pad it on with a piece of old T shirt. Watch for drips. Let it set for a day or 2, light sanding & put on another coat.
3 -4 coats gives a nice warmth & lots of protection. Table/desk tops get 2-3 more coats, maybe a coat of straight varnish/thinner. If for any reason you are not happy with the way the finish is laying out you can always add more thinner to slow down the set up time, I often cut the last coat to really level the final finish. Just watch out for runs & wipe them up with the pad your using to apply the finish. I recomend lots of bright lights to help you avoid any dry spots or runs/sags.
The 1/3—1/3—1/3 formula is just a starting point, if you want more protection, add 1/2 or more varnish, if you think the mix is too thin, cut back on the thinner. More BLO will give a bit more depth, but slows down the cureing time. Start with the basic formula till you are comfortable with it then make changes if you feel the need.

-- http://www.grandprairiewoodworks.com http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6453794

Thanks for the finishing details … got to try that one on the mission style magazine racks I’m working on.

-- The time I enjoy wasting is not time wasted

Spectacular results from a gifted craftsman. Thank you for sharing Tim.

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

Tim, this is so cool! Great job!

-- Martin, Kansas

Nice job Tim! Where did you get the idea for the yellow? White Oak is kinda yellow to start with.

-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net

Great tables. QSWO is my favorite wood.
Is there a great deal of sanding between the
yellow dying process and the varnishing process?
Thanks for sharing.
I think your finishing process has caught everyone` attention.

-- ''Carry on my wayward son''

I usually use water based dye & a light sanding to remove the raised grain is all that is needed. If you use alcohol based dye, no sanding is needed. I prefer the water based dye because it is more light fast & because of the grain raising I end up with a smoother final finish.

-- http://www.grandprairiewoodworks.com http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6453794

Outstanding results! This is going to my favorites.

-- -- Jim E., Oswego, NY. Create, have fun, and work safely!

Peter Gedrys gave a symposium to our guild one year. That is exactly what he said to do.
If you want to darken it a little more next put on a coat of orange.
Then put on your final stain.
Gedrys is a frequent contributor to Fine Woodworking mag.
I don’t know how to put a link to it but I did a cherry top out of the cheapest cherry I could find. I posted it over a year ago. Used this technique. Looks exquisite. Looks expensive.

Great finishing job.

Lee

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

Very nice results and thanks for sharing your experiences

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

Very nice results…..Finishing is definitely my week point. Thanks for the pointers on the qtr sawn.

-- Chris

Fantastic job! Looks great!

-- I never started a project I couldn't screw up.

These pieces are GORGEOUS! Thanks for sharing your work.

-- The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. -- Vincent T. Lombardi

Nice work.Great tables.

-- jeanmarc manosque france

Beautiful work,design,and that grain is eye popping!Well done.

-- " If I can make it,so can you" Andy in Oregon

This is very common on commercial furniture.

Now you know what all those strange colors of Solar-Lux, TransTint, etc… are for! <g>

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Great tip! I will be adding this one to my arsenal of tecniques!

-- Julian, Park Forest, IL

This is a perfect example of why sitting around the shop with some “prepared scrap” is so valuable!

Got an afternoon? Don’t want to start a big project? Sand a 12”-14” x 6” board to 180, or so, then dye it with alcohol based dye, like Solar Lux. PLAY! It doesn’t matter what color the dye is, but yellows, oranges, and ambers are most fun here…

After the dye dries, crosscut three kerfs to divide the board into quarters. Stain each quarter a different color with a fast drying pigment stain, (ex:// Behlen). Write the colors on the back. PASS NO JUDGEMENT YET! Spray the entire board with clear shellac or lacquer sanding sealer from a spray can. Let it dry, hit it lightly with 400 grit to remove dust nibs. Spray with clear lacquer from a spray can. Do the last two steps one more time. Let it dry…

If it’s an open pored wood, like an oak or mahogany, mask the board lengthwise and apply a dark wax to half of each panel. If you have Briwax, don’t do this right away, as it’ll eat the lacquer.

NOW carry it around and look at it in outside light, florescent lights, dim rooms, bright rooms.. Some combos will look like crap, others will amaze you. Either way, you can open up a whole new world of coloring wood.

The fun of this is that you can safely enjoy a cold adult beverage while you work (or do it on a day when you’re influenced by strong cold remedies), you can clean the shop and put stuff away, or wax you ‘urn while the coats dry, and you can do it all in one afternoon.

try it… Play a little in the shop! <g> At the very worst, you’ll learn what NOT to do to a hard worked project…

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