Reply by CaptainSkully

Here are a couple of non-LJ recipes that I’ve collected:

Father-in-law’s:

Step 1 – I started with a water based aniline dye from TransTint (maybe available at Woodcraft, but may have to be mail ordered). I don’t know the color without looking at what I have, but I can get it. That was diluted with 1 part dye and 1 part distilled water. Rubbed on with a sponge. Be sure and use latex gloves. This doesn’t come off your skin.
Let dry overnight.

Step 2 – A coat of blonde shellac, 1 lb. cut (which means 1 lb. of shellac to 1 gallon of alcohol). I usually mix a quart of alcohol with a 1/4 lb. of shellac flakes. I usually put this on with a cheap natural bristle throwaway brush, but you have to be careful to pull the bristles out of the finish before it dries. Let dry overnight.

Step 3 – A coat of gel stain. I mix 1 part of Antique Oak gel with 3 parts of Fruitwood gel (I need to verify this). The gel stain is from Lowes or Home Depot. Can’t remember the brand either, so will have to get this. It’s the most common stain brand they carry. This is put on with a small piece of sponge, dipped in the gel, rubbed on, then wiped off with a paper towel. Be sure and use latex gloves. This doesn’t come off your skin. Let dry 24 to 48 hours.

Step 4 – Brush on a coat of clear finish with a good brush. I’ve used shellac, but that mirror frame has two coats of water based polycrylic.
If water based, use a good synthetic bristle brush. If oil based or shellac, use a good natural bristle brush. If water based, you can recoat in a few hours. It needs at least two coats of clear finish.

That’s my process. Labor intensive and not cheap. If you’re still interested, I can find all the exact names and ratios.

TreeFrogFurniture’s:

Wipe a good coat of dye on, for this piece I chose Transtint Medium Brown dye in water, be sure to cover all sides and keep dye from puddling in corners and at base. Leave to dry for at least 24 hours.

Lightly sand to remove raised grain with 220 grit, avoid oversanding especially at corners and edges.

Pad on a 1LB cut of amber shellac or sanding sealer.
Using a 320 grit sanding pad gently rub surface, clean with tack cloth or vacuum.

Apply Brown Mahagony Gel stain being careful to not cover too large of an area because once dry its very hard to wipe off. Once the gel starts to haze rub it off with a clean lint free cloth, I prefer old T-shirts. This gives you a warm rubbed in look. Let dry overnight.

Pad on 2-3 2LB cut coats of amber shellac, I tightly fold a square of T-shirt material, then soak it in the shellac and squeeze out excess, rub it in until it starts to drag then let dry. The coat of shellac should dry in 30 minutes or less. Repeat until you get the build you want.

Again, using 320 grit sanding pad gently rub surface, clean with a tack cloth or vacuum.
Take a few minutes to go over the whole piece with your clean hand, checking the surface for any rough areas or holidays.

Using a clean square of T-shirt rub in a thick coat of Watco Dark Liquid wax. Avoid plain or light colored waxes as these may leave white residue in the pores of the oak. When the wax is dry buff it out with a clean square of T-shirt.

Let the wax sit and “harden” for a few days then its ready to take in the house.

-- You can't control the wind, but you can trim your sails