stain over stain?

Carol
I would clean what you have stripped off with naphtha and put a coat of shellac on as a sealer and then re coat with stain but better yet dye mixed thinly so that you can keep adding more coats until it is the right color. all this is best done when sprayed other than the naphtha. You can buy stains and unwaxed shellac in spray cans. The piano hinge sounds like it will work an perhaps one or two magnetic latches for the latching side of the cover.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture ,maker, woodworking school, heirloomwoodshop.com

Hi Carol,
The short answer is yes and it is easier to refinish something and go darker than it is to go lighter. If you have removed the old finish then I would not be concerned with the new finish changing color or causing any discoloration. It is always a good idea to do a test somewhere that would not be seen. Another suggestion would be to put a seal coat of shellac or linseed oil and apply the stain over that. One caution about a seal coat is that it does not take the stain as well as raw wood so you may have to select a stain that is a little darker or you may have to apply more than one coat of stain.
Hope this helps
Keith

-- Keith, Charlotte, MI www.julyswoodworks.com www.TheBenchDawg.com

I don’t think stain over stain will create any problems. The only difficulty will be achieving the color you want. If there are any inconspicuous areas you can experiment on, that would be the way to go.

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

Stain soaks down into the wood pores so all the sanding in the world will only reduce your project. If it’s made up of veneer, this can be quite bad. Once the topcoat sealer (polyurethane, shellac, etc.) is gone, you can stain over stain, but you can only go darker unless you paint. And yes, blue and yellow make green so test your stain in an inconspicuous area first. And don’t forget to post it!

As for changing the plexiglass panel, I’d consider hinging one end of the project and sliding the plexiglass in on rails or into a saw kerf. Depends really on how much space you have between that end and the wall. Most time though, the plexiglass is resting on rails and is removed by lifting it out at an angle. Like placing ceiling tiles, ya know?

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

Wow! thank you for all your quick responses!

Would I find naphtha as a product name on the store shelf? Sorry, never heard of it before.

The oak is fairly heavy so am wondering if magnetic latches might would be strong enough? Like the idea though. Perhaps some side supports (like used to keep lids up) would help keep strain off the hinge when cover is down. I’ve broken a few plexiglass covers in my life time with trying to take them out at an angle so really wanted something easier to deal with.

I’ll make sure to test the stain/shellac on the inside of the wood before doing the entire piece.
Thanks a bunch! Carol

You can find Naphtha at most hardware stores it’s a product not a brand name usually found were the paint thinners are. It’s good for removing any contaminates especially after stripping wood. I totally agree about testing the stains first were it can’t be seen on the frame.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture ,maker, woodworking school, heirloomwoodshop.com