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stain telegraph

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stain telegraph

#1

stain telegraph

Jim O'Connor

I've been carving boxes using oak, cherry, hickory, red alder, black walnut and I was just using up scraps on the latest ones so decided to use poplar for the ends on one. The wood was 1/2 " thick and I stippled the background and used a Minwax stain on the outside, I never stain the inside of a box. A day later the design showed up faintly on the inside, the stippled area being dark and the uncut parts showing up well. Is poplar so porous that all stains bleed thru or did the stippling done with a nailset punch cause it? The depth of the carved area before being textured was about 1/8 ". This is a new one for me. Most of my boxes get a Watco Danish Oil finish.

Re: stain telegraph

#2

Re: stain telegraph

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

A picture would have been helpful. Are you sure this problem would not have occurred with any wood?

Re: stain telegraph

#3

Re: stain telegraph

Jim O'Connor

I'm not handy enough with a computer and camera to post a pic but I did stain some of the Red Alder boxes and it didn't happen then. Based on your reply I checked 4 of the Danish Oil finished ones, alder, cherry and oak and none showed through. Poplar is the only one where it happened.

Re: stain telegraph

#4

Re: stain telegraph

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

none showed through

Are we talking show or bled? If the patter simply is visible it may be due to the translucence of the light colored poplar. Poplar is certainly not as porous as red oak.

Re: stain telegraph

#5

Re: stain telegraph

Jim O'Connor

Thanks Bill, I never considered that so I need to check it out.

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