Staining when holly stringing is present

[klkirkman]

I have moved this discussion to here from the SF Bay Area Topic because it seemed to have gone beyond their domain.

I have chosen to use a proprietary brand of gel stains on my projects because my stuff lives in the real world with kids and grandchildren and dogs.

I completed a project some time ago that was mahogany, with holly stringing. A method of staining was suggested that involved  inserting the stringing, scraping it flat, and then carefully hand painting the  holly strips with shellac to keep it from holding stain, staining the mahogany, then removing the shellac with alcohol after letting the stain dry, and finally using clear coats over everything.

It was not entirely satisfactory as the alcohol smeared the stain on the mahogany.

Has anyone succeeded with the method I describe, or can anyone suggest procedure for doing this if I want to stick with gel stains?

Karl

[CBWW]

Why remove the shellac?  just leave it and coat over it or you could just use your final clear top coat to seal the inlay, then stain.  The gel coat stain may leave a pigment residue over the inlay.  Im not sure if I would use the gel coat to add color with the inlay.

  Pete Aleksa
www.cherrybrookwoodworks.com

[klkirkman]

Pete,

The reason to remove the shellac is that it takes on some of the stain color thast gets deposited over the holly strips when the entire piece is stained, and by removing it before clear gel coat  you get back to the nice white holly which you then clear coat along with the stained mahogany. Perhaps instead of saying "staining the mahogany", I should have more precisely said stain the entire piece - in order to stain the mahogany.

As to sealing first with the clear coat, and then staining as per your second sentance, I must be missing something.  As I understand what you are suggesting that would mean you clear coated the entire piece, then staining the entire piece. I am unable to see how that would keep the holly clear  However, my aged brain is sometimes a little slow to get it, so plaese be patient and gentle.

Karl

[CBWW]

Why do you want to use the gel stain to color it?  What I have done is seal the holly w/shellac or what ever you want- poly, lacquer, etc.  Then stain the rest of the mahogany.  When you use the gel stain, it is pigmented so it leaves a residue on the line.  no pigment equals no color on the line. I would seal it with a heavy cut of blonde shellac then use water stains.  If you wwant to use alcohol dyes, seal the line with something else.  AsS long as you use a pigmented thick stain like that gel stuff, you will most likely get that color on the line.  If you insist on using the gel stain then maybe wipe it off carefully with a rag or lightly sand it off to get back to the lighter color.   You also want to make sure that you seal that line enough to not have open pores that may catch more of the gel stain.  Just seems like added work to me though to use the gel stains...

Just my 2 cents...

[Jeff L Headley]

Is boxwood stringing still available? Boxwood is dense an doesn't take most stains. I am working from old stock.

[CBWW]

I dont think boxwood would make a difference with a pigmented stain over it.  You will still have that lingering residue(color) over it.  If you were going to seal it and then stain around it then yes, it might make a difference.  Might not have to seal it.  Is boxwood still around?  Eisenbrand has it listed but it is from Laos.  I have some old stock as well but dont know anything about availabillity.