# finish to use over water based stain?



## rstermer (Apr 22, 2008)

Are there any limitations on the type of finish I can use over wood I've stained using a water based stain?
rstermer


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## jerrymayfield (Sep 25, 2004)

If you are ever in doubt apply a thin coat of dewaxed shellac. I think shellac would stick to peanut butter and peanut butter to shellac.

Regards

Jerry


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Jerry, as I'm about to use Shellac for the first time since school in about 1948, what is dewaxed shellac?


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## jerrymayfield (Sep 25, 2004)

Shellac naturally contains wax(this is the type I use most of the time). The ever present polyurethane varnish and now water borne finishes have trouble adhering to natural shellac, so the caveat about dewaxed.Since it has been a while since you have used shellac, try to forget all about applying varnish. Shellac is a different animal. It is an excellent finish, I really like the less refined grades. Good luck, I think you will like it.

Regards

Jerry


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## rstermer (Apr 22, 2008)

jerrymayfield said:


> If you are ever in doubt apply a thin coat of dewaxed shellac. I think shellac would stick to peanut butter and peanut butter to shellac.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Jerry


Thanks Jerry, Once I apply the shellac can I then apply my finish over the shellac? Excuse me for being obtuse, but finishing is the area of woodworking about hich I know the least and which gives me the most problems.
rstermer


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## jerrymayfield (Sep 25, 2004)

What are you finishing and what look are you going for?. In many cases shellac doesn't need to be top coated. Finishing is a skill that is learned like others,the only mystery is the little facts the finishing companies are willing to share and the misinformation that is given out as facts by well intentioned people.

Regards
Jerry


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## rstermer (Apr 22, 2008)

I have made a replacement top for a jewelry box and am trying to match the existing finish which is a dark red mahogony often seen on wood items imported from China. It looks like I won't need to use the water based stain as it was too brown in tone when I applied it to a test piece of the poplar I used to make the replacement top. Right now I have a coat of red mahogony on as a base. I'm going to add a second coat of the red mahogony and then finish with two coats of Bombay mahogony finish, which is a combined stain and Polyurethane finish. That combo seemed to match the existing finish on the rest of the box pretty well. Its not a finish I would select myself if I was starting from scratch, but I need to match what is already there.
rstermer


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## seawolf21 (Jan 19, 2007)

The waterbased stain soaks deep into the wood so you can use any topcoat. Why not use waterbased varnish? I use it all the time and the drying time is less. Outdoor projects need marine type varnish though.

Gary


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## jerrymayfield (Sep 25, 2004)

Any mixture of stain and varnish is a disaster waiting to happen. You may find it difficult to match any color using a combination of pigment stains. I have had better luck using dye stains.

Good Luck

Jerry


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## rstermer (Apr 22, 2008)

jerrymayfield said:


> Any mixture of stain and varnish is a disaster waiting to happen. You may find it difficult to match any color using a combination of pigment stains. I have had better luck using dye stains.
> 
> Good Luck
> 
> Jerry


Thanks, I'm really new to woodworking and not very skilled, so it takes me a long time to do anything. I really hate it when I screw up because I've got so much time invested in the work, but I think this will be ok. I already tried out the combo on some scrap and it seems to match the existing color pretty well. 

For future reference I'd like to learn more about the dye stains you mentioned. Do you have any links or other info sources you could point me toward?
Thanks,
rstermer


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## jerrymayfield (Sep 25, 2004)

Try homestead finishing products -forum- or lockwood dyes. There is a ton of information available on the web. Once you use dye stains you will use much less pigment stain.

Good Luck

Jerry


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