Popular Woodworking 2009-06 № 176, страница 33

To prevent this problem you can brush on the liquid each time or apply it with a paper towel using light brushingstroke*. keeping finger pressure off the wood.

The second problem is that a build-up of solids can occur on the surface. This is often from t he hark tea being too st rong, or poorly mixed. Youll notice a texture change on the surfaceof the wood when this happens. The only way I have been able to fix this is to sand and start over.

Sometimes it seems impossible to get the solutions into the pores of oak. especially white oak. A link soap in the liquids can help. I have had my best luck fixingthisby just sandingaftcr the first iron reaction has dried and staningthe processall over. This sanding focvcsebomzcdwxxxl dust, inmand bark tea residue into the pores. That sounds like a probkm in itself, but it sure seems to work, and I haven* had any trouble with this dust crumbling out of the pores later. The

subsequent iron and tannic mixes either wash out the dust or bond it in place.

I have not iced that the solution needs to be fairly pure when applied to the wood I f you use the same rag to apply both solutions, the chemical reaction will happen in the

applicator rather than in the wood. Youll be essentially applying ink to the surface rather than creating the react Kin you are looking for in the wood. I recommend using a squirt bottle toget the solution onto the rag or brush. That way you neverdip into tie solunonand contaminate it I have also uvd jar lids to dispense a small amount of ea:h solution and I only dtp my brush intot he ar lid. never into the main container.

Every time the vinegar rag goes over the tea-soaked wood it gets contaminated. The same happens when you use the tra ragin the rinse step. A little bit of this is not critical.but youll need to kcepcontamira-lion to a minimum. Change paper towrls often, or rinse the brushes periodically to make sure only pure solution is apph-.-d to the wood.

You ll need to keep the twx> brushesor paper towels separate. Never dip the same brush or towel into both liquids or ycH.1l spoil the batch. Eventually any batch will get contaminated in the process of ebon z-ing. thaiswhy I work out of jar lids or squirt bottks.Whcnusingthejarlids.luse upilie solution before it gets too contaminated A squirt bottle is best

It is possible to stain the parts before assembly. I used to do this, but the hassle of keeping tenons and mort be* clean is more

work than staining around lots of joined pieces. It'sdooble either way.andthe design of the piece will dktatc which is more practical. This process will take patience, as does any finishing.

In my experience n tendstoadd about 20 percent tothe cost of any project. Figuring that in to your expectation for complcik>n time will help set reasonable goals. This is not a project to knock out in the eveningafter a long day at the office. Start in the morning and try to avoid interruptions. You can stop at theendofany stcpand come back to it later with little if any adverse effect, but I do best when I can stay with it all lite way through. I also recommend only stainingone piece of furniture at a time. It won't likely take much longer and I find I doa better job with fewer pans to keep upwith. Fboniiingcanbealot of fun and it's a great option to add to your offenngs. pw

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