Woodworker's Journal 2009-33-3, страница 81

Finishing Hotline

Key to Good Results: Experimentation

By Michael Dresdner

ABOUT MICHAEL DRESDNER

Michael Dresdner is a

nationally known finishing expert and the author of Hie New Wood Finishing >k from Taunton Press. When not writing about woodworking, he is an active community theater participant.

Contact us by writing to "Finishing Hotline," Woodworker's Journal, 4365 Willow Drive, Medina, MN 55340, by faxing us at(763)478-8396 or by emailing us at: finishing@woodworkersjournal.com Please include your home address, phone number and email address (if you have one) with your question.

As part of a major house renovation, 1 needed to replace and add several doors. The existing color is Early American, and most of the doors are birch with pine jambs and casing or clear pine in solid construction. I found that the pine being used in today's commercially available door systems renders me unable to achieve a blotch-free finish when following my usual stain and finish sequence. The wood is so inconsistent that over several feet there are wide variations in color and lots of blotches. I have tried wood conditioner and shellac, but I gel

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an artificial looking finish in a weak color and still have some blotches. This wood is simply not of stainable quality. Why can I no longer gel the old yellow pine even if I am willing to pay the difference, and what other options do 1 have short of building my own doors from scratch?

Alex Weislieit Plymouth, Indiana

Michael Responds: Why manufacturers use the woods they use is controlled by a lot of different factors, and you are not likely lo change that even with heartfelt letters to woodworking magazines. I'm sorry that things have changed for the worse, but none of us can turn back the clock. Yes, you can certainly make your own parts from the Ife ■ wood you choose to fS^'. use, and I would f/MlH applaud that path,

but it is not the only one open to you. The other is to learn new finishing methods to enable you to

use the woods available. It's a challenge, but that's what this craft is all about.

The particular brand of slain you mentioned has a reputation of being one of the more problematic as far as blotching goes, so before you give up entirely, you might want to try changing the materials and finishing schedules. For instance, try one of the other brands of slain and other brands of wood conditioner. Make certain you use both slain and conditioner in the most effective way possible: flood conditioner on liberally, wipe it all off, then stain while the wood is still wet. Apply stain the same way: flood it on liberally, wipe off whatever is not absorbed. Personally, I'd suggest trying one of the newer, small-grind, 100 percent pigment stains. Also, try gel stains and Foam Stain. Each behaves differently, and they can open up wide vistas in your skill set.

Most importantly, spend some time finishing lire-wood. You will find that playing with these new materials on various woods that you

Developing advanced finishing skills can be achieved Ig&r/fr,' by spending a bit of time in your shop with some SFtS UA scrap wood and a variety of products.

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