• Beware of Counterfeit Woodturning Tools (click here for details)
  • Johnathan Silwones is starting a new AAW chapter, Southern Alleghenies Woodturners, in Johnstown, PA. (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Paul May for "Checkerboard (ver 3.0)" being selected as Turning of the Week for March 25, 2024 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Protective finish for dyed bowl

Joined
Aug 4, 2020
Messages
47
Likes
228
Location
Kingston, NY
I recently made this bowl for my sister. It's maple with Chestnut brand aniline dye on the inside. I didn't want to darken the color of the bare maple, so I buffed with the Beall system and only used Renaissance wax as a finish.

My sister will probably use it for jewelry, pocket change, things like that, so the wax will wear off very fast and then the thin layer of dye will get scratched up. I'd like to add something more protective to the inside, but I'm not too keen on spray lacquer for this one. What would you use?
 

Attachments

  • Maple-Blue-Ocean-Bowl-2.jpg
    Maple-Blue-Ocean-Bowl-2.jpg
    226.5 KB · Views: 41
  • Maple-Blue-Ocean-Bowl-1.jpg
    Maple-Blue-Ocean-Bowl-1.jpg
    400.2 KB · Views: 38
Joined
Aug 4, 2020
Messages
47
Likes
228
Location
Kingston, NY
I use Waterlox over dyed pieces.
The first coat needs to be light as some of the dye can dissolve into the finish.

often the first coat looks dull.

With multiple coats the colors begin to pop

Thanks! Do you think it'd be ok over Renaissance wax, or would I need to remove it? (Not too easy to do without damaging the dye.)
 
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Messages
2,959
Likes
1,907
Location
Brandon, MS
The wax will not allow a good adherence of finish. That said it is a gamble in that "maybe" the finish will adhere and then to remove the wax will remove the stain. Might be able to remove the wax with mineral spirits but alcohol is best and that will remove much but not all of Chestnut Stains since it has shellac (alcohol soluble) in it. however if too much stain is removed you can dilute it and reapply to get the shade you want.
 
Joined
Aug 4, 2020
Messages
47
Likes
228
Location
Kingston, NY
The wax will not allow a good adherence of finish. That said it is a gamble in that "maybe" the finish will adhere and then to remove the wax will remove the stain. Might be able to remove the wax with mineral spirits but alcohol is best and that will remove much but not all of Chestnut Stains since it has shellac (alcohol soluble) in it. however if too much stain is removed you can dilute it and reapply to get the shade you want.

It's a conundrum! Thanks for your responses, both of you.
 

hockenbery

Forum MVP
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Apr 27, 2004
Messages
8,591
Likes
4,886
Location
Lakeland, Florida
Website
www.hockenberywoodturning.com
Thanks! Do you think it'd be ok over Renaissance wax, or would I need to remove it? (Not too easy to do without damaging the dye.)
I’m with @Gerald Lawrence . Not much way to remove the wax except using alcohol and that will bring up some of the dye too.
so once you removed the wax and stain you would want to sand and dye it and cut the rim again.
If all goes well it would look as good as it does now. But you could turn another in about the same time.
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2019
Messages
1,814
Likes
1,417
Location
Lebanon, Missouri
Mineral spirits or naptha will remove the wax. For a dyed surface like you have, a film forming sprayed finish is the best solution. Build enough film to be able to rub it out. Why not spray lacquer? You can get rattle can shellac as well. Another option is to pad on, or french polish, shellac. Difficult to get a perfect finish over a sealed surface with wipe on varnish.
 
Joined
Feb 12, 2018
Messages
411
Likes
249
Location
Millington, TN
I’ve have good luck using rattle can polyurethane which doesn’t seem dissolve the Chestnut dye as easily as lacquer (which has lacquer thinner). If you do use lacquer spray then use very light coats at first.
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2019
Messages
1,814
Likes
1,417
Location
Lebanon, Missouri
The alcohol in spray shellac will not dissolve the dye shellac any more readily than the thinner in lacquer. Either can be used, in the same way, couple of light coats to start. I have done both.
 
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
276
Likes
1,793
Location
North Ogden, Utah
A little late here, but in my experience finishing aniline dyed pieces lacquer works fine UNLESS you have a distinct line or border you want to keep natural. Then lacquer will often cause the dye to blead into the natural area. It all depends on what you're trying to do but if you can burn a wire line along the border that works pretty well to both keep the initial dye from bleeding and the lacquer from causing it to bleed. Poly finishes don't seem to cause much bleeding.
 
Joined
Aug 4, 2020
Messages
47
Likes
228
Location
Kingston, NY
A little late here, but in my experience finishing aniline dyed pieces lacquer works fine UNLESS you have a distinct line or border you want to keep natural. Then lacquer will often cause the dye to blead into the natural area. It all depends on what you're trying to do but if you can burn a wire line along the border that works pretty well to both keep the initial dye from bleeding and the lacquer from causing it to bleed. Poly finishes don't seem to cause much bleeding.

I have had success with spray-can lacquer before, and it didn't breach the border—but the border was the inside rim. You can probably see in the reflection inside the bowl that I didn't fully get rid of the orange peel in all places—mostly, but not entirely. That was one of the reasons I didn't use lacquer on the new one. I thought I could take the easy way out and just wax it!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4388.jpeg
    IMG_4388.jpeg
    144.8 KB · Views: 26
Joined
Aug 4, 2020
Messages
47
Likes
228
Location
Kingston, NY
If you use a good touch up gun instead of an aerosol can, most all of your orange peel woes will go away. Aerosol cans have horrible nozzles.
Yes, most any spray gun, even a cheap one from HF, can be made to spray solvent lacquer. Need about a compressor tho, or a turbine sprayer.
I'd love to invest in this and probably will eventually, but right now I'm saving for a bigger lathe! And after that on the list is a "real" dust-collection system. So for now it's rattle cans!
 
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Messages
2,959
Likes
1,907
Location
Brandon, MS
The orange peel dilemma is fairly easy to avoid. Mostly causes by applying too much or too little lacquer. When I slowed down my swing with a spray gun or a can most of the problems ended. Oh and as to buffing use a slower speed
 
Back
Top