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Wood hardeners again

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I’m looking for a little more detail on what they are capable of. I have turned this 14” willow salad bowl for my wife.

She asked me last night if it would be possible to go ahead with the walnut oil on the inside as planned but use dye on the outside?
The blank was only slightly punky so I tried some PC Petrifier to help smooth the cuts as I began finish turning but quit because I felt a honed gouge and light cut produced an equal surface. So my questions are if I use the hardener now will it sand smoother AND prevent oil from wicking to the outside as well as prevent dye from migrating to the inside? Also how will the oil and dye each perform over a hardener application that has only been sanded? Wall thickness is 1/2”.
 

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I have not used that brand of hardener but used the mw version as well as resin diluted with acetone - all act similarly. It will sand smoother, and if you have tear out it will be a lot of fun sanding it out due to the hardness and loading of the sandpaper. Recommend a finish cut or nrs of the treated surface to remove tearout.

Penetration of oil or anything will be reduced because some % of the “holding capacity” of the fibers has been reduced. Depends on the particular piece of wood, how much hardener was put on and how deep below the surface you get cutting or sanding - difficult to predict.

I recommend to do the dye 1st, and use a fast evaporating carrier, such as dna, and put the dye on in light coats, possibly spray it. This will limit penetration so it wont bleed through. Using a slow evaporating carrier such as water ups the possibility of bleed through.

If you have a chunk of the same wood to play with it would be a good idea to do some similar wall thickness samples to try things out. There is so much variability in a particular wood sample that the results cant really be predicted. After you do a few pieces you do get a better feel for it but it still a bit of a crapshoot.
 

hockenbery

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Milk paint is an option for color on one surface only.
Milk paint would work well on the outside. Woodcraft here has milk paint.
You could apply two colors one over the other and cut it back with scotch brite.
Lots of colors to choose. Al Stirt does a great milk paint bowl demo. He uses yellow.

The high spots will cut back more eposing the base color and some natural wood which may get a color change from the milkpaint.

This is black milk paint on cherry. Cutting Back shows wood on the high spots, The cherry gets a bronze color from the milk paint
A570216C-1B3E-4C58-B4B9-21714FFF478D.jpeg

Blue milk paint, then black milk paint on Sapele. Cutting back shows wood and blue. Sapele gets a reddish color from the milkpaint.
CF24FBA8-D76C-4F7F-A3F5-FB3602F9C65E.jpeg
 
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Joined
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Thanks for the suggestions. I’m going to turn some small bowls from the same log and start trying these options to learn processes and most importantly see what my wife likes the best.
 
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