I'm looking for suggestions about how to stain the wood of a cigar box to a dark colour. I'm aiming for a sunburst-like effect but I don't want to use spray paints or laquers. I'm aiming for a worn look rather than the sort of immaculate graduated bursts you see on expensive guitars. I figure that if I can find something that will stain just the surface layer of the wood then I might be able to get the lighter area of the sunburst by careful gentle sanding.
I've done experiments with various homemade stains (eg. rusty nails in vinegar, iron sulphate solutions) but these don't seem to be the answer. They work well on oak but don't seem to give a good effect on the wood that boxes are made from (which I'm told is generally cedar).
I've been looking at commercially available stains but none of my local stores seem to stock anything in a really dark shade (I believe stains are available with colour descriptions such as "ebony" and "dark walnut" but for some reason my local places don't have them).
Any thoughts people?
Replies
Junkbox,,
I got some of the Miniwax "Ebony" stain ,,,, drys out to almost black .. and is an ugly color ,, i used it once
rgc
I've been using my "Pelican" brand watercolors set for the wood toys i build. It has good control, easy color mix and application (some due to knowing how to watercolor no doubt). Pelican is a good, student grade set and they have rich colors with good saturation for the price.
I'd try it out on scrap 1st, maybe check a "how to" on water coloring at about.com or similar. Color on dry surface acts differently that color on wet so a little reading may help your results (fade wise).
I'd think about using a wad of paper for application too. Sort of a fake french polish deal on the fade and build up the depth with multiple coats.
G' luck,
PRH
Instead of stain you might use wood dye (may have to buy online) or ink diluted in denatured alcohol brushed on from the edges toward the center. Using a very weak colorant and adding layer gives the most control of color spread. If the wood is raw, the color will streak quicker and farther along the grain which will give you a more natural fade, and if you don't color the center, adding a small amount of colorant to the final finish will take the rawness of the uncolored center into a very light hue of the darkening agent. If I were using enamel as Don suggested and didn't have an airbrush, I'd use the same technique. I think either of these would leave the natural grain visible, since you seem to want to simply darken what you have. Haven't tried it but spraying wood stains from the outer edges inward would need a lot of control if you were using canned stain, but you could probably do a perimeter spray of several coats and one or two of the same or lighter color or even clear to get the shading you want. IMHO, stains seem to leave a muggy finish, obscuring the grain pattern if you use a full strength application, especially on tight grained woods, but something like the cedar most CB's are made of it will work. (I'd still dilute it, personally)
One other suggestion would be to use the darkest stain you can find and apply several coats to the perimeter until you get what looks good to you. You might even mix or alternate between two colors (Chestnut and dark Mahogany for example) and see what happens.
Find a pint of enamel the color you want and dilute it down with thinner slowly and test on bare wood. I do use a cheesy air brush myself, but a rag finish might be interesting. I would make several dilution levels to experiment with.
Don