A question about finishing mahogany

[Larry Blanchard]

Something I've done quite a bit to minimize splotching is to wipe on a couple of coats of clear shellac, then a coat with alcohol soluble dye mixed in, and finally a couple more clear coats.

If you filled first and then dyed, it might make leveling the filler less dangerous.

Thanks for the info on the pumice method. I'll try it next time I want to fill the pores on something.

[Steve Turner]

there and done that; the problem with lacquer is that it shrinks something terrible. You need to let it cure for several weeks before you sand it, otherwise it *will* shrink into the pores and will no longer be glassy smooth. Also, you'd better be dang sure you don't break through to the wood and/or stain while sanding, or you'll have to respray the area (which *unshrinks* the surrounding cured lacquer) and wait all over again. I found the shellac approach to be much more forgiving.

[Steve Turner]

I started off trying to use SolarLux and it's nice stuff, but it has some sort of (glucose?) binder that made it hard to deal with during repairs. I didn't try a straight alcohol soluble dye; that might have played much better together with shellac.

I tried that (with probably three different brands and types of filler) and didn't like the look.

Stock up on sandpaper first! :-)