I need to tone a pair of doors. If possible, I would like to match them to another set that will be nearby.
The first set was done with the following schedule.
- Spray a coat of shellac so the grain will not bleed through. 2. Spray water based dye until I go the color I wanted. 3. Spray a few coats of hydrocote lacquer. (Note, I did not mix the dye and Hydrocote to make a toner.) 4. Do the usual rub out to get a nice gloss finish. 5. Smile when the praises come my way!
The second set of (very expensive) doors is a harder wood.
- I sprayed a coat of shellac keep the grain from becoming a strong feature. 2. I mixed the water based dye with Hydrocote to form a toner. 3. I got a very poor finish that looked like large fisheyes. 4. I stripped the door by applying lacquer thinner in a cloth over the surface to soften it. Then I used a card scraper to take the lacquer off. 5. A bit of light sanding and I am back to the original door.
- I think the problem was that the water based dye thinned the Hydrocote (Before mixing in the dye it took 38 seconds to empty the cup) was just too much water.
- I just tried making a new "batch". The Hydrocote is straight out of the 5 gallon jug. I put in a little dye.
- The mix is almost instantly watery. It now takes about 20 seconds to empty the lacquer measuring cup that is filled with the toner.
Is the problem that I should be putting only a little bit of dye in the Hydrocote. Will it ever get enough color that way?
Len