Need name of a good book on spraying on stain/finishing

[Bob G.]

I do not enjoy staining and I have been making doll furniture (4 post beds,cradles, wardrobes), etc for my wife to sell at craft fairs along with her hand made porcelain dolls and doll cloths...etc...

Unfortunately I have to make these things out of rather inexpensive wood...poplar and or pine.... Honestly I enjoy making them BUT I absolutely hate the work and mess involved with staining them ...

I am looking for a good book on using spaying on a "color stain" like Walnut etc .... need info on sprayers, and also.. on stain etc...

Watched a TV show (Travel Channel) where they were producing Pool Tables ..showed light colored wood being sprayed with a dark finish then sprayed with a glossy finish coat... Just said to myself that has got to be easier then what I have been doing...

Almost made a few out of Walnut or Cherry to avoid the stain etc but did not want to waste "good" lumber....

Bob Griffiths

[Mike in Mystic]

I have several on the topic and think "Spray Finishing" by Andy Charon to be the best. I

I also have a short video from Michael Dresdner called "Spray Basics" that was very helpful in getting started with my spray system. The video doesn't go into specific finishes or anything, and is mainly about the equipment and techniques.

[Leon]

In all fairness to you Bob, what is a bigger waste, "good" wood or your "time"? I would not think twice about using good wood for those type projects and they being rather small the waste would not be that great. I would think that the results would look better also.

[Lee Michaels]

Another point about this.

If you have a good hardwood lumberyard near, there is a goldmine in their scrap bin. I have picked up some very nice peices for small change out of that scrap bin. Nothing that you could make anything of any size out of. But small peices can be made from some exotic woods.

[David]

Andy Charon's book is pretty good for covering the basics of spray finishing.

Dave

Bob G. wrote:

[Pat Barber]

You need to contact the folks at Homestead Finishing...

them on the old fashioned TELEPHONE and speak to a human being. Tell them your issues and I suspect they can recommend a number of coating that will do what you are looking for.

Learning to spray is a basic D.I.Y. and again speak with somebody who sells this stuff every single day to get a reasonable opinion.

Bob G. wrote:

[SonomaProducts.com]

1. Look into a "Critter" sprayer. It's probably all you need for such small projects.

1. Learn about analine dyes. Personnaly I would just buy the pre-mixed NGR (Non Grain Raising) dye form Wood Finish Supply

2. If you go with a Lacquer finish it dries to the touch on 15-20 minutes and you can sand it in less than an hour. Although, for projects such as yours if you lay down a nice wet layer you can probably leave it just at a single good coat. For lacquer you can get Nitro Cellulose from WFS or you might find MacLac available at some local cabinetry shop suppliers.

The learning process is really about just trying to shoot the stuff and learn as you go.

[Robatoy]

[snip]

At the risk of sounding glib, I think that trying to learn how to spray from a book is like taking a correspondence course in boxing.

Same cannot be said for the selection of materials and compatibility of materials. That info would come from people that sell it all day.

You'll find there are many 'systems' available. M.L. Campbell is a very good 'system'

even match MinWax stains.