Stain Question

[jeepnewbie]

Decided to try my hand at a freehand pipe. I got everything shaped the way I wanted it then time to stain. Every stain I've done so far came out the way I wanted it. This one not so much, I started off with black Fiebings leather alcohol dye. Then sanded to apply the next dye. The black didn't do what I wanted, it looks as if I hand dyed then came back and over lapped the dye. I used a wadded up paper towel to apply it. Could be that have been the issue? I went ahead and finished it up to just see how it would turn out. I don't like the outcome, so going to sand it down and redo it. I may just leave it as an example of what happened and only do single color dye in the future.

 

[jeepnewbie]

Hard to upload pics from phone.

Other side of the freehand.

 

[sasquatch]

Really, there's a few things here, one is that black as an understain is pretty difficult in the first place, and 2 is that your block just isn't good enough to do what you are hoping to do, and that's just an experience thing. That block has a pile of heartwood in the bottom/middle area, and that's going to stain very differently than the sapwood nearer the plateau. Added to the the grain on the sapwood has some pretty wide open wash to it, and what you get when you try to do a contrast stain is a mottled disappointment, and you sand 'er down and try something else.
There are lots and lots of dark brown pipes on the market... always have been, always will be. This is why. It takes not just clean wood but perfectly cut wood that grew perfectly to pop out these super even high contrast pipes.

 

[pagan]

I think it looks great, just an impartial opinion

 

[agnosticpipe]

I think it looks great too, but what sasquatch said is the real problem with trying to do contrast stains. The thing here is, you have a very unique shaped pipe that now has a unique stain job! It almost looks like a camouflage stain. Pretty cool really, I wouldn't mess with it unless it just bugs the crap out of you.

 

[mcitinner1]

I like it as is too...

 

[jefff]

I'd leave it as is.

 

[weezell]

I like it!...

 

[cossackjack]

Ditto. Leave it as is.

It's the block, not so much the stain.

Maybe next time try something other than a paper towel to apply the stain. I have a pile of old white socks for hand application of stains & finishes to wood.

 

[jeepnewbie]

It was driving me nuts as soon as I got home before even getting back on here I headed into the garage. Did some sanding and restaining on it, I wanted to try the black stain then a dark stain over it. So I went for it, I know the grain is a odd layout. So here is the fruits of my labor.

 

[shikano53]

Nicely done indeed sir, congratulations.

I actually think I personally prefer your original stain work if I had to choose which one to smoke.

Again, well done.

 

[jeepnewbie]

I may do another stain job like it now that it had good feed back. I assumed that the stain was ugly to me and was set one believing it was ugly. Now that I set back and look at it I can kinda see what others like in it. It's unique with the way I dyed it with the different types of grain. The camo comment gave me an idea for a future pipe, I'll post pics when I start that one.