Stain and Glue questions

[zootroy]

three questions:

1. I'm working on my first project. Shelves out of 1x6 red oak. I am staining a test piece with an oil based ebony stain. I followed the directions on the can. It's been two days since the second coat and it is still tacky and leaves stain on my fingers when I touch it. Is this normal. I have the piece in my garage. It's been ~50d in the day and mid 30's at night. If temperature is the issue, I'm not sure what to do as the garage is the only work area that I have. Any ideas?

2. Do you use throw away brushes for painting glue on biscuits? I see Norm brushing the glue on his biscuits with a small brush. Can you clean wood glue off of a brush or do you do you buy a bunch of throw aways?

3. I read that you shouldn't use tack cloths after sanding before staining because it contains linseed oil? Can anyone confirm this?

Thanks in advance
Jason

[onedash]

for my biscuits i use a throw away brush. You can keep it in a cup of water and use it a couple days but it will start to rust if you leave it in there much longer.
I never had any problem with tac cloth.

as for the stain not drying i had the same problem last winter. I think when you apply it and it gets cold like that it never drys right. When I put poly on after a couple days the color got in the brush but the poly dried. I put some little space heaters by it to try and keep it from getting to cold.

[LarryG]

1. Can't help with this. It does sound like low temps may be the problem.

2. I use these disposable brushes from Harbor Freight. They're frequently on sale for $2.99/bag (about eight cents apiece) and appear identical to the ones the brand-name woodworking stores sell for three to five times as much. Between the various stages of a glue-up I wash out the glue using a spray bottle of water so the brush will remain pliable all day. At the end of the day, I usually toss the brush but will sometimes keep it for another project if it's seen only light use.

3. I've never had any problems using store-bought tack cloths, either.

[zootroy]

I'll bring my test piece in tonight to see if it dries. I suspect that it will. Thanks for the feedback.
J

[don_hart]

It is definitely the temps that are doing it. This is how I would handle it. Get ~5-7 mil plastic sheeting and either a small space heater or at 150watt halogen light. Make a tent over the piece with the plastic and put the heater in the tent with the pieces. Make sure that the heater cannot come in contact with the plastic or any of the other items in the tent. This should maintain the temp while the pieces dry.

[scmhogg]

Jason,

Before you use any more of that nasty stain, try aniline dye. I have "ebonized" lots of red oak to fit LOML's decor. I use water soluble dye powder. It is easy to use. Not sticky, no wiping, no lap marks, UV resistant color and they are transparent so the grain shows through.

Some time ago I posted a red oak box with red and black dye and a table with red oak legs.

http://www.bt3central.com/forum/topi...TOPIC_ID=16576

http://www.bt3central.com/forum/topi...TOPIC_ID=15703

Steve

[zootroy]

Thanks Don and Steve

Don,
thanks for the heater tip. I'll look for a heater this week.

Steve,
The exact look that I want. I'll start searching for dye and techniques tonight. Great job on the table and box! Do I need warm temps for the dye? How about an oil finish?

Thanks again
Jason

[drumpriest]

I can comment on the glue brushes. I use disposable ones, but get several uses out of them. I just thouroughly clean them with water. Once they stiffen from a couple of uses, time to pitch them.

I don't use tack clothes at all. I use compressed air, and very slightly damp rags. This CAN raise the grains on Oak, so be careful with that.

[Pappy]

Tip on the brushes. Wrap a piece of tape around the bristles so only about 3/8" is left exposed. This makes them a little stiffer and keeps them from shedding into the glue.

[gonesailing]

Don Hart has an excellent idea with the poly. I have also used a plain old cardboard box turned upside down over a project with a regular 100 watt light bulb. Since the heat from the light bulb rises, it keeps the top area of the box pretty warm.

I am a full time RVer and a couple of 75 watt bulbs down in the storage basement do a great job of keeping the pipes form freezing even at near zero temperatures.

Mike

[don_hart]

I actually got the idea from my finish cabinet. I have a large wooden cabinet that I keep all of my finishes in. I cut out most of the bottom of the cabinet and raised the bottom up a few inces and rplaced the wood with heavy metal screening. In the cavity below the screen I installed to explosion proof lighting fixtures that have a couple of 100 wat bulbs in them. I wired them up with a thermostat so that it keeps the temp in the cabinet above 40deg. That way I don't have to keep the shop heated all of the time or move my finishes inside during the winter.

[JimD]

The brushes Norm uses are sold in Lowes and Home Depot to apply flux when soldering. The price at HF is better but if you need some and do not have a HF nearby, you can get them at the chain stores. Just don't look with the finishing supplies or the glue - go to plumbing. I throw them away after use.

Jim

[zootroy]

Thanks for the heads up on the brushes.

Where to buy the dye? I found an online store that had it for $14/2oz powder. Is this a good price?

[jziegler]

That's about the right price for the dyes. I bought some at Woodcraft, they charge $9 for a 1 oz bottle. I think Lee Valley has a similar price. Rockler also has a few colors, once again, I think the price is similar.

-Jim

[scmhogg]

I bought my dyes from Constantines. They are $9.25 for 2oz. In the dry form they last forever.

http://216.105.59.114/index.asp?Page...OD&ProdID=1992

Steve