Iron Nitrate

[Gvilleddie]

Is it possible to lighten up iron nitrate after first coat of Permalyn. Color on my Woodsrunner turned out a little darker that I anticipated. Thanks, E..

 

[64Springer]

No.

Stripping and sanding is the only way.

 

[Gvilleddie]

Thanks, that’s what I thought. You get what you get, I guess.

 

[akroguy]

Yeah, live and learn. I put it on, blush then sand or scotchbrite it back to even out the darker areas vs. the lighter areas. Some straight grain sections can get really dark. It's strong stuff so don't soak it into the wood in large amounts. The sanding dust from taking it down is pretty acrid so might want to wear a dust mask.

 

[IanH]

You can also dilute it with water or alcohol to get a lighter color, before finishing of course.

 

[Gvilleddie]

Ok, I applied the second coat Premyln Sealer this morning and the wood brightened up considerably. Looks pretty nice now. What should I do now between successive coats? Steel wool, scotch bright or nothing? Thx…

 

[Eric Krewson]

Go to about 30:00 of this video.

 

[user 34300]

No. Stripping and sanding is the only way.

Yikes! ... wrong. Do not strip or sand.

Get some maroon scochbrite. The real stuff with abrasive.

Put some mineral spirits in a dish. Use that to "wet sand" the parts you want lighter. The top layer will come off on the pad. Be careful to not break through to white wood on the sharp edges. The wood will appear as finished when wet with mineral sprits and a dollop of finish. Working it back like this will make the grain pop better than any stain alone. The darkest parts will remain dark, the lighter parts will get lighter. When you are happy stop, wipe it down, and let it dry. Be careful not to make any spots blotchy or to light. If you have any spots the are to light after you will need to use a spirit stain to even it out. Chambers, track and Kibler all sell them. Hardware store stains are useless. Let it rest for a day. When dry continue with the finish.

This is how I finish every maple stock. You have not made a mistake.

• Ok, I applied the second coat Premyln Sealer this morning and the wood brightened up considerably. Looks pretty nice now. What should I do now between successive coats? Steel wool, scotch bright or nothing? Thx…
• Just knock of the buggars with scochbrite or steel wool.

 

[CuNosecap]

Good advice right here.

 

[Gvilleddie]

So Scota, I can lightly scotch bright with mineral spirits after I’ve applied 2 coats of Permalyn?

 

[IanH]

Permalyn is polyurethane, it doesn't dissolve with mineral spirits like drying oils do.

 

[64Springer]

No. Stripping and sanding is the only way.

Yikes! ... wrong. Do not strip or sand.

Get some maroon scochbrite. The real stuff with abrasive.

Put some mineral spirits in a dish. Use that to "wet sand" the parts you want lighter. The top layer will come off on the pad. Be careful to not break through to white wood on the sharp edges. The wood will appear as finished when wet with mineral sprits and a dollop of finish. Working it back like this will make the grain pop better than any stain alone. The darkest parts will remain dark, the lighter parts will get lighter. When you are happy stop, wipe it down, and let it dry. Be careful not to make any spots blotchy or to light. If you have any spots the are to light after you will need to use a spirit stain to even it out. Chambers, track and Kibler all sell them. Hardware store stains are useless. Let it rest for a day. When dry continue with the finish.

This is how I finish every maple stock. You have not made a mistake.

• Ok, I applied the second coat Premyln Sealer this morning and the wood brightened up considerably. Looks pretty nice now. What should I do now between successive coats? Steel wool, scotch bright or nothing? Thx…
• Just knock of the buggars with scochbrite or steel wool.

Splitting hairs, aren't we?

Stripping vs. Using an abrasive pad and mineral spirits so the top layer will come off.

And a gentle sanding would certainly make the stock lighter. Which is in keeping with the OP's desires.

This place cracks me up sometimes.

 

[user 34300]

No, cutting the surface back leaves finish and stain in the wood pores. Stripping with chemicals or heavy abrasives removes all of that. You can wet sand with say 320 grit paper too. That will do the same thing. I find it harder to control than maroon scochbrite.

I am not looking to dissolve the finish. I want to thin it down to the wood and incrementally remove finish top coat and stain. This technique is common to stock finishers. It has worked with all finishes I have tried.

So Scota, I can lightly scotch bright with mineral spirits after I’ve applied 2 coats of Permalyn? Yes, I would try on my stock. IF it is not giving the effect you want stop and re-assess.

MOst of stock work is cut and try on the final finihs. There are guidelines. Since each piec of wood is a little different you may have to tweak things from stock to stock.

Or, accept each stock is going to be different. That is OK. Wood varies. Trying to force it to me some way takes a lot of experience.

This is a video of what I am trying to get across. Skip to 13 minuets