Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Wood stain
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hieronymusbosch
06-22-06, 08:41 AM
I have a question for those familliar with the proporties of wood stain. I you were to add wood stain to a solution of some type of paint or ink and then applied it to a metal surface or really any none wood surface would it stain that surface?
marksr
06-22-06, 05:39 PM
Welcome to the forums
Fiirst stain won't mix with paint or ink unless the bases are compatable. I don't know about ink so I skip that part. Stain mixed with a similiar based paint will alter the color of the paint. Paint will coat metal or any non pourous surface, stain will try to coat a non pourous surface but may have trouble drying due to the way it is formulated. If you strip paint/stain off of an non pourous surface it should return to it's original state.
Fiirst stain won't mix with paint or ink unless the bases are compatable. I don't know about ink so I skip that part. Stain mixed with a similiar based paint will alter the color of the paint. Paint will coat metal or any non pourous surface, stain will try to coat a non pourous surface but may have trouble drying due to the way it is formulated. If you strip paint/stain off of an non pourous surface it should return to it's original state.
mako
06-22-06, 07:50 PM
Ditto on what Mark said.
Most stains, however, tend to be a soup of solvent-based dyes and pigments with oils and all sorts of barf in them. I personally don't know of any liquid that mixes well with stain because most stains don't mix well with stains (that's why you have to stir them frequently while in use to keep the color true).
The way wood stain works depends on whether it's a dye stain or pigment stain, but most Lowes/Home depot types are cocktails of both types of colorant. Dyes soak into the wood and color it. They color very evenly but do NOT highlight the grain of the wood. Pigments pile up in the pores of the wood, which is spectacular on open-grained woods like oak, mahogany, and ash. Looks pitiful on closed-grain variable-density woods like maple and birch (blotches horridly).
Note that all "stains" that contain a pigment will also contain a binder, usually a small amount of varnish (polyurethane, alkyd resin, or even phenolic resins). This is b/c the pigments do not stick to the wood very well by themselves, they have to have the binder to glue them in place (this is why you have to let the stuff cure before applying a topcoat of varnish or lacquer).
As for non-porous surfaces, the stain will not permanently stain it. Semi-porous, like, say, polished limestone or marble (which for most purposes is non-porous) stains can alter the color if they sit there long enough and the surface is a matte or dull sheen surface (ie, there's a micro-roughness that the binder can glue some pigment or dye into that you'd have to scrub out).
Tell us what you are trying to stain, maybe we can help you with that. If you are looking to color metal, and it's not a huge item, you may look into powdercoating it with a clear tinted powdercoat, but this requires some specialized equipment.
Most stains, however, tend to be a soup of solvent-based dyes and pigments with oils and all sorts of barf in them. I personally don't know of any liquid that mixes well with stain because most stains don't mix well with stains (that's why you have to stir them frequently while in use to keep the color true).
The way wood stain works depends on whether it's a dye stain or pigment stain, but most Lowes/Home depot types are cocktails of both types of colorant. Dyes soak into the wood and color it. They color very evenly but do NOT highlight the grain of the wood. Pigments pile up in the pores of the wood, which is spectacular on open-grained woods like oak, mahogany, and ash. Looks pitiful on closed-grain variable-density woods like maple and birch (blotches horridly).
Note that all "stains" that contain a pigment will also contain a binder, usually a small amount of varnish (polyurethane, alkyd resin, or even phenolic resins). This is b/c the pigments do not stick to the wood very well by themselves, they have to have the binder to glue them in place (this is why you have to let the stuff cure before applying a topcoat of varnish or lacquer).
As for non-porous surfaces, the stain will not permanently stain it. Semi-porous, like, say, polished limestone or marble (which for most purposes is non-porous) stains can alter the color if they sit there long enough and the surface is a matte or dull sheen surface (ie, there's a micro-roughness that the binder can glue some pigment or dye into that you'd have to scrub out).
Tell us what you are trying to stain, maybe we can help you with that. If you are looking to color metal, and it's not a huge item, you may look into powdercoating it with a clear tinted powdercoat, but this requires some specialized equipment.