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Peter Jaquith

I have been pleased with the results obtained through the use of J. E. Moser's Lt Golden Brown Walnut aniline dye (available from Bartley's). I have used this product successfully on hard maple, curly maple, popular, ash, and soft pine. I started out mixing (1) ounce of dye powder to 38 ounces of very hot water (Bartley's recommendation) and liked the color/tone. I am now using three mixes of this product as noted below:

>>> (1) ounce of dye to 38 ounces of water - hard maple, curly maple, and popular
>>> (.75) ounce of dye to 38 ounces of water - ash
>>> (.50) ounce of dye to 38 ounces of water - soft pine; end grain of hard maple, curly maple, popular, and ash

I am currently building a set of Windsor Chairs with maple turnings/spindles, ash bent back bows, and soft pine seats. With the above mixes, I was able to get a uniform light warm brown color on all pieces. With mixed woods such as the reference Windsor Chairs, I dye all pieces before assembly. After dyeing, I sand the pieces lightly with a well worn foam sanding pad. On dyed pieces, I over coat the finished piece with (5) coats of Bartley's gel wiping varnish, rub it down with Liberon ultra fine steel wool and Howard's Feed-N-Wax, and final coat the tops with Liberon's Fine Paste Wax. I currently plan to do a series of curly maple test pieces to help in selecting the appropriate mix/color for the top of Bartley's William & Mary Dining Table planned for my office/library.

I would be interested in hearing of other forum participants finishing techniques/experiences. Like the rigging on period sailing ship models, this is a subject that isn't discussed a lot, but it certainly makes the piece.

Regards,
Pete Jaquith
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Shipbuilder
Hancock, NH & San Diego, CA