Attractive colorant/finish for birdseye venner?

[Kenneth Speed]

I want to try to make some small veneered boxes. I have some very nice birds eye veneer but I don't have any experience dyeing or staining birds eye. Suggestions anyone?

[Prashun Patel]

Amber shellac is the easiest.

[Scott Holmes]

A honey amber or golden oak dye; applied to the entire surface, let it dry ~1 hour for alcohol based dye. At least 12 hours for water based dye. Then sand the entire surface with 220, this will remove the dye from the surface wood and make the birds eye really pop out. Top coat of your choice. (as long as it's NOT poly!) Shellac is a wonderful finish for small boxes that don't need the protection of varnish.

[Pete McMahon]

The suggestion for dyes will produce very nice results. You can work with a water dye in much quicker succesion with the aid of a heat gun although on veneer a hair dryer would be a better choice. The wood is so thin you dont have to wait 12 hours.
As far as NOT POLY!!; tedious, very tedious. That's the chief of the poly police speaking. You won't get hunted down if you use it although on a box shellac is perfect as is a couple of applications of wax as a finish. Keep it simple.

[Kenneth Speed]

OK, guys. Just so I'm clear, no poly, right?

Thanks for the suggestions, they're just what I needed. I will, of course, have trimmings I can use for testing, sampling. I'll probably make a short run so I can try a couple different techniques if I wish.

Scott, I've done a similar technique with iron oxide on tiger maple so no problem. I also seem to be awash in golden oak dye so an excuse to use some of it is quite welcome.


Ken