Using a pre-conditioner?

[Steve Potter]

Is it nessesary to use a pre-conditioner to control blotching if using a water soluble dye stain or is it primarily intended for pigmented stains? My projects are made with basswood and eastern white pine!

[Jim Becker]

Necessary? No. This is a subjective thing. One man's "blotch" is another man's "figure". If you do choose to "pre-condition", be sure that whatever you use is compatible with the coloring method you intend to employ. Water soluble dye might not be happy with a "pre-conditioner" that's not designed to be used with water soluble colorants. I can't personally suggest anything as I'm in the "figure" category and never have used any pre-conditioning.

[Wayne Lomman]

What Jim said. Finish a job how it suits yourself. If in doubt or learning, do a test piece or two. Cheers