Changing Cedar Hue

[Al Mock MD]

Creekers, I'm building a miniature blanket chest after one I read about in the "Pleasant Hill Shakers" book. The recipient, my Sister, demands that it be made entirely of cedar. Now, I'm not a softwood guy but I've managed some relative success matching the 1:6 dovetails in 1" stock. My question for the masses is twofold: 1) Do I have any options for dying/staining this soft, oily monstrosity? I'd like just a hue darker/redder. 2) What topcoat do you recommend for a moderately used-and-abused cedar piece. My guess is that it will be used to store art supplies. Hard maple...I'm a novice. Cedar...I'm an idiot. Any help greatly appreciated. al

[Bill Spievak]

There are options, take some scrap pieces and play with some different things. :p Examples: 1. BLO plus some artist oil paint mixed in. Maybe thin it with Napatha. You say you want it more red, just go to a place like JoAnn's Fabrics and look at the various art supplies to pick a color to mix with the BLO and Napatha. 2. Tung oil plus some TransTint of the appropiate color thinned with Napatha. 3. Shellac plus TransTint of the appropriate color, maybe at a 1 pound to 1 1/2 pound cut for the first couple of coats. Be sure to add any top coats to the samples because an oil base varnish will give an amber cast to the piece, while an H2O based product won't add color or depth.

[Al Mock MD]

Brilliant! I like the trans-tint in a 1# cut idea. My impatience will appreciate the drytime between coats. Until your point, I hadn't even considered an amber shellac with a wipe-on poly. A slightly red-tinted version together with the varnish casting might just be what I'm looking for. I REALLY appreciate your insight. Making dust, al

[Al Mock MD]

I took your advice & lightly tinted a shellac 1#cut, four light padded coats with 400 grit in between. Then clear wipe-on poly for three. I'm currently letting it settle indoors to monitor the breadboard & assess whether I need more poly. Then a coat of wax & it's a wrap. Since I mentioned the source book in an earlier post, I should point out a few modifications: the original lacked breadboarded ends, the original was of cherry and the original didn't have a base floating in dados. It's also a hair smaller than the prototype. Thanks for your great suggestions! al:p