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View Full Version : Making a "lacquer glaze"



Chris Leverett
08-19-2007, 8:26 PM
Can you mix some oil based stain with lacquer to make a glaze? I'm not sure about compatibility. Its not something I plan on applying and wiping off like you do with some glazes. Rather I want to spray several coats over an already stained surface, maybe it would be more like a toner then. Anyway, whatever you call it, can you do it? :)
Thanks, Chris

Bob Barkto
08-20-2007, 12:47 AM
Not usually. Some oil based stains can be used but it's a gamble as to compatibility.
You can use alcohol soluble dyes, plain pigments, universal tints like Huls 844 colorants, japan colors, etc.

Jim Becker
08-20-2007, 9:15 AM
No, do not mix and oil based product with lacquer. Universal tints are probably the safest, etc., as per Bob's post.

Tim Sproul
08-20-2007, 3:21 PM
Transtint will go into solvent based lacquer as a toner.

Glaze and toner are similar but different. Here is one illustration of the differences:

Glaze: Often used to give an aged appearance by filling in recesses/crevices with a dark finish. Makes it look like years and years of crud build-up in those recesses.

Toner: Often used to adjust color by adding a bit of warmth or perhaps coolness.

So...glaze is often applied in a manner that gives more color to certain places and less color to others while toner is usually applied to give the same amount of color throughout. With a glaze, you usually want a slow-drying medium to allow you to apply and then wipe-off from high spots, similar to stain. With toner, you usually want something that will dry quickly so you can apply mutliple coats or get done sooner.

The above is just one possibility. Many use glaze and toner in different ways.

As always, if in doubt test it. Add some oil-based stain to your lacquer and test it out on some scrap. If you are just worried about compatibility between the stain and lacquer, you don't need to apply it to the same wood as the furniture you're finishing....any scrap will do. If completely incompatible, you may know as you mix them together.