Gabi Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 Hello! I'm working with a slab of honey locust, it's my first project and i did the dumb mistake of not getting a separate piece of wood to see the effects of the finish. I assumed just oil with no stain wouldn't change the wood color too much but i was WRONG. I did a single layer of BLO and now the slab is significantly yellower. Would it be possible to stain the wood now that i already put a coat of BLO or am I stuck with the yellow? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 Maybe but not easily or significantly. A card scraper could be your best route now ! I always warn people, learn from my mistakes or be doomed to repeat them ! Practice on scrap !!!!!!! Take notes ! Then when you feel confident apply the results of your practice to your project. Ignore this advice at your own peril....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 Pictures? I've only worked with locust once but recall it was already plenty yellow to begin with. Linseed oil would certainly take you well into banana territory. How big is the slab? I'd pass over the card scraper and go for coarse grit in an orbital sander. What sort of grain is it? Best case scenario, the grain is all wobbly in a pleasing fashion. We call this curl and you have essentially "popped" the grain. (Yay) Worst case scenario: the grain is all wobbly in an unpleasing fashion. Your board has now blotched and it's probably not coming back. (Boo) The more important/irreplaceable/expensive the board, the more you can justify burning test boards to see what the finish will do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabi Posted January 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 9 minutes ago, Bombarde16 said: Pictures? I've only worked with locust once but recall it was already plenty yellow to begin with. Linseed oil would certainly take you well into banana territory. How big is the slab? I'd pass over the card scraper and go for coarse grit in an orbital sander. What sort of grain is it? Best case scenario, the grain is all wobbly in a pleasing fashion. We call this curl and you have essentially "popped" the grain. (Yay) Worst case scenario: the grain is all wobbly in an unpleasing fashion. Your board has now blotched and it's probably not coming back. (Boo) The more important/irreplaceable/expensive the board, the more you can justify burning test boards to see what the finish will do. The slab is 45"x17"x1". This is the before and after picture, the grain seems to be fine and it doesn't look blotched Since I'd have to sand/card scrape all of it I think I'll try an oil based stain first and see how it goes. Would that make me have to sand it even deeper? I've read that stains don't usually go too deep into the wood and I'd assume it'd go even less with it already having a layer of BLO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 An oil stain on top of BLO isn't going to soak in, it's going to sit on top. Then in becomes a point for whatever finish coat you apply to peel off. Been there done that, had to scrape it off and start over. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabi Posted January 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 Hm, got it. Thank you! I'll scrape it off and try again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 Nothing personal, but so many people make a mistake like this then look for a quick fix. And argue with experience because they are focused on that quick fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 Not to question your color preference, but I'm struggling to see a problem in those photos. From the shine, I assume the first photo is the "after" shot with BLO, correct? If you actually want a deeper brown tone, you can try placing it in direct sun for a day or three. The pieces I've used linseed oil on seem to darken with UV exposure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabi Posted January 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 2 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said: Not to question your color preference, but I'm struggling to see a problem in those photos. From the shine, I assume the first photo is the "after" shot with BLO, correct? If you actually want a deeper brown tone, you can try placing it in direct sun for a day or three. The pieces I've used linseed oil on seem to darken with UV exposure. Idk, just doesn't go very well with the rest of the furniture? I'll try to keep it in the sun until the weekend since i wouldn't have time to sand it before that anyway. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 A halogen floodlight will work as well, especially if you remove the UV filter glass from the front. And even if you don't love the results it will cure the BLO somewhat quicker and reduce the sticky mess to scrape off. If you've got a few days I hope it darkens up and saves you a lot of effort. There is a lot of knowledge and different approaches out there. I try to recognize there are so many possibilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 8 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: Not to question your color preference, but I'm struggling to see a problem in those photos. From the shine, I assume the first photo is the "after" shot with BLO, correct? (To my eye, the two photos both look like "after" shots, the first with an on-camera flash and the second without.) I concur, though. This is hardly the banana colored board I was expecting. This is going to be a small table top? What does the rest of the furniture look like and can you articulate what you want this board to do? If this were my board, I'd be looking at the uneven sheen and absorption of the first coat, then thinking to myself, "OK, still a bit more work to do." Let it cure for a few days so I'm not gumming up my sandpaper too badly, sand (or scrape) it back, and then start in on my top coat of choice. While I'm waiting, I'd subject a few test boards to the same abuse and then practice on them once they all get to the same point. Moreover, while I'm waiting and since I'm going to be working the surface some more, I'd fill that bark inclusion with some epoxy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilgaron Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 If you want to stain it even once the oil is off the surface, I'd scrub it with a rag soaked in mineral spirits, put down some shellac, then use a gel stain, and then a top coat of whatever floats your boat. Otherwise the soaked in oil may give you some trouble since nothing else is really going to soak in even if the surface is clean of goo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimayo Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 If you have a planer (or a friend that has one) just use it to take a light pass or two. Then finish sand it through 180 or 220 grit, stain and finish. If the back side won't be seen, use it to test stain color and finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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