Matt_g Posted May 9, 2022 Report Share Posted May 9, 2022 Hi there, Wanted to see if anyone else ran into this issue. When staining oak there are some places where the wood has "harder" speckles on it which do not stain well. Can anyone offer a solution? Sanded through 150, after the staining i saw these lighter spots which i sanded again with a lower grit (100) to see if that would help but it didn't. Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted May 9, 2022 Report Share Posted May 9, 2022 Plywood or solid wood? What stain was used? Has a topcoat been applied? The grain looks like it's getting close to rift/quarter sawn. It is possible that is ray flecking. This is just part of the wood. This is hard to see in your picture though and is just a guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_g Posted May 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2022 It's veneer over plywood. Stained with rubio. No top coat yet. Any ideas it this can be stained if this is in fact ray flecking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted May 9, 2022 Report Share Posted May 9, 2022 Could that be glue from the laminating process? I do not have a fix in my repetoire (sp)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted May 9, 2022 Report Share Posted May 9, 2022 I agree with Ron. Veneer is typically very thin sanding with 100 grit could burn through in seconds. My advice is to not sand anymore. Replacing the plywood is likely the only fix at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_g Posted May 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2022 Hi, My guess it that it would not be the laminating process. The veneer was glued in house in a high quality press. I am familiar with the glue "contamination", and have a way of fixing it. It didnt work this time. This looks more like a harder part of wood, which like chestnut mention do appear to be ray flecking. The stain does not penetrate and stick well enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted May 10, 2022 Report Share Posted May 10, 2022 I'm going to agree that is probably the slihgtest appearance of ray fleck. Short of 'hand painting' those areas with an artist's brush, I can't think of a way to color them like the rest of the grain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chestnut Posted May 10, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted May 10, 2022 All the more reason stain just makes life difficult. If you want wood that looks like walnut use walnut. If you want perfect even color use paint, or spray dye with an HVLP. If perfect wood grain is desired find some printed laminate material. Hand application of stains is going to require some acceptance of the natural variation of wood, there just isn't any way around it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted May 10, 2022 Report Share Posted May 10, 2022 On 5/10/2022 at 7:06 AM, Chestnut said: All the more reason stain just makes life difficult. If you want wood that looks like walnut use walnut. If you want perfect even color use paint, or spray dye with an HVLP. If perfect wood grain is desired find some printed laminate material. Hand application of stains is going to require some acceptance of the natural variation of wood, there just isn't any way around it. Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of this. Right now I'm working on a project with white oak veneer plywood and it's got me pulling my hair out a bit. It's been a reminder as to why I don't like working with commercial veneer plywood. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted May 10, 2022 Report Share Posted May 10, 2022 Tinted topcoats exist for people who want no variation. Pianos are often coated with tinted lacquer to minimize variations between different species chosen for different parts’ needs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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