end grain much darker then other end of end grain

[duckkisser]

ok i made a pencil holder that looks prity cool ill post in on critique later(looks like a wood jap lanturn) but for some reason when i put poly on it the end grain of one side is far darker then the other side of the end grain. could it be that one side was closer to the end of the board and it was thirstier? any way to fix this i would like to have a maple board with uniform color on all 4 sides and now i have only uniform on 3 sides.

[Beechwood Chip]

Sanding the end grain to a finer grit will reduce stain penetration. You can also use a seal coat to prevent the end grain from absorbing as much.

[duckkisser]

Sanding the end grain to a finer grit will reduce stain penetration. You can also use a seal coat to prevent the end grain from absorbing as much.

Ill try to resand and ill apply myabe shellac to that ege i just dont understand how this small cut 3-4 inches long can be normal on one side but like 4 shades darker on the other. Not kiding looks like it has been burnt

Is there any problem with puting poly over shellack?

[Torch02]

Another possibility-

If you are using a solvent based finish, you can flood the end grain with that solvent prior to applying the finish. For example, if you are using shellac, you can flood the end grain with denatured alcohol before applying the shellac.

[duckkisser]

Here is what im thinking its a end piece and it was painted and i had sanded off the paint but i think it might have bled down the grain so when i applied the poly the wood got flooded. And the trace paint came to the surface and darkened the poly. So im going to cut and sand a hairs thinkness on all 4 sides till it is even in color. Does this sound resonable? Or am i just out of luck? Might have to try the alcohol.

[Torch02]

Here is what im thinking its a end piece and it was painted and i had sanded off the paint but i think it might have bled down the grain so when i applied the poly the wood got flooded. And the trace paint came to the surface and darkened the poly. So im going to cut and sand a hairs thinkness on all 4 sides till it is even in color. Does this sound resonable? Or am i just out of luck? Might have to try the alcohol.

End grain is always going to to be darker when prepped and finished the same as the long grain, because it will absorb more finishe due to the physical properties of wood.

Thus your two options are to thin the finish (flood the end grain) or overprep the end grain (sand it to a higher grit than the long grain).

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[duckkisser]

End grain is always going to to be darker when prepped and finished the same as the long grain, because it will absorb more finishe due to the physical properties of wood.

Thus your two options are to thin the finish (flood the end grain) or overprep the end grain (sand it to a higher grit than the long grain).

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

ok i shaved it down with table saw so the cut stays strait and it turned out good i was right the edge was so dark because there was some kind of contaminate in the wood. when i got dow furthere i got lighter and lighter. i stoped when i was satisfied witht he shading. its still a little dark but if i cut it down any more i would ruin my routing as it is the bottom part is a tiny bit off kilter on all 4 sides.

[flairwoodworks]

You can put poly over shellac only if the shellac is dewaxed. You can buy shellac dewaxed or let regular shellac sit, mixed up, and let the wax settle to the bottom. Take the dewaxed shellac off the top.