I have some nice red oak speaker cabinets built. I want to use a black stain that still shows the grain pattern. What are my best and readily available options. I would love to keep the oak natural but the person I've built them for wants black.
thx
thx
black on oak
try WATCO stain -- they have a great very dark finish and the grain comes through. with watco you have to follow the directions (not a male trait, i'm afraid) you apply the stain and sand while the wood is still wet with the stain. the heat of sanding aids in the polymerization of the finish.
Watco was very frequently recommended in "Fine Woodworking" magazine.
try WATCO stain -- they have a great very dark finish and the grain comes through. with watco you have to follow the directions (not a male trait, i'm afraid) you apply the stain and sand while the wood is still wet with the stain. the heat of sanding aids in the polymerization of the finish.
Watco was very frequently recommended in "Fine Woodworking" magazine.
I wouldn't recommend using a stain, but rather use a aniline dye.
These dyes are water based and you mix the powder with water.
They are pretty thin and don't mask the grain at all. you then apply a poly or clear coat over top of them.
Follow this link, it will explain this more than i ever could.
http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodbasics/vendors/mcfeely/classes/anilinedyes.htm
These dyes are water based and you mix the powder with water.
They are pretty thin and don't mask the grain at all. you then apply a poly or clear coat over top of them.
Follow this link, it will explain this more than i ever could.
http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodbasics/vendors/mcfeely/classes/anilinedyes.htm
i have used meamine and polyurathene to protect cabs. you need to handle a spray gun well though. it is a trick. the coats have to thin and even. with melamine you can mix glossy and dull to choose the glossiness.
Ebonizing (making wood black while letting the grain show) wood requires working with nasty chemicals and lot of skill/experience. Generally not recommended unless you are going to be extremely careful and patient.
Pete: I finally settled on something similar. I tried some black water based paint thinned with water. I applied this to the oak with careful brushing (no wiping) and left it dry. I am pleased with the result. It's a nice black and yet the oak grain still shows through. The oak has such a beautiful grain. I will probably put on 3 coats of tung oil (Behr) following up with a final buffing with black shoe polish. On another project I did I used shoe polish after the tung oil had cured; about a week. The shoe polish gave the finish a very nice polished sheen. I have tried different colours of shoe polish on different stain colours with a tung oil finish. The final results gave the finish the lustre I was after and the colour I wanted . There is always something to learn in this woodworking hobby.
Thanks everyone for your input.
Thanks everyone for your input.
I used black aniline dye.
I used black analine dye to finish my Audax Home Theater center channel.
I was looking for a very flat finish to minimize the reflections off the finish of the speaker. (They sit beside and below the screen in my home theater) The satin finish is actually more glossy than I would have preferred. For the Left and Right speakers, I used the same Analine dye, but used a "dead flat clear lacquer" It worked out perfectly.
Joe L.
Red Oak veneer center before application of dye:
Two coats of water based Black Aniline dye:
Close up of veneer of left speaker after application of two coats of Black Aniline dye:
Center channel speaker after three coats of Minwax Satin Polycrylic:
L/R speakers after three coats of "dead flat" clear lacquer.
I used black analine dye to finish my Audax Home Theater center channel.
I was looking for a very flat finish to minimize the reflections off the finish of the speaker. (They sit beside and below the screen in my home theater) The satin finish is actually more glossy than I would have preferred. For the Left and Right speakers, I used the same Analine dye, but used a "dead flat clear lacquer" It worked out perfectly.
Joe L.
Red Oak veneer center before application of dye:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Two coats of water based Black Aniline dye:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Close up of veneer of left speaker after application of two coats of Black Aniline dye:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Center channel speaker after three coats of Minwax Satin Polycrylic:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
L/R speakers after three coats of "dead flat" clear lacquer.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Black Cabinets
aniline dye work great, easy to mix easy to use. Spray a clear
cost of shellac after the dye. If your after tougher finsih spary
Laquer or Polyurathane over the Shellac. The Shellac will act as
a sealer for the Laquer or Polyurathane.
http://www.woodfinishingsupplies.com/Dyes.htm
http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/
JW
aniline dye work great, easy to mix easy to use. Spray a clear
cost of shellac after the dye. If your after tougher finsih spary
Laquer or Polyurathane over the Shellac. The Shellac will act as
a sealer for the Laquer or Polyurathane.
http://www.woodfinishingsupplies.com/Dyes.htm
http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/
JW
woodworker.com
I purchased my Aniline dye from woodworker.com
It was "Aniline Dye Stain - W1600 EBONY BLACK - Water Soluble.
I asked the clerk about coverage. I had purchased one ounce of powdered dye. He said it would be enough for the 4x8 sheet of veneer.
I mixed the one ounce of powder with one quart of warm water. The one quart of dye has lasted through the entire Audix HT set (Center, Left, Right & Rear channels) and I will still have two thirds of the quart left.
Next time, I'll only mix 1/4 ounce at a time. At least with Red Oak veneer, it does not take much dye.
J. L.
I purchased my Aniline dye from woodworker.com
It was "Aniline Dye Stain - W1600 EBONY BLACK - Water Soluble.
I asked the clerk about coverage. I had purchased one ounce of powdered dye. He said it would be enough for the 4x8 sheet of veneer.
I mixed the one ounce of powder with one quart of warm water. The one quart of dye has lasted through the entire Audix HT set (Center, Left, Right & Rear channels) and I will still have two thirds of the quart left.
Next time, I'll only mix 1/4 ounce at a time. At least with Red Oak veneer, it does not take much dye.
J. L.
Don't want to sidetrack this thread, but they sound GREAT! They are very easy to listen to and work great with both dialog in movies and with music. By design, they need to be teamed up with a subwoofer for the deep bass.
I have them on fairly tall stands with the tweeter about ear level when we are seated. In that position, the soundstage is wide and deep.
(I plan on veneering and using the same black stain on the stand columns... workload has kept me from spending time on the speakers... 🙁 )
J. L.
I have them on fairly tall stands with the tweeter about ear level when we are seated. In that position, the soundstage is wide and deep.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
(I plan on veneering and using the same black stain on the stand columns... workload has kept me from spending time on the speakers... 🙁 )
J. L.
Hello,
Did yoy apply the veneer by yourself? If you did I have a question how did you work with the curved coners.
Did yoy apply the veneer by yourself? If you did I have a question how did you work with the curved coners.
Veneer Technique
AR2,
I did do the veneering myself, although this project is my first at building speaker cabinets and my first at veneering.
I described how I did the veneering and delt with the curved corners in this thread.
There are also lots more (blow-by-blow) details in this thread over on AVS Forum as several of us have been building DIY speakers for our Home Theaters.
J. L.
AR2,
I did do the veneering myself, although this project is my first at building speaker cabinets and my first at veneering.
I described how I did the veneering and delt with the curved corners in this thread.
There are also lots more (blow-by-blow) details in this thread over on AVS Forum as several of us have been building DIY speakers for our Home Theaters.
J. L.
J. L.
Where can you get "Minwax Satin Polycrylic" ? I hope they are available in Canada. In case it is not, is there alternative to it? Finish on your centre channel looks absolutely beautiful. I wish I can have finish like that.
Where can you get "Minwax Satin Polycrylic" ? I hope they are available in Canada. In case it is not, is there alternative to it? Finish on your centre channel looks absolutely beautiful. I wish I can have finish like that.
zoooh,
As far as I know, Minwax Polycrylic should be available at your local hardware/paint store.
The minwax.com web site page is at this link
The can looks like this:
It is a water based finish that dries pretty quick. Cleanup is easy. It comes in Satin, Semi-Gloss, and Gloss.
I thought the Satin finish would work for my situation; I wanted no reflection of light from the speaker cabinet.
I personally found that the Satin Polycrylic finish over black Aniline dye, although beautiful, has way too much gloss for my needs. That is why I used the dead-flat clear lacquer over black Aniline dye on the front left and right speakers.
I have a front projection HDTV screen that is flanked by the left and right speakers. They pretty much dissapear when the lights are turned off and I am watching a movie. (the dead flat finish reflects very little light)
The Audax center speaker is currently below the screen and even though it has a "Satin" finish, reflects a lot of light from the screen. It is very distracting.
I'll be mounting the center channel above my screen on a dead-flat black shelf soon. That should kill the reflection of light from its finish. It is the easiest thing to do . I don't think it would be easy to remove its polycrylic finish.
J. L.
As far as I know, Minwax Polycrylic should be available at your local hardware/paint store.
The minwax.com web site page is at this link
The can looks like this:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
It is a water based finish that dries pretty quick. Cleanup is easy. It comes in Satin, Semi-Gloss, and Gloss.
I thought the Satin finish would work for my situation; I wanted no reflection of light from the speaker cabinet.
I personally found that the Satin Polycrylic finish over black Aniline dye, although beautiful, has way too much gloss for my needs. That is why I used the dead-flat clear lacquer over black Aniline dye on the front left and right speakers.
I have a front projection HDTV screen that is flanked by the left and right speakers. They pretty much dissapear when the lights are turned off and I am watching a movie. (the dead flat finish reflects very little light)
The Audax center speaker is currently below the screen and even though it has a "Satin" finish, reflects a lot of light from the screen. It is very distracting.
I'll be mounting the center channel above my screen on a dead-flat black shelf soon. That should kill the reflection of light from its finish. It is the easiest thing to do . I don't think it would be easy to remove its polycrylic finish.
J. L.
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