Quote Originally Posted by Route 58 View Post
Agreed!

The only thing we’re not happy about is the way the stain is basically saturated at the end grain zones (e.g. cutaways, contour edges, etc.). The front, back and some areas of the sides are wonderfully coloured and detailed with the natural figuring of the basswood grains, but by contrast the other areas of the edges just look plain. The worst part of that, however is that the darkness of those areas draws your eye to them.

What, if any, is the best method at this stage to improve the saturated zones? Do we sand back to get to some of the lesser stained wood?
Sorry Route. I try to get on the forum when i can.

Good to see you using Dingotone. if you run into problems and I'm not on the forum feel free to PM me.

All stains will soak up more on the end grain than on the sides and front (think of a clutch of straw as the end grain - it will always soak up more)

I usually run through about 4 stain coats of DT to get maximum stain, then 3 - 4 intensifying coats, then the same final coats.

I usually leave it about a week between each coat to let it fully cure before adding the next coat (as there are no chemical solvents) but It depends on the weather, sometimes only a few days if dry and hot, sometimes a week or more if its humid.

you may get some bumps when it starts to get saturated or when you put on intensifier, once its cured I just wet sand these back carefully with 1500 grit and reapply the next coat. - just helps keep the final coats as flat as......

Good luck mate, its looking good