Curly Maple - How do I make the curl pop

[KenOfCary]

I am making a wine cabinet from some curly / tiger maple. It is mostly Sapwood and very blonde. I don't want to change the color much but do want to make the curl more vibrant. I've got some Vintage Maple and some Amber alcohol based dye and am going to experiment with mixing and diluting these as a first step to enhance the curl. I will most probably finish all but the top which may or may not end up being curly maple anyway with Tried and True brand Varnish Oil. The top will be a single coat of the Varnish Oil followed by multiple coats of a wipe-on Poly.

I think this is my plan, but wondered if anyone had any other suggestions for things to try on my scrap pieces to see how they turn out.

- Ken.

 

[cskipper]

I'm never sure about this, especially since I don't make furniture. I'll watch for the answer too. I suspect someone will say to use a mix of something and BLO, just not sure what the something is.

 

[srhardwoods]

clear dewaxed shellac. bullseye brand works well and you can pick it up at the big box stores or you can order flakes and make your own cut. put a good amount on, let it dry do a light sanding and then put a second coat on. here is a pic with just one coat on.

You can then use a top coat of your choice, but let it dry for a good while before doing so. You an play around with different shellacs, amber gives it a yellow tint. I also use transtints to alter the color of shellac

I've also seen a video that a guy used a couple different shellacs in between each sanding. it was supposed to alter the color each time but I have tried it myself yet. Curly Maple is one of my favorites and my experience has told me that shellac is one of my favorite ways to finish it.

 

[Cato]

Ken, if you use some of that transtint vintage maple diluted in DNA you can wipe it on until you get the shade you like and then sand it off. The transtint will remain in the curl but not in the rest of the piece. Then finish with your shellac or other finish. I have had good luck with this method.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

I used BLO thinned 50% w/ mineral spirits for the first coat on this toy box. Once it was completely dry, I applied two coats of oil/varnish (equal parts of varnish, BLO, & mineral spirits).

HTH

Bill

 

[JWBWW]

I second this suggestion of using a dye. Color of dye is a personal thing and in my case varies by project but the key is letting the first coat fully dry before "sanding it all off." What is left is deep in the curl and will "pop" when finish coated. I have always found that the best fast way to arrive at color and finish samples is with scraps and cans of sealer and lacquer over my varied color samples.

Many oil/varnish blends (e.g. Watco) also contain enough amber tint to get great depth of curl/chatoyance and can be topcoated with anything once dry and cured.

 

[KenOfCary]

OK, seems I'm on mostly the right track. I'll try the Trans-Tint Dye on my test piece and the bit I hadn't known was to Sand it all off. That makes sense though as I really don't want to change the primary light color of the wood, just emphasize the curl pattern.

I tend to really like the Tried and True brand Oil Varnish and will probably stick with that as the final finish. I've tried using my own mix of BLO and Varnish (much cheaper) but have never been as happy with the result as with the T&T on pieces that I really cared about. It's also a finish that I haven't been able to mess up and I can always add more coats until things look the way I want. It's also very easy to touch up if damaged.

Thanks everyone for the tips and any further ones are still welcome.

- Ken.