Thread: Thinning Wattyl stains

Turps or common thinners(If I remember correctly), decant out a few drops of stain into a jar and add the same amount of thinners/turps if it mixes readily its compatable.

Turps is good and don't forget the pics

Jill there proberly is something more common , turps has been suggested , but I have always found that following the brand / lable is the best bet. Turps may well work but if over time there is a problem I don't know , the re do if anything goes wrong later is far more expensive than following the wattyl advice
A question though why do you want to thin the stain , do you want to spray, or reduce the intensity of the colour

Their product data sheet states thinning and clean up with Mineral Turps.

You could try "White Spirits"

Mac S

Originally Posted by Big Shed

Their product data sheet states thinning and clean up with Mineral Turps.

Then turps is fine , thanks BS didn't bother to look at the data sheet , too damm lazy

Thanks everyone, turps it is. I really wanted it for cleaning up rather than thinning.

kind regards to all,
Jill

Jill, have you stained (assuming from your other post)radiata pine before?

A few hints on using this stain on crapiarta pine,
1. Sanding is the key, the more even the sanding the more even the staining. Uneven sanding will lead to blotching, also filler putty sanded down will blotch unless the whole area/panel is puttied and sanded the same(ie, grain filled).

2. Always sand exposed end grain to 1 or 2 grits higher than the side/face grain as it soaks up stains and finishes faster.

3. If you want a dark colour dont sand too fine, 180g on face grain and 220~240g on end grain is ideal, a fine sanded surface will not hold the solids that are in dark stains. Do not use any sanding sealer... repeat do not use sanding sealer( it stops the stain from working properly)

4. With Wattyl interior stain, brush on a wet coat then well before it starts to dry rub it in with a rag/rubber to even it out, start with a circular motion after a while it will start to thicken then drag the rubber along with the grain, once it looks even let it near fully dry then using a clean rag wipe along the grain to remove any excess.
Its an art... much like some of the actions used while applying french polish.

5. PolyU is about the only finish you can use on top of oil based stains(shellac can too, but its not as strong), oil finishes like Danish oil are too compatable, while applying it will lift the stain... polyU will also if you overwork it.

6. The first coat of polyU(Im assuming you are brushing it on)thin out the polyU to about 50/50 with turps, lightly brush on a thin coat to seal the surface. Once dry dont sand this coat instead apply a nice thick coat that hasnt been thinned, sand this coat with about 320~400g wet and dry paper sparingly using water and a small amount of dishwashing detergent as a lubricant, no need to over sand as your only "denibbing" any dust or raised grain run your hand across the surface if it feels smooth with no grittyness its done. Wipe clean with fresh water and let dry fully.

7.Applying the top coat, if using full gloss once again unthinned and applied thick as possible(without runs that is!), high gloss polyU needs thickness to flatten out to a high shine just like enamel paints. 1 coat will be enough.
For a low sheen polyU apply 2 light coats but thin them out to about 90/10 poly/turps, denib once again between the coats.

Wow, what an eye opener from Harry72! I wish I had known this years ago when I first started staining pine, and coating with Danish Oil.

Thanks for sharing your valuable knowledge and experience with us, Harry. I shall certainly put it to good use on my current project

kind regards,
Jill

Harry72, a couple of points. I have found out in the hardware shop today that I should use pigment stain, not the dye stain for radiata pine.

You refer to PolyU. The shop had never heard of it By this do you mean Wattyl Estapol polyurethane finish as seen at:
http://www.wattyl.com.au/DIY/Product...ils.htm?Id=455

IMHO You should use oil based stains(thinned with turps) for radiata, yes it has pigments in it ...all stains do. Its the easiest to apply, the others work good but they will take some experimenting to get an even unblotchy look, for instance dye's tend to need spraying on its near impossible by hand, it can be done tho.

The shop didnt know what polyU meant... the assistant didnt have pimples and a mobile phone stuck in ear by any chance?

Yes polyU is short for polyurethane, I personaly dont like wattyl polyU's especially their Unipak(utter crap)they do make a good 2pack called 7008 but it can be hard to use as its aimed at professionals, the best brand I have used so far is Cabots Carbothane.

Wooooo this post is N°6000!

thnaks Harry72, and congratulations on your 6,000th post. What a great contribution to the woodworking forum, and a huge help to people like myself.

Keep up the great work!!

kind regards,
Jill

Originally Posted by Harry72

Jill, have you stained (assuming from your other post)radiata pine before?

A few hints on using this stain on crapiarta pine,
1. Sanding is the key, the more even the sanding the more even the staining. Uneven sanding will lead to blotching, also filler putty sanded down will blotch unless the whole area/panel is puttied and sanded the same(ie, grain filled).

2. Always sand exposed end grain to 1 or 2 grits higher than the side/face grain as it soaks up stains and finishes faster.

3. If you want a dark colour dont sand too fine, 180g on face grain and 220~240g on end grain is ideal, a fine sanded surface will not hold the solids that are in dark stains. Do not use any sanding sealer... repeat do not use sanding sealer( it stops the stain from working properly)

4. With Wattyl interior stain, brush on a wet coat then well before it starts to dry rub it in with a rag/rubber to even it out, start with a circular motion after a while it will start to thicken then drag the rubber along with the grain, once it looks even let it near fully dry then using a clean rag wipe along the grain to remove any excess.
Its an art... much like some of the actions used while applying french polish.

5. PolyU is about the only finish you can use on top of oil based stains(shellac can too, but its not as strong), oil finishes like Danish oil are too compatable, while applying it will lift the stain... polyU will also if you overwork it.

6. The first coat of polyU(Im assuming you are brushing it on)thin out the polyU to about 50/50 with turps, lightly brush on a thin coat to seal the surface. Once dry dont sand this coat instead apply a nice thick coat that hasnt been thinned, sand this coat with about 320~400g wet and dry paper sparingly using water and a small amount of dishwashing detergent as a lubricant, no need to over sand as your only "denibbing" any dust or raised grain run your hand across the surface if it feels smooth with no grittyness its done. Wipe clean with fresh water and let dry fully.

7.Applying the top coat, if using full gloss once again unthinned and applied thick as possible(without runs that is!), high gloss polyU needs thickness to flatten out to a high shine just like enamel paints. 1 coat will be enough.
For a low sheen polyU apply 2 light coats but thin them out to about 90/10 poly/turps, denib once again between the coats.

What you have given here is excellent advice. I have been working with pine for a number of years and what you say is what really works. I wish I had access to this info about 10 yrs ago! In addition, I often burnish the oil based stain in with 320 grit paper. This tends to give a less blotchy finish and helps fill the grain. Sometimes I use Wattyl water based gel stain.

Good finishing!

Chipman