Mahogany stain

[bischoffboatworks]

I've worked almost exclusively with teak for 25 years and know how to make it look great. I am currently finishing up a 15' Whitehall and I have used African Mahogany for transom, thwarts, knees. I usually use Captains Varnish (on teak I start with a coat of hot turps/linseed 50/50 mix to seal). I noticed that Zspar recommends staining/sealing first if mahogany. Any thoughts on this? I bought some of their mahogany stain (which they recommend thinning with their T-10 thinner), but am tempted to seal as usual. Thanks. KB

[JimConlin]

You'll need to experiment. I'd start with a coat of Pettit #2018 sealer, followed by the stain. I usually end up using a mix of the different colors of stain.

[Dale R. Hamilton]

I like Pettit's Red mahogany stain/filler. Excellent red color, good filler material to reduce the number of varinsh coats.

[Noah]

Why would stain an already beautiful wood? I have never ever understood this. All a stain can do is make the wood look cheap. People stain pine to make it look like mahogany...

Heck, most of the time the wood comes out looking like it was painted brown, and all of the nice parts of the grain are lost.

Can anyone offer up why you would want to stain mahogany for something other than aesthetic reasons? If it is for aesthetics, what's wrong with mahogany? Use some cheap wood and paint it brown...that's what it will look like when you are done.

I say don't do it.

[pipefitter]

I liked sanding the wood with wet or dry paper and oil like Watco using the sanding dust as it's own paste wood filler.On furniture tho but still mahogany.I figured that was the norm for all clear treated woods.It makes the grain stand out more.

[Dale R. Hamilton]

Noah- The reason you stain mahogany is to bring out the rich grain of the material, make the color uniform throught the piece. The red stain, to my view st least, is very much more attractive than plain brown. The reason you use a filler is to fill the pores in the material- this gives a slick surfact to reflect light and so gloss. You could do this with just varnish alone- but the filler speeds up the process. Having said that, I certainly understand your point of view however.

[Matt Cohen]

I like the I nterlux Stains (http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/find;a;1;ID;,Paints,Interlux.Compounds...Fillers,I nterlux.Wood.Filler.Stains) they come in a variety of mahogany tints. I'm pretty sure its compatible with Z-Spar, though I usually use Schooner.

[Granville]

Minwax has a paste mahogany stain that I have used. It is the easiest stain to apply that I have found and it doesnt leave the wood looking mottled.

[Jay Greer]

The real reason for staining mahogany is to make it color fast. Unstained mahogany will turn almost light blond after a few years of sun exposure even when protected by UV resistant varnish. Pigmented filler stains are made of natural earth pigments and are not subject to sun bleaching. French chalk, available in powder form from art supplies can be mixed with thin varnish to give a variation of tone if you don't care for the standard brown or red filler stains available at your favorite boat boutique. This method is infinatly cheaper if you make your own stain.
Filler stains are best applied after a sealing coat has been applied. This will give a more even color and lessen the "muddying" of the grain. Another way to stain mahogany is to treat it with a solution of potassium dichromate and distilled water. This will greatly enhance the contrast of the grain and bring out the irridessence of the wood. This method is best used for interior trim and cabin fixtures. A final method of staining that will bring out the fire of the grain is to use analine dye which can be purchased from Mohawk Finishes. The dye is UV resistant but is best applied by spray for more even coverage.
JMG

[RGM]

If you're in the mood for experimenting (on some scrap)you can try this: My dear Annie bought an eBay boat awhile back. She stripped the old weathered varnish off and was left with the task of matching some previously stained mahogany. What she did, and it appeared to work great, is mixed some red mahogany stain that she liked (Min Wax in this case) with some Old Salem sealer until she created her own stain/sealer combo that matched the old existing work. It took a little trial and error but she got it dialed in and it looked great. And since I'm the First Mate I got to apply 7 coats of Epiphanes varnish over it.

[bischoffboatworks]

thanks all. Great stuff.