Dumb question...

If a stain, dye, toner etc. is not compatible with the material it is being mixed with you will generally know it right away because it will not disperse or stay dispersed when mixed together.  One other thing that can be impacted is the drying ability of the finish.  My suggestion is to do a small test to see if it mixes and dries to the appropriate hardness.
 
If you search the 'net there is Tung Oil available with some tint to it; you could try mixing and testing a batch yourself, but it's a LOT simpler just to stain/dye the wood first, THEN apply the Tung OIl as a top finish. I've heard some real horror stories about attempts to use Tung and Poly in any combination, so I'd advise sticking to oil/water/alcohol based stains/dyes. The Minwax oil based stains play real nice with Tung oil as a top coat; but always ensure that you let the stain dry COMPLETELY; that can take 24 hours + this time of year....
 
Thanks, Jack, that's what I wanted to know...
So I CAN apply a stain UNDER the Tung? Good. That's what I wanted to do. I just didn't see any other posts talking about staining under tung... I simply can't handle the complexity of Nitrocellulose Lacquer right now... I need something more simple for my first build.

Tonar: Thanks, but I think I worded my question wrong... I didn't want to mix, so it's my bad. Thanks for trying to answer a question that was asked wrong.  :icon_thumright:
 
"So I CAN apply a stain UNDER the Tung? "

Sure, just don't use a poly-based stain, stick with oil or water based, no problem with those
 
jackthehack said:
Sure, just don't use a poly-based stain, stick with oil or water based, no problem with those

what about alcohol based??
 
Sure, alcohol based as well, mentioned that further up the thread; most STAINS come in either oil, water or poly base
 
jackthehack said:
Sure, alcohol based as well, mentioned that further up the thread; most STAINS come in either oil, water or poly base

oops...that ya did!!

thanks!
 
First grain fill, color or clear.  Your choice.

I'd go with alcohol or acetone based stain rather than oil......

Reason being that the oil base is going to do some seepage and fillage of the grainage where you'd rather have the 100% Pure Tung Oil do that.

So... I think I'd go alcohol or acetone (or water base, but I'd rather do the others) based stain.  Then 100 percent Pure tung oil dilute 50/50 with turpentine for the first heavy coat.  Slather it on and let it soak in well.  Dry it down after much soakage and just let the body sit.  And sit.  And sit.  For like 2 - 3 weeks.  Another straight shot coat of Tung... wipe it down, let it sit....

To avoid the gummy feel and get a good finish, its vital that you rub it in, wipe it off.. and let it dry forever.  Tung is an air dry substance - oxygen makes it harden.  So... if you recoat too soon, the coat under the top will not dry well... leading to gummies.  I cannot stress enough that for a GREAT tung oil finish, you have to let it dry completely between coats.

If you've leveled the grain, didn't raise it with dying, and have the tung dry between coats, you can get an outrageous finsh.  A good oil finish is as complex as lacquer - or more so.  Really any GREAT finish takes time, and has its own complexity.

Hint:  Deft Lacquer, semi gloss, sand and buff it to full gloss.  Hard as nails, easy and forgiving.
 
I have used both minwax and woodburst stains under Tru oil, I am pretty sure it works with Tung Oil too.
woodburst is tung-oil based actually, so that is probably your safest bet!
 
Thanks guys, that what I needed to know. Now I know.  :toothy10:

CB, you never tire of explaining that process to whoever asks, and I really admire your willingness to be such a help!

Thanks everyone else for answering my question soooo quickly! You're all really knowledgeable... To me your responding to my little post is like shaking hands with a celebrity  :glasses9:

Thanks again
 
I just want to leave the ambiguity out of it.  If I say X and assume you'll QVW, Y and Z too.  And you dont...  then I get the blame!~
 
Sure, BUT that would be a lot easier to achieve after applying grain filler and sanding sealer and by shooting toner, rather than stain/dye.

I went in circles for weeks finishing a quilt maple top on black korina body and wound up with a very different finish than planned as dyes/stains go all different colors on korina because it's natural color is greenish.

Experiment with your stain on a flat portion of the back that will be easy to sand back if the color "turns" on you. The darker the 'wine" color the better.

Specifically which Wine Red stain/dye were you referring to/thinking about using?
 
Aha! Thanks for the info about Korina's messing with colors. I'm not sure exactly which color/brand etc. I want to buy... So I'll look around. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
I'm on my second stain-under-tung finish, following these guy's advice...The minwax oil stains have been great to work with, cheap, lots of colors, easily available. I used 'golden pecan' for the tele in the gallery under 'tim farnsworth'. I really like the way the stain-under-clear grain fill accented the grain pattern without shouting about it, I think it looks pretty natural. Stain, grain fill, sand back, stain again, then tung oil. Also heed CB's advice about taking your time with the tung oil; I'm learning that in LA humidity / heat, I need at least 48 hours between oil coats, I'm going 72 to be on the safe side. And wipe it ALL off after 1/2 hour!
 
Thanks Everyone!
You're really a great bunch of people to ask; I don't get mocked or ridiculed no matter how stupid the question  :hello2:  :evil4: and  :icon_biggrin:

I'm beginning to think natural more than before, and I might, save that I already have a guitar in a dark reddish color that I love, and, being the sort of person that I am, I want them to be twins...  :laughing11:

Anyway, thanks for your help, and I'll try to make up my mind!
 
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