<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2668" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dear wood finishing gurus,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I'm hoping y'all can give me a bit of = advice.  I am wanting to use a tight-grained wood, such as poplar, and placing a = thin, black, satin finish on it that shows the grain.  I'll be doing a = lot of this work, so it would be great to avoid highly volatile lacquers and = such, insofar as possible.  A local paint products manufacturer suggested = an acrylic paint which I tried (skeptically).  As carefully as I apply = it, it is still appears just a bit too "paint-ish."</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Another tech on this list once = suggested using black shoe dye on wood (for touching up the keysticks on the sharps), = but I'm leary of dyes, considering the possibility that they might fade.  = (Of course paint will do that too.)  Even so, one likely solution might = be to dye the wood black and then use a wipe-on clear finish of some sort = (water-based polyacrylic?), to achieve the right luster.  Potential problems = include the dye absorbing deeper into the wood over time, leaving a lighter color = and, as I said, a fading of the dye from light exposure.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Another possibility might be using = India ink to color the wood.  India ink is pigment (soot/carbon) based and is = probably therefore more immune to fade.  Unfortunately it's also rather expensive.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Do any of you know of a pigment-based = colorant, perhaps carbon-based?  Have any of you made such a = substance?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Any thoughts?  Suggestions?  = Favorite products?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks for your advice!!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Peace,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sarah</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>PS The table saw and the dado set are = working great.  I'm really putting together a nice looking product, after a = lot of trial and error.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>