This might be a bit of an unusual question, as I don't think people generally stain their pens. This question is partly about small turned items, like bottle stoppers and other things, and maybe some pens. Mostly small turned items though.
I've been fiddling with the idea of cross-blending different stains together to create a gradient. I have not had the greatest luck so far...I think because the stains are drying so quickly. That seems to be a theme for me here in Colorado...I don't know if it is the humidity, or perhaps just the altitude and air thickness, but boy, things dry FAST up here. Makes finishing a challenge a lot of the time, including with CA finishes (which I've largely been able to manage, but some times a CA finish is just dry and cured before I'm able to spread it all the way over the blank.)
I haven't been able to find many (well, any, really) resources on this. No videos or articles. Maybe what I am trying to do, is really just not generally possible. Thus far, instead of actually blending different stains together, because of how quickly they seem to dry, its more that I layer one stain over the other. That doesn't quite "blend" the stains together the way I had hoped, so I don't quite get the gradient look... Instead, it looks like one stain layered on top of another.
I'm curious if anyone has ever tried this before? Is there a trick to it? I've tried thinning, which I thought might improve the rate of drying to allow me to achieve my goals. Sadly, Colorado followed California in banning almost all useful thinners and other VoCs, so the only things I can really get are mineral spirit paint thinners, "low odor" mineral spirits (which seem to screw up EVERYTHING I have ever tried to thin with...I don't know if this stuff is actually mineral spirits or something else, but its horrid...and I have a gallon of the stuff now!!), turpentine, and these various low VoC gel strippers (which are pretty much useless for anything except actually stripping paint or poly or what have you.) So thinning...hasn't really worked, in fact most of the time it seems to speed up the drying. Either that, or it just makes a sticky mess.
Anyway. When I first ventured off on this little quest, I figured someone out there had to have done it before. I've been quite surprised to find that, it seems no one does? OR at least, no one writes about it or has created any videos on how they do it. Thanks for any insights!
I've been fiddling with the idea of cross-blending different stains together to create a gradient. I have not had the greatest luck so far...I think because the stains are drying so quickly. That seems to be a theme for me here in Colorado...I don't know if it is the humidity, or perhaps just the altitude and air thickness, but boy, things dry FAST up here. Makes finishing a challenge a lot of the time, including with CA finishes (which I've largely been able to manage, but some times a CA finish is just dry and cured before I'm able to spread it all the way over the blank.)
I haven't been able to find many (well, any, really) resources on this. No videos or articles. Maybe what I am trying to do, is really just not generally possible. Thus far, instead of actually blending different stains together, because of how quickly they seem to dry, its more that I layer one stain over the other. That doesn't quite "blend" the stains together the way I had hoped, so I don't quite get the gradient look... Instead, it looks like one stain layered on top of another.
I'm curious if anyone has ever tried this before? Is there a trick to it? I've tried thinning, which I thought might improve the rate of drying to allow me to achieve my goals. Sadly, Colorado followed California in banning almost all useful thinners and other VoCs, so the only things I can really get are mineral spirit paint thinners, "low odor" mineral spirits (which seem to screw up EVERYTHING I have ever tried to thin with...I don't know if this stuff is actually mineral spirits or something else, but its horrid...and I have a gallon of the stuff now!!), turpentine, and these various low VoC gel strippers (which are pretty much useless for anything except actually stripping paint or poly or what have you.) So thinning...hasn't really worked, in fact most of the time it seems to speed up the drying. Either that, or it just makes a sticky mess.
Anyway. When I first ventured off on this little quest, I figured someone out there had to have done it before. I've been quite surprised to find that, it seems no one does? OR at least, no one writes about it or has created any videos on how they do it. Thanks for any insights!