thank you jim, and charles

 

Charles, in your video, the demo showing how it works on the yellow pine plywood really sold me. Very impressive.

Do you have any information on the shelf life of your Blotch Control?

Thanks

 

JKC we feel pretty good at 2 years.. but the longest it has sat for now is 6 months and no issue, it settles so stirring it well is needed , I use a glue brush to make sure all the goody in the bottom is well mixed.. it mixes up easily..

 

Sounds good.

How does it do on the infamous acidic red oak?

 

Thanks again Jim for educating us. I know next to nothing about finishing, but I've read that Shellac works well to prevent blotching. I was wondering if this was an ingredient in Charles product or if he has come up with something entirely unique? I suspect it is unique since I imagine that you really experienced woodworkers have tried shellac and know the difference, but I can't help being curious.

 

JKC it does fine on red oak, especially end grains, some times 3 coats to seal the heavy stuff, it also seals the pores and if using a oil you do not get the bleed back, because it cannot go in that deep to pool and then push back, it also keeps it from blistering when finishing because the grain is sealed and the internal air pockets are sealed off , but you want a good oil that dries.. not BLO or pure oils.. they dry too slow , something like Arm R seal or Waterlox work well

Stefang .. for years I have used shellac as well as 50/50 water base finish mixes, and every other thing, I love shellac,however it was never consistent, a 1/2 lb cut would work on one piece, be too much on another, it was a battle of constant testing , and then the results remained unsure.. this product is pure water base, which means it is compatible under anything as long as it is dry, ( over night, or as long as you want) , the difference is this product actually takes a stain, that's why Jim's sap wood , as well as the green , disappeared, it was because he was actually staining or in his case dying the prestain as much as the wood, to understand this creates a seal that is hard enough not to be penetrated easily, but yet softens enough to absorb colorants … if you use it on end grain, then give a quick 320 ( 2 coats) , the end grain will dye or stain to match not turn dark, works great as well on crotches , where i cannot see it working is on oily woods which don't need it any way… we also find we use far less finish because the finish isn't being absorbed , that's why BLo, and soft oils are not a good idea, not that they wont adhere , but because the wood isn't absorbing it,and will take forever to dry….. we also found on woods like quilted maple, and birds eye, one coat will give the definition and grain pop we want, but keeps the dye from bleeding out or migrating , and helps the figure be more defined.. and we are still experimenting

 

i've read enough..i'm ordering mine atm

thanks to everyone for all the great info.

 

I am ordering this to put on the built-in bookcases and mantel since I'll be mixing rift-sawn white oak plywood for the carcass, with rift-sawn white oak hardwood for the faceframes, doors, and mantel.

I'm sure many of you will have results in before I do, as the construction phase has just begun, but I will report back on the results and of course, mention the use of the product in my novel length project description, as I always try to list as many details as I can.

 

Will you be offering this product in sizes larger than quart and are there any types of shipping, storage or usage restrictions for this product, I'm in CA so most the good stuff we're not allowed to play with just want to make sure if I order it it won't stop at the border.

 

brandon, this stuff has no issues , even in CA , we havent looked into larger quanity , but we could , right now we just have the qt sizes and some pints

 

Charles,

Having gone back through and reread everything, I will definitely be using this on the bookcases and mantel. Any suggestions upfront on whether 2 or 3-coats will suffice with the mixed used of riftsawn white oak and riftsawn hardwood white oak?

I know a test is the best way to figure it out, but I'm curious as to your approximation on the number of coats needed in my situation so that I know how much I need to order? I don't want to be caught short.

We will be going to at least narrow down our finish selection in the next couple of days, so any recommendations beforehand be helpful. It sounds like most things that aren't super-oily will work, but have you noticed anything working particuarly well? Thank you.

 

Jonathan , even minwax sticks, just let the stain dry well before if you are using a water base topcoat as with any oil let it dry well, my issue with the oil was more in using the true or BLO oils for a top coat , they just dont dry well, a good oil stain , dye or water base work well, alcohol and water base while working well especially alcohol, will try to soften the pre stain, so wipe it and walk away dont over work it,

usually two coats is all you need, endgrains on oak and very porous woods may need a third coat..but actually unless you have alot of sap wood , or off color boards , ( really works well for this), normally on oak you dont need it, oak doesnt blotch , in rereading your question I think your issue is mixed colors.. this will help alot . hope i answered your question.. if not ask away ,

 

Yes, you pretty much answered my question, mostly about compatibility of finishes, then how many coats I might need. I realize the oak isn't really going to blotch, it was more a matter of sealing the hardwood and plywood adequately so that the color would match since I'm mixing materials (the plywood is MDF core).

Thanks again, and I look forward to testing out your product.

And Jim, thanks for reviewing this and bringing it to everyone's attention.

 

Jonathan or anyone.. if you have any issues or questions…

charles@charlesneilwoodworking.com

 

Jonathan
Here is a test I did for a guy who could not get the red oak lumber to match the red oak plywood he was using.
You really had to look hard to tell which was the wood and which was the plywood. I'm sure you will be happy with your results.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg187/mikega720/Picture132.jpg

 

Mike, that's fantastic! Is the plywood on the right? Thanks for posting that comparison picture.

You've not only illustrated the point for me, but for anyone else possibly interested in a similar combination of hardwood and plywood.

 

Jonathan
Yes the plywood is on the right. Also the top stain is water base and the bottom is oil.

 

I purchased the blotch control with high hopes. It actually exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend it.

 

thanks jim great review sold me getting mine right nowwwwwwww

 

Hey All,
Now I see the difference between the two, it looks like with the blotch control it covers the grain pattern and makes the board more uniform; my question is how will it effect figured woods or heavly grained woods where you want those characteristics to pop? Does it at all take away from it?
Joshua

 

Hi Joshua
I think a picture is worth a thousand words. Her'es a table that Charles used Blotch control on ,as you can see the figure is amazing
http://intheworkshop.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/table-show-a-little-eye-candy/

 

Thanks Jim much appreciated. I see your point those projects are beautiful.
Joshua

 

I tried this, carefully following the directions, on a basswood guitar body. I attempted a sunburst finish using water based Transtint dyes. The results were really awful-lots of blotching and the product dissolved in the water soluble dye, leaving a gummy mess. Now I have to sand all this junk off and just paint what was a nice looking piece of wood. MAD!

I would have been better off just applying dye to bare wood. Do NOT recommend for this application

 

Something's weird here ,This is a first for me ,everyone I ever talked to said Charle's blotch control is great.

 

I'm guessing that the blotch control was not dry yet.