progress

After a second round of testing I got the new sealer and lacquer dialed in. With some minor changes to my technique I am able to produce a smooth finish with the new product.

The stain will take more time. I've ordered up three colors of concentrated dye stains, brown, yellow and maroon. These will be used to create a custom stain that will closely match the mid-range tones of the rose wood. This will be mainly a trial and error process, with very careful note taking.

The final process will probably require 4-6 steps, including: Staining, wash-coat, second stain, toner and top coat. The exact combination is yet to be determined.

Since the dyes won't be available until Tuesday, but the top coat is now sorted out, I've begun working in earnest on the island, which does not get stained. Both the end panels are already veneered. I've cut the MDF cores for the doors and drawers, and milled the rosewood edges. Now I'm gluing the edges to the cores. This involves a lot of down time since there are only so many clamps and limited shop space. At the moment I have 6 drawers clamped up and drying. In an hour I'll remove the clamps and clamp up another set.

By the end of tomorrow I expect to have the first set of parts in the vacuum bag with veneers on. With the last batch out of the bag by the end of Friday.... I hope.

Glues cannot be rushed, so this will take as long as it takes.