Would like to darken the grain on my swamp ash with a minwax gel stain...(NOT black, like an f bass)
sand it back to leave the soft grain dark/striped...
then finish with tru oil, and poly...

should i grain fill after sanding back, or not???

and what the heck is sanding sealer??? (different from grain/pore filler I assume...)

Anyone???

There was a thread brought back to live a few days ago about this ...it was two or three days max.

This is it: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=181113

I guess everything was said there ...I guess (again).

To just darken the grain, I would fill after, or the fill will take the stain, and it might look speckled.

Sanding sealer is a Vinyl coating to seal the filled wood that you sand smooth to provide a smooth surface for the clear to adhere to. Some use it, some dont.

Basically all finishes can be used as a sealer with better or worse performance. I used only epoxy in the past, I now use dewaxed shellac under KTM9. Sometimes I will do shellac sealer, epoxy pore filler and then my clear coats (nitro or KTM9) when the wood is too porous and I don't want to spend too much time building up shellac to fill them.

Also keep in mind some polyurethanes don't like sander/sealers.

so, if i am following...(patience please, Im originally from West by god Virginny)

gel stain...
sand back (to which grit???)...
grain fill (sand again???)...
then the tru oil???

so, if i am following...(patience please, Im originally from West by god Virginny)

gel stain...
sand back (to which grit???)...
grain fill (sand again???)...
then the tru oil???

Sounds good to me. If your lucky enough to have a scrap piece to test on that would be the way to go.

Scrap piece...Now that would be the way to go...('course, I dont have one...) :scowl:
any advice on what grit to sand back to after rubbing in the gel stain???
and...
should i sand back after grain filling, & if so, to what grit???

may I make a suggestion?

you need to do a lot of reading. get a book on wood finishing and it'll clear up everything. I suggest bob flexner's book understanding wood finishing.

Awesome!!!
Thanks...

Scrap piece...Now that would be the way to go...('course, I dont have one...) :scowl:In that case I would try your finishing out on some scrap oak. (You should be able to get some cutoffs from a hardware store/home center.) The color may not be right, but I think the rings and porosity should be close enough to ash to see if your process and materials work.

There is always your kitchens table ...though I don't think your wife is going to like seeing it in full color!!! :D:)

Not sure how the "formica" top will absorb the stain.:D
Will stop on the way home from work to see about the oak...
Thanks for the suggestions...always appreciated...