mahogany color/finish???

[pinky]

I just finished turning a 14" vase/vessel of mahogany. The color is pretty plain IMO and was wondering if anyone has used dyes on mahogany or stains. If so, any recommendations or pics will be appreciated.

[rschissler]

A typical oil based stain works great on mahogany, and very easy.  Wipe it on, wipe it off.

[Bill Holt]

I like to use grain filler on mahogany.  Caution: It is a lot of extra work.

[rschissler]

Yeah, grain filler is a lot of work and the decision to use it will be your biggest decision.

The picture below is stained with Minwax Sedona Red.  For less red you might try Minwax Cherry.  It has been grain filled, I think I remember with a Behlen brown filler.

EDIT:  After the stain was applied, a brown gel stain was applied for antiquing purposes, so it is darker than with only the stain applied. 

[mark from sacramento]

My normal approach to mahogany, sapele, etc. is to give it a coat of Watco Dark Walnut followed by a topcoat--generally General Finishes Arm R Seal Satin.  Arm R Seal is easy to apply and sands beautifully between coats.  In your case you might simply apply the Watco and then top it with General Finishes Gel Topcoat.  If I remember correctly this approach of using Watco was suggested by Bob Lang in his build of a Poppy Table featured in Pop Woodworking some years ago (a great project, BTW).  The Watco gives a rich finish and highlights the grain.

[TheLivosLady]

Natural penetrating oils will give a lovely finish and would really make the grain and structure of the timber really pop up. With a clear oil, the timber colour is highlighted. If though you wanted to stain it, this can be done with oils but remember the finer the grit (pores glazed), the less pigment is absorbed the lighter the resulting colour. It may be an idea to trial some different products on sample pieces of timber first. Good luck.

[jteneyck]

Not much looks better on mahogany than shellac.  You can use amber, garnet, etc. to change the color, or add Transtint dye to plain blonde shellac to make any color you want. 

Try out whatever finish you choose on some scrap first !

John

[Dara]

I like boiled linseed oil then a few coats of minwax tung oil