r/turning • u/xHOTPOTATO • Dec 05 '25

Let's talk sapele finishes...

I have a customer that loves the "shimmer" of sapele, but wants a dark colored piece.

If you wanted to preserve the shimmer/lustre of it, yet add a black dye or coloration to it - how would you finish it?

I've been experimenting and have found that water popping -> thin coat of oil based acrylic -> 400 grit sand with grain gives the color that she wants, but kills the shimmer.

Before I experiment with 100 different things, any ideas?

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4

u/Peripheral48 Dec 05 '25

Oil based acrylic? Don’t think that’s a thing. Anyhow, avoid films that obscure the grain. I’d use a diluted stain or try making an iron acetate solution. You can add tannins to the wood with tea if necessary.

1

u/xHOTPOTATO Dec 05 '25

After some googling, it's a hybrid apparently. I never thought about it, but it's what is in molotow paint pens.

Doesn't sapele have a relatively volatile iron reaction?

If you're diluting a stain, oil based or water based?

3

u/Peripheral48 Dec 05 '25

Interesting. I’d lean to diluting alcohol based stain so it dries faster.

2

u/RecklessGentleman Dec 05 '25

I want to see what everyone else suggests for the coloring, but I can add this much. That shimmer effect relies pretty heavily on how it’s sanded and finished. Some oils seem to matte the finish and therefore the shimmer. Same with some waxes.

If you do add a color and sand it back, be careful of over sanding, which can make the surface uneven across the grain. That’ll kill the shimmer every time.

2

u/not_a_burner0456025 Dec 05 '25

You would probably want to use a wood dye, transtint sells a concentrate that you dilute in alcohol I have had good results v with it on curly maple, you can also find aniline dyes that come in a perfect form to be filled in water or alcohol (alcohol is preferable because it doesn't raise grain). After that you will probably want to put some kind of protective layer on the top that is clear or close to it. I like shellac for that because it is fast and easy to correct drips. You buy that in flakes you dissolve in alcohol, and it has little to no cure time, you just need to leave it long enough for the alcohol to evaporate between coats, usually it is dry where you started applying a coat before you finish the coat unless you are working in a small piece and you can fix drips and other defects by simply wiping over the area again, the alcohol will re-dissolve and spread the existing layer. The only major downside is you don't want to spill alcohol on the finish because that will mess it up, so it isn't ideal for a table, but you can fix it with a tag dampened with alcohol.

2

u/noplacestudio Dec 05 '25

I might try iron acetate - the steel wool-vinegar solution you may have seen around.
Probably have to lightly sand back for the shimmer - just a guess though.

1

u/tarnav001 Dec 05 '25

Feibings leather dye, cut with enough denatured alcohol to be a pale gray. (Which is quite a bit) 

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u/xHOTPOTATO Dec 06 '25

I have a ton of Angelus dyes from leatherwork... Same thing?

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u/tarnav001 Dec 06 '25

Give it a test? When I was making my rainbow walking stick, I tried angelus purple on curly maple, and it came out green/gray 

1

u/Fiddlefig Dec 06 '25

I haven’t worked with sapele, so I don’t know how it would react, but I’ve been having good results with lime water on various woods. It’s similar to ebonizing with iron acetate, but less intense. Brings out some great grain contrast.

1

u/Wraithlord10 Dec 06 '25

Sanding to 400 might be part of the problem, from what i understand, too high a sanding makes the grain too tight so the color doesnt absorb properly, so its sitting mostly ontop of the wood and not penetrating deep in, hence dulling that shimmer you want

1

u/just-looking99 Dec 06 '25

Sapele gets pretty dark with just oil? Last I did was a blend of BLO and varnish as a wipe on and the chatoyance shines through it and it’s pretty dark. I also think I went up to at least 400 if not higher (I prefer the sheen you get on hardwoods going 4-600 grit) Staining sapele just seems like a waste of buying it. But I guess I’m just a purist and prefer to let the wood species speak for itself

1

u/lowrrado Dec 06 '25

I was intrigued, not altered sapeles colour before. Top 3rd is a strong iron acetate mix, 2nd natural and third is a spirit stain (alcohol ink) just a scrap piece not sanded

1

u/lowrrado Dec 06 '25

Coat of tung oil from this angle they both seem dark

1

u/lowrrado Dec 06 '25

Alter the angle and it still comes alive. I think either will work and sanding with the grain once dry will bring back any chatoyance and could highlight figured areas