>>>I'm currently making a quarter-plate wetplate camera out of Lacewood
which is sort of an organish-brown wood with hundreds of elliptical rays
that exhibit something akin to chatoyancy. Just last week my
woodworking instructor suggested I use potassium dichromate as a stain
to further highlight this effect. I may do so, but I think I'll sand
the wood first before staining it with K2Cr2O7. ;)>>>
As a highly skilled (LOL) banjo builder who studies painting techniques and stains in order to achieve exactly the effect you have aptly described (chatoyancy) I can tell you how it is done by every builder I know that is trying to achieve the same effects. I learned from studying Paul Reed Smith Guitars and copious reading.
You might visit PRS.com (?- I have not visited in months) and take a gander at the instruments his company produces. PRS is the best example I can think of because the instruments are well photographed and they show the effects you are trying to recreate.
The key is using a stain. In my case, aniline dyes sold to luthiers. Curly maple, for example, is a perfect candidate for this kind of effect. When you properly stain the wood and then apply five or six coats of lacquer, your grain will pop and you will see a visual depth you really cannot obtain in other ways.
I suggest that you forget the dichromate stain. There are far better substitutes out there and those are safe to use. In my opinion, using a dichromate to color wood is foolish.
Bob
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Received on Mon Feb 20 15:40:05 2006
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