Basswood and Stain

[soul_cade]

Hello, where can I get custom cut basswood or butternut online? And also, I've always worked with hard woods in the past, but I have a project I need to do quickly, so does basswood/butternut take stain well? Thanks

-Kenny

[pallin]

Basswood does not take stain well, especially when carved. The wood is relatively soft and porous, but not consistently so. Staining the raw wood often produces a blotchy appearance. Carvings often expose bits of end grain that absorb the stain more readily, causing darker areas.

That said, I have often used stains of various tone on basswood reliefs. You can see the results in my gallery.

[Steve Reed]

When staining basswood, be sure and use a wood conditioner or pre-stain. After using the pre-stain for a couple of coats, apply your stain while it is still wet. This will help control the blotching. Just my opinion, others may differ.

[Claude]

I think it depends on why you are staining... Are you trying to bring out the grain in the wood? If so, butternut is great; basswood is not. Are you trying to stain just for the color effect? If so, basswood is good, as long as you do like Steve says and put a pre-stain/sealer on it so the color won't sink into the end grain. Basswood typically, without a sealer, soaks up the color in the endgrain and it gets much darker than the other areas of the wood...
Claude

[soul_cade]

Thanks everyone. I'm doing a very rough carving with a lot of texture so I'm guessing the blotching won't be noticed. I think I want to use butternut instead because you guys said it stains darker. Much appreciated!

-Kenny