Colouring with water based colour and brushes

The most important thing to remember when using any sort of colour or stain is that it will not hide a poor finish. Any torn grain will show up as spotty or blotchy darker areas - so it is worth while spending a little more time sanding.

The technique is fairly straightforward -

Sand the piece to a smooth (but not highly polished) finish. I sand to about 600/800 grit (depending on the timber). If you use much finer grit, you tend to seal the surface and the paint will not spread smoothly - but on a thin piece it reduces the chance of paint 'bleeding' through to the other side.

Spray the sanded surface with water (or brush /wipe it on) and let it dry. The piece will feel 'furry' because the water will have raised the grain.

Sand it back again.

Apply the water colour. This time the grain will not raise and spoil the work as you apply the 'water'. It can be applied with a soft brush or a sponge pad for large areas and colours can be blended whilst still wet. It can also be painted with fine brushes so that grain effects can be enhanced (See the Jupiter platter).


Leave the colour to dry.

Rub back with Webrax.

Apply a coat of sanding sealer (diluted 50/50 with white spirit). If it is a solid area of colour, this can be applied with a brush or paper towel - but if areas are being left without colour, using several light coats of a spray on product can prevent the colour from running.

I usually use a wax finish over the sanding sealer.

Enhancing Grain with Wax

In plain wood like most Ash, the grain can be enhanced by using a coloured wax.

The technique is very straight forward. I usually do it while the piece is on the lathe as it cuts down the work needed.

Finish the piece with sanding sealer.

Rub the coloured wax into the grain. I usually use my fingers to push the wax into the grain - but if you don't like wax under your nails, wear a rubber glove!

Leave the wax to dry for at least an hour.

Apply paste wax to the surface and spin the piece on the lathe, rubbing the softened, coloured wax off the surface of the piece. If it all does not come off the first time, apply more paste wax and repeat until the wax is only visible in the grain and the piece has a good lustre.