This is my first post here, and first foray into pipe finishing, and (shockingly
) it's not quite going to plan..I started with a Savinelli natural from my shop's basket, and decided to try my hand at a basic finish just for kicks. I read about alcohol-based analine dyes, and picked up some Fiebing's leather dye in Cordovan, intending to get a nice deep red-brown color in the end. The color of the liquid stain seemed perfect as I was applying it, but once it dried the red tone disappears almost entirely, and I'm left with a dull and unpleasing plain brown.
If I re-wet (with alcohol) the stained pipe, the red jumps back out.
So, if I go ahead and burnish (with 0000 steel wool) and wax the pipe, what final color am I going to wind up with? Will the wax draw out and hold the "wet" stain color, or am I just going to get a shiny version of the dull brown?
It seems I may have launched into this endeavor a little under-equiped, as I don't have a buffer w/ tripoli pads and all that, so I'm limited to hand-finishing methods for the time being.
Any suggestions for drawing out the original red color, or should I just take the brute-force approach and sand it back, then overstain with a layer of red dye to get the color I'm going for?
Thanks for any help...
