Which color stain

[acaron41120]

Finally almost done with the hull of my Mayflower. Going with the recommended color scheme of white below waterline and a dark color stain on the rest of the hull. So 1st question. What color stain do most modelers use? I see a lot of beautifully stained models but haven a clue if they are dark oak, walnut, mahogany or whatever. 2nd question. Is it possible to mix stain colors to get the color you want? For instance mixing Minwax dark oak with Minwax light maple, etc.?

[Jaager]

1 hour ago, acaron41120 said:

Is it possible to mix stain colors to get the color you want?

Looking at the Minwax website, I count seven different lines of different base formulations.  My guess is that within any one type of the seven, mixing is possible.  Mixing between base formulations would probably lead to a crash.  Given what you are doing, and the fact that you are not worrying about a match with something pre-existing, why would you want to mix?  The spectrum of shades is adequate to your needs.  Doing it would double you cost and produce something that you would not be able to reproduce - should you ever need to.

 

1 hour ago, acaron41120 said:

What color stain do most modelers use? I see a lot of beautifully stained models but haven a clue if they are dark oak, walnut, mahogany or whatever

This all comes from whole cloth.  The color of the original is unknown.  From a definitive historical perspective, pretty much everything is unknown.  I advise looking at the product pallet and selecting one that appeals to you. 

Given the wood species provided by most kits,  the oil base semitransparent line looks like a good way to go.

The oil will not raise the grain, so a prep step needed with a water base can be avoided.  You will not be muddying up an expensive and elegant hardwood species grain.

[vossy]

Whatever color stain you end up applying to the model, the final result will be determined greatly by the original unstained color of the wood you are applying it too.

Personally I like a lot of my older vessel to have a darker look. Given that most, if not all, have been planked with walnut strips in various color tones, I find that if i apply

1 or 2 coats of semi gloss walnut stain this enriches the bare wood and gives it a nice darker shade. Stain is expensive, at least where I live, so doing test patches can be

prohibitive. Dont just rely on the samples you see in hardware stores and paint shops to determine final color. You dont know what substrate those samples were before

they were stained. My guess is that they wont be walnut strips. Plus, I also use water based stain. I think that raising the grain just a little gives a more authentic appearance. 

Also it saves on cost for clean up of brushes etc. and has less odour.

 

Chris