Staining Large(ish) Speakers

[Mark_1042]

I'm about ready to put the finish on my ZDT 3.5's (build thread here). The stain I'm going to be using is from Sherwin Williams and it appears to be purely a dye stain, so it dries quickly - but not too quickly. Having never stained a project this large before, I'm sort of debating exactly how I should go about it.

Staining them all at once would certainly save some time, but I'm a little concerned about having dry spots when it comes time to wipe off the stain (to get the color I want I need to let the stain sit about 5 minutes before wiping it off). I'm thinking I might tape off the edges on one of the panels (front/top/side), and stain them one side at a time, but I'm wondering if this is something I should do? It would be much more time consuming, but if it helps me avoid having a splotchy stain job I think it would be worth it. Any thoughts? I'd be using Frog Tape to tape off the adjacent panels so I don't think I'd have to worry about the stain bleeding in under the tape.

Any help/advice is appreciated.

[PMazz]

Is it Sherman William's Wiping stain?

[Mark_1042]

Yep, Sherwin Williams BAC wiping stain. It seems to be pretty forgiving, from what I can tell I have about a 1-minute window to wipe it all off - that is, if I let it sit on the wood for 5-6 minutes there's not a noticable difference in the color. I think doing one side at a time might be a good option, I'm just not sure because I've never tried it before. Otherwise I could have someone help me out, but doing such a large piece in one shot makes me a little nervous (I'm still a bit of a newb I guess).

[PMazz]

That's excellent stain. Do not flood it on like a penetrating oil stain. On larger panels just keep moving, wiping until it starts to dry on the surface. Another coat can be applied to deepen the color but getting it tinted darker is best if you really want to achieve a certain color.