Here’s an old one that you might have forgotten about? Wood Stain from a few Pantry items:

  • Coffee- (ground)
  • Oil-(food safe)

  • I took a shallow bowl, but a deep plate will also work & poured enough Oil to saturate the Coffee.
  • Mix them around evenly with your fingers.
  • Make sure your wood is smooth & void of all splinters before applying.
  • Apply in a rubbing motion,with the direction of the grain.
  • Let dry & wipe grounds off & repeat or finish with your favorite technique.

      That’s it! Easy peasy, Old time simplicity!   Here’s what I used:

  • Lee’s Dark roast Vietnamese Coffee 
  • Trader Joe’s Premium Xtra virgin Olive oil

      WOOD USED: POPLAR

 Edit: I originally did this to show a twenty-something some simple old time techniques that really work? 

Here’s what another application looks like- 2 in total, will most likely add a coat of the Olive oil I used to finish it?

FYI:   harder woods are more resistant to this method & need more applications for darker colors, while soft woods yield darker colors?

    

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Just to verify, that was only one application in the above pic?

I am gonna try this using coffee grounds. No sense 'wasting' good coffee...     worst that could happen is it doesn't work as well/I make a mess [nothing new there]/and I still get a cup 'o joe. Thanks for sharing Brian!

Make sure they’re dry, I tried moist grounds & it just made a mess, the moisture impeded the penetration of the oil & didn’t extract hardly any color? However, I have used dried spent grounds & butcher’s block oil with success, just not as dark as unused grounds. I’m only really using a few teaspoons at a time,since it’s dark,  so not a gross waste of coffee? Hope to see your results :)

Me too!  or old, cold coffee - I am also a crafter in paper & cloth & those communities make a big deal of coffee or tea as a dyeing agent for those materials so it makes sense to me. Many pigments are plant or mineral-based. Or extra fine grind? We are mad scientists/experimenters now!

So another thought... I’ve used (rubbing) alcohol with fabric dyes before on wood... high (90 odd%) alcohol... worked well in that it didn’t raise the grain... and on solid body wood (is, solid body electric, not thin soundboard... in one case, altered the color (more pinkish than intended red), but with coffee grounds, a couple applications? Then add protective finish...  Will experiment, report back.

Yes, I have been down that road before Mikala, very disappointing when they come out looking like your child's wood blocks? I liked Minwax clear base & oil pigments better,more true to color? I applied coffee only once, but I may post an edit with 2-3 applications later? 

Hmmm, guess I’ll save that for a children’s instrument build. :^)

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