How Do You Stain Rattan?

[Stephen Renico]

I've searched the net for a while, trying to find the best way to stain rattan, but I'm coming up short.

 

Does anyone have any hints, tips, or websites that they can recommend? I'm hoping to find specific types of stain to use, and a coating which adds luster but won't flake off.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Paul Estes]

The only stain I remember being used was burnt coloring from someone using a hand torch to color it....sorry not much help.

[JJ Simon]

Thats the way I understand it too.

Escrima have a burnt finish if I remember correctly

[brian458666]

I've never worked with rattan, but have added life to dull wood with food color. Just red and yellow, mixed with isopropyl alcohol and applied with a Q-tip, and finished with Minwax.

Brian

[tsterling]

Depends on what you're calling rattan. Basket weavers use rattan in one of two forms - if the weaving stuff is split from the interior of the rattan vine, it's called reed, and if it is split from the surface, it's called cane (has a shiny surface, and is probably what you're talking about, like for chair seats and wrapping knife handles).

 

Basket making suppliers have dyes for reed (can also use Rit fabric dye from the supermarket), and you can do a Google search for instructions.

 

However, cane doesn't dye well - that shiny surface is pretty water resistant. There is a smoked cane (dark brown) you can buy - I have no idea how you might smoke it yourself (definitely not in your pipe - they add bad stuff to cane and reed to deter insects... )

 

Hope this helps

 

Tom

[Stephen Renico]

Thanks for all of the replies, gents.

 

Once I get my rattan in and start this project I have in mind, I'll let you know how it went.