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Old 01-19-2009, 08:35 PM   #4
Silound
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Default Re: Staining Spanish Cedar without tainting cigars

In short, yes you can.

Without going into mechanics and specifics, if the wood is over 1/2 inch thick, you can stain the outside it with an alcohol-based pigment and seal it with a water based finish. Any thinner than 1/2" and there's a chance that the alcohol will remove too much of the natural oils in the wood that make it effective. You must be absolutely careful to apply a very small amount at a time. If you just slop it on, then the wood could absorb too much and ruin it's purpose.

You don't want to use an oil or water based stain because the oil in the stain has a chance to react negatively with the natural oil in the wood, or worse the wood will absorb too much and it won't dissipate. This is the reason for the alcohol based pigment...denatured alcohol will evaporate and leave no odor or residue that could taint cigars.
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