Oil paint as wood stain?

I noticed some wood stains are made from linseed oil and earth pigments (tried and true for example).

Is there a way to make oil paints into wood stain or somewhat transparent wood paint?  I don't mind if it takes a day or two to dry between coats.  I just want it to look good and I cannot find a wood stain in the colour I want without the ingredients I'm sensitive to.

I would use oil paint with earth pigments for faster drying.

The wood will have a linseed oil and/or wax finish on top (from the solvent free tried and true line), so linseed oil soaking into the wood isn't an issue so long as the pigment isn't unbound.

Maybe what you are wanting is called Color Washing?

I have done this many times.  It took me only a little experimentation. I thin the paint, apply it, then wipe it off to the coverage I am seeking.

Thinning with linseed oil?

The idea is to avoid solvents as I would be doing this inside and react poorly to solvents, thus the desire to avoid commercial wood stain.

Anne Miller wrote:Maybe what you are wanting is called Color Washing?

Not sure that's what I'm looking for.  A quick google suggests this is more like a paint wash over a non permeable base. Not a stain that absorbs into the wood.  

To use oil paint for this wash method, it appears to require solvents or to buy special, slow drying, water mixable oils paint.  My goal is to find a solvent free solution to use with the materials I already have at home.

I was thinking of making something like this

https://www.triedandtruewoodfinish.com/products-landing/stain-finish/

Stain & Finish is a combination of superior penetrating linseed oil and all natural earth pigments. In addition to giving the wood artistic coloration, the stains will also protect the surface and highlight the grains and natural look of the wood. These are perfect for all interior wood working projects, including tables and furniture, cutting boards, butcher’s block, children’s toys, cribs, etc.

All Tried & True products are 100% solvent free, zero VOC, and safe for food and skin contact.

Linseed oil (not sure how it's processed)  and mineral pigments seem the main ingredients.  No solvents like normal stain.

Can still use oil and waxed based finishes on top as it doesn't seal the wood like paint.


My oil paint has linseed oil and earth pigments.   Just more pigment.  In theory, there could be a way from oil paint to oil stain.  Anyone know the path?

Some good stuff
https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/topic/oil-paint-to-stain-wood/

Experiment 1

Equal parts aprox by volume
Raw umber oil paint
Calcite powder
Linseed oil

The calcite is to increase transparency and reduce chance of underbounding.  

Applied with rag, it took more paint to cover area than expected.  Wiped off immediately.  Made a very pleasant stain with better colour and controll than gel stain.  

Needs adjusting the ratio, especially if using a more affordable brand.

I'm thinking it should work, especially if you go for a warm tone color or don't mind it being a little yellowish from the linseed oil.

Years ago, my kids made trays in their woodworking class. Since this was the covid years, we were doing this all at home, and chose our own finishing materials. So, we stained them with linseed oil and ground up dyes. (See thread )

My

My daughter's pink tray stained with cochineal, and my son's gold tray stained with ossage orange and madder

I was totally winging it when we stained those. We just ground up the plant material, added oil, and then rubbed it into the wood. But, it was sort of like making a lake pigment and adding it to linseed oil to make an oil paint.

Granted, those were both technically dyes, and not pigments, so they soaked into the wood more than a pigment likely would?

BUT, when we made my son's chessboard and stained it with copper + hydrogen peroxide mixed with vinegar, it stated out as a stain and needed LOTS of coats to turn dark enough to become a pigment.

Here's a video showing how many coats it took of the copper stain to get a paint:



I also wonder if adding vinegar to the linseed oil would help it penetrate deeper? A cheap DIY wood sealant that we made years ago was just vinegar and canola oil, shaken up and applied with a brush. The vinegar was there to help it penetrate the wood better. Of course, oil and water aren't supposed to mix, so maybe this was a silly internet idea that wasn't terribly good. Might be worth a test, though...