[Steve Neul]

1. I prefer oils stains and believe they last longer than dyes or water based stains. As far as
spraying the stain, I spray them more than any other means of application. It actually uses less
stain to spray the stain than to brush it or dip the parts.

2. The stain that you would mix alcohol with would be an aniline dye. Aniline dyes, depending on the
product can be mixed with either water or alcohol or both. Some come as powders and some are
premixed. I primarily use a NGR (non grain raising) stain from Mohawk finishing products. It is a
pre-mixed alcohol based aniline dye that I use with oil stains to make final adjustments on color.
Basically the product is an ink.

3. I have only used Minwax stain out of the three you have listed. There was a guy here once that
was a second generation finisher that pointed out that Minwax stain was bad to fade over time.
At the time I was using Minwax and liked it. Rather than dismissing what he said I got to looking
around at things I had built 10 to 15 years ago and noticed he was absolutely right. The furniture
and cabinets I had build were substantially lighter than it was when I built it. He recommended
Sherwin Williams stains so I have using them ever since.
4. Zinsser clear shellac could work for a sealer if you are not topcoating with polyurethane. For use
with oil base polyurethane you should use a de-waxed shellac. Personally I don't use any sealer
with polyurethane. I just thin the polyurethane a little more than normal for the first coat. I
like Sherwin Williams interior oil based polyurethane for cabinets and furniture.

5. The 1.4mm nozzle would work alright for wood finishes. Personally I don't like a HVLP sprayer and
almost wish I hadn't bought one. They come in handy when you use some high dollar automotive
finishes where you are trying to use every drop. A conventional gun will take a couple of ounces
in the cup to make it work. I find a conventional sprayer much more convenient for wood
finishes. You don't have to carry around a special stand to put the gun up. You can just unplug
it and set it on the table.