Richie & BobCo -
I haven't found a white stain yet that I like, that covers good in one coat. Almost any of the stains listed in this thread will discolor gasket lacquer. I've had best luck using a little steel wool - 000 or finer - then wiping the shafts off with a rag before dipping. Reds bleed worse than some of the others. Rit dye works pretty good, but I used some mixed with hot water on some compressed shafts and it swelled all the compression out of first couple inches on each end - not good. Rit mixed with denatured alcohol like you get at the paint store works OK. Lately I've been using a premixed leather dye that dries fast. It's a Feibing product. There is a difference between the gasket lacquer the archery vendors sell and the Home Depot stuff, just as stated the HD is thinner.

Other people have recommeded white shoe polish like comes in a bottle with a dauber, but I've never tried it and don't know what brand.

My present routine:
Straighten shafts, and mark the nock end based on grain pattern and straightness.
Measure and mark beginning of cap with pencil.
Taper nock ends.
Stain to cap with leather dye & a throw away sponge brush. Stain again if needed.
Stain or dip the cap. I'm presently using light stain (yellow leather dye). I just got started making tapered shafts, and don't want the weight buildup of paint to effect what I'm doing with the taper.
Steel wool and wipe each stained area separately.
Gasket lacquer 4 coats. Hang by the tips.
Crest with hobby shop ink sticks and sharpies.
Cover crest with waterbased polycrylic, I just use a little brush and enough to cover the crest.
Clean up the nock end by sanding gl off the tip back down to wood, run through my taper grinder again. Cut shafts to length & point taper.
Glue everything on. I use fletch tape for the fletching.
Go shoot and break at least one out of the dozen in the first 3 days.....
Hope this helps!
Tom

Edited by - wallypedal on 01/28/2002 14:32:33