India Ink Question

[Ray Bell]

For those that have India ink as a dye, does it seem to be color fast under most finishes? I would think that any thing with acetone/ketone would cause bleeding, but how about most oil finishes?

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ray I have used it and I found you must let it dry good. I haven't had any problems with oil finishes but most of my using india ink is on finials and small turnings such as birdhouses. One thing you will need to be careful of is when you do use oil and wipe of the excess per manf. specs make sure you wipe off what you dyed and then get a new towel or rag to wipe of the rest. I don't need to tell you what happened to the light wood when I did this.:mad: With black ink to boot.:mad: I always try it on a scrap piece of the same wood.

[David E Keller]

Like Bernie, I've only used it for small stuff, but I haven't had any trouble applying anything over it. I usually use shellac as a base coat, but I've used BLO and WOP directly with no troubles.

hint... Don't forget to raise the grain first before applying the ink. DAMHIKT!:D

[Ray Bell]

Bernie/David, thank you for the replies. These are actually very small, and light dots, in very shallow dimples on an accent ring around the edge of a bowl. Since they are so light, I'll probably try a test piece first.

BTW, I can't take credit for the dots, a friend of mine that does scrimshaw work did these under a microscope. I just don't want to ruin it now by finishing.