Would you dye the base?

[Brian McInturff]

So this is one of those rare occasions where I can't make up my mind whether to dye the base black or leave it natural. The base is black walnut but as you can see has the sapwood in it too. The bowl portion is Bradford pear root. So I figured I'd see what the masses say. Once I glue them together the option to dye it goes away. I can visually see it black but I kinda hate to dye walnut. Believe it or not I didn't have any other scraps the right size to cut up to use. Please excuse the pic as I took it with my iphone.

[Jim Burr]

Being the other 50%...I say yea for dye

[John Keeton]

I vote yes to color it - not totally sure on black, and if black, I might consider a seal coat of shellac, and then paint it flat black followed by an acrylic matte finish. There may be other color options, but unless you bleach the walnut first, I don't think you are going to be totally happy with a dye application as it may not be uniformly the same color.

[Brian McInturff]

Good point John and thanks for pointing that out. I do have some oxalic acid I could use on it to bleach it out.

[David E Keller]

I think some kind of color change will help to contrast the bowl from the base. Not to muddy the waters, but texture and pyrograpy might also be worthwhile considerations for the base piece... It might break up an otherwise stark form. I hope you'll share the finished piece.

[John Beaver]

Hard to tell exactly from the photo, but the base wood looks more interesting then the bowl. I might be inclined to dye the bowl. I would even think about only dying the exterior of the bowl so the base stands out and the natural interior would tie the whole thing together.