Experimenting with Dye and need finish help

[Scott Brandstetter]

I will try to keep this short. Once I have my piece finish sanded here is what I am thinking. Please let me know if this is correct or what is better that works for you.

1. Mix my stain with D Alcohol to the color I want.....apply as many coats as I want, letting it dry between coats.
*****Is it good to put a sanding sealer on before applying the dye? Would it depend on the wood?

2. Put on a finish over the dried dye surface
This can be wipe on Poly
spray poly
friction polish ????????
3. I like to then use the beale buff system for final shine.

Any thoughts would be appreciated to a newbie in this area.

[Bob Bergstrom]

The dye can be applied by brush, cloth or sprayed depending on the look or shading you want. A sanding sealer would only be used to prevent the dye from being absorbed too much in the softer areas of the wood grain. Birch will be splotchy, while fiddle maple will be enhanced by absorption. If only one dye is used, any finish will work. Wipe ons may pull some dye out or change the appearance. I prefer a spray finish. Shellac can be sprayed and wipe ons applied over it.

[charlie knighton]

need to finish sanding, wet turning(raise grain), resand with the highest grit you sanded with

this will stop raising the grain when you dye it, some woods it is more important to do this

[Steve Schlumpf]

Scott - there is a difference between dye and stain - so I am going to assume that you are using dye and comment according to that.

First off, I have found I have the best dye absorption when I finish sand to no more than 320 grit. Higher grits than that leave such a small scratch in the wood that the dye actually has a hard time taking.

Second - mix your dye so that it is lighter than the finish color that you desire. You can apply multiple coats of the dye and build to the finial color but if you apply one coat that is darker than what you want - you are stuck with it and the only way to change it is to sand the piece and start over.

Third - I use an oil based wipe-on poly for almost all my finishes and you must take into account that the poly will darken the final color considerably and if the poly is not a new can - chances are that it will add a distinct yellow tint. You can always use a water based finish but I have never found them to have the same warm glow once everything is done.

Forth - make sure the poly has cured for at least a week before you try to buff it. Heat and an uncured poly makes for one heck of a gummy mess!

Good luck!

[robert baccus]

All the above is good advice. However I would not use shellac with it having the same solvent as the dye. I recommend Pre-cat Lacquer---much tougher and lighter color. Dewhiskering is not needed if using sanding sealer(after dyeing) and before the lacquer. This stuff also covers in 2 coats rather than 6-8 coats.

[Peter Blair]

I began my colouring of turned pieces using a very similar process to the one Steve Schlumpf has in the Tutorials on Woodturners Unlimited. It, in my opinion is a really really good place to start. You will eventually add your own twists. Good Luck!

[Garth Sheane]

Blotchy outcomes were a problem for me when I wanted to dye bowls. That is, until I tried dipping the bowls in a bucket (or large metal bowl). The dye is absorbed evenly. I use fabric dye because the price is right to mix a batch large enough to dip a 15" or 16" bowl. However, you can't always predict what color you're going to get. Black dye, for example, came out green on a maple bowl. A nice shade of green, I might add. After the bowl is dipped, I use a paper towel to blot off excess dye so that it dries evenly.