Dyeing thru out

st8yd

st8yd

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Mar 6, 2009
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I'm going to make some scales for a couple buck squires for my daughters. They will be either birdseye maple or curly maple and just over 1/16" thick. One will be pink and other blue, I was thinking of rit dye but I'd like to get complete penetration so I could potentially get them stabylized so I can shape and polish them.

Any recomendations?
 
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Have them dyed when they are stabilized,complete penatration and you don't have to worry about your dye conflicting with the stabilizing agent.
Stan
 
I'm concerned about getting the color the way I want it. One company doesn't offer pink and the blue samples I saw are very dark. The other company has a sample of pink but no good sample of blue, and they don't even list colors they can do, or at least I can't find them.

????
 
Not knowing where you're I can only recommend that you contact whomever you plan on using for the stabilization and ask what is safe and compatible with their process.
Another thought is the color you dye it may not be the color it is when it returns,depends on the type of wood and how the stabilizing agent reacts to the dye and wood.That is why the don't just offer a color chart with the colors they do, it's only a close guess.
Stan
 
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Use wood dye from Woodcraft Supply or another woodworking supply. Use the alcohol based dyes. BTW, cut the scales about 25% oversize. After dying, dry completely and send off for stabilization.
 
Read the Ritt box carefully as it's designed for textiles for the most part. All dyes are designed for specific applications either protein or organic or poly or other compounds. At best you'll only get surface penetration and not always evenness due to the chromatographic wood fiber has on dye (USFS research papers). Final tints and shades are dependant on the substrate base colors. For example, red dye will not look the same on a holly piece as it does on a maple piece or a dark fungal stained maple piece. Good luck.
 
bladsmth said:
Use wood dye from Woodcraft Supply or another woodworking supply. Use the alcohol based dyes. BTW, cut the scales about 25% oversize. After dying, dry completely and send off for stabilization.
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I am using this die on my current project. How do you do your dying process?

I was planning on applying the die and re-sanding with the final grits. Not sure if this is the optimal way, and I'd hate to spend much time re-inventing the wheel.
 
Larry D. Davis said:
Final tints and shades are dependant on the substrate base colors. For example, red dye will not look the same on a holly piece as it does on a maple piece or a dark fungal stained maple piece. Good luck.
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Ya that's why I was hoping to be able to do it so I could get it like I want it.

So there's not a way I can do it and get full penetration?
 
bladsmth said:
Use wood dye from Woodcraft Supply or another woodworking supply. Use the alcohol based dyes. BTW, cut the scales about 25% oversize. After dying, dry completely and send off for stabilization.
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These transtint dyes work really well, I use the water based ones too, but I would CALL AHEAD to the stabilizer of your choice and ask them if they are willing to clear stabilize scales that you color dyed ahead of time. Reason I say this that your dye may bleed into the stabilizer and tint everything else in the batch that color. :o

Larry
 
st8yd said:
Ya that's why I was hoping to be able to do it so I could get it like I want it.

So there's not a way I can do it and get full penetration?
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There is a way to do it. I add "special" formulated dye directly to my impregnation resin for thru and thru penetration, but without the proper equipment it's surface only. That chromatographic thing comes up in any wood dye process and dye being colloidal albiet dissolved may not penetrate certain grain areas whereas the impregnation resin does. Like magic, the dye stops and the resin flows on. Box Elder is famous for it's unique two-tone appearance due to chromatography reacting to the fungal and extractives in that species.
 
Using alcohol based stains and dyes is preferential to water based. After all, you want the lowest moisture content possible when you stabilize.
Place the dye mix in a container and add the wood scales/blocks. Let soak for days or longer. Test cut a piece and see how the penetration is. Pressure and/or vacuum can help in some cases.
 
bladsmth said:
Place the dye mix in a container and add the wood scales/blocks. Let soak for days or longer. Test cut a piece and see how the penetration is. Pressure and/or vacuum can help in some cases.
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I can get up to 3,000 psi or a full vaccum which would be better?
 
Both.
Vacuum to draw out all air from the wood, and then pressure to drive the dye all the way into the center.
 
Larry, I noticed that ,too, but didn't comment.

st8yd,
Welcome to the BF, BTW. To let us know a bit about you.how about filling out your profile?
 
My scuba tanks are 3460 and often get up to 4000 psi in them. I almost bought a compressor but things started getting tight so I passed. When business pics up I will probably get one.
 
Hopefully you are not contemplating modifying a SCUBA tank to use as an impregnating pressure vessel....there's another name for that...BOMB :)
 
No, I like my tanks to much, but I can use them to get pressure.
 
I put blocks into vessel and put steel weights on them. I then fill with dye so it covers by a couple inches. I then pull full vacuum for 1 week then hit it with 120psi for 1 week. I have been getting full penetration on the maple blocks.
 
Boatbuilder said:
I put blocks into vessel and put steel weights on them. I then fill with dye so it covers by a couple inches. I then pull full vacuum for 1 week then hit it with 120psi for 1 week. I have been getting full penetration on the maple blocks.
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What type of dye?
 
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