Source for Dark Brown Stabilized Curly Maple Scales

Nowski

Nowski

Joined
Jan 30, 2012
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Does anyone have a good source for scales or blocks that look like this. I have worked with a few stabilizers that cannot seem to get the maple this dark? My attempt to do dark did not go very well either haha.
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I do that on custom pieces, but this is for a retailer where I have no contact with the end user.
 
I have a batch of curly maple being dyed dark brown and a batch being dyed black right now. Won't be ready for a few months.
Jim
 
Wow that's quite a wait I hope it comes out good for you. My main thing is I am running out of time after sending materials to be stabilized twice and it not even being close and having three other pros tell me they couldn't do what I needed. I guess I really need to find out where Bark River gets there's from.
 
Shannon, last I knew Mike K at woodlab.biz was providing them with some of their wood. Personally I stopped using woodlab due to repeated inconsistencies in results but don't let my experience sway you and give him a call. He might be the source for that Holy Grail dye. :)
 
Holy Grail. Haha I know it's out there, I have seen it. I talked to Mark at Blade and he said no go, the closest he could come was bronze. Might give him another call and make sure he's no holding out on me. Thanks everyone.
 
K&G can dye that dark or darker.
But.......it depends on the wood you provide.
Any bands of orange/gold will resist the dye.

Another option is to take an already stabilized piece and use Fiebings Brown Oil Base leather dye.
I am not sure it will work with all stabilized woods but it does work with wood done by K&G. Be sure you use the oil based dye. After it sits for a couple days apply a couple coats of paste wax.

I could cut up some and get them dyed brown and stabilized. But it would take a couple months.
I like the darker colors so K&G usually keeps my pieces in the dye tanks for a long time to make them extra dark.
 
Thanks Burl Source. The other day I took some that I had stabilized and used Maple dye by Laurel Mountain forge which was alcohol based and it came out pretty good albeit not dark enough for my current project so I will get a couple other colors and test them. Do you think the spirit based negatively effects the stabilization resin?
 

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Well my thoughts with good maple is that you could try it without stabilizing it, dye the stuff, then give it a nice finish. As long as it aint burl it should hold up pretty good I would think. I know they dont stabilize ax handles and the such.

Ive made a good finish after searching online, 1/3 BOL- 1/3 turpintine- 1/3 bees wax (I used mineral spirits in place of the turpintine). I tried it on some walnut, darkened it just a tad and gave a really nice finish that buffed up really well.
 
Nowski said:
Thanks Burl Source. The other day I took some that I had stabilized and used Maple dye by Laurel Mountain forge which was alcohol based and it came out pretty good albeit not dark enough for my current project so I will get a couple other colors and test them. Do you think the spirit based negatively effects the stabilization resin?
Click to expand...

I don't know if it will affect the cured stabilizating chemicals, but I seriously doubt it.
If the surface get's tacky.....that's bad and is affecting things.

Info I have gotten 3rd hand is that water or alcohol dyes only give a tint.
You have to use the oil based leather dye to get it to turn out darker.
 
Burl Source said:
Info I have gotten 3rd hand is that water or alcohol dyes only give a tint.
You have to use the oil based leather dye to get it to turn out darker.
Click to expand...

FWIW - Fiebings Oil dyes are spirit/alcohol based as are their standard spirit dyes - read the MSDS - there are NO oils in it - it is simply an improved version of their standard spirit based dye (even says so on their website) so not sure why they wouldn't work either - just may take longer???...
Why Fiebings decided to call it oil dye none of old timers know for sure, other than back in the "old days" many of us did make our own oil dye by mixing light saddle oil or EVOO into the spirit dyes to make a dye with improved absorption, thus the advertisement dept at Fiebings may have just co-opted the name


here's the MSDS for those interested and there are some real nastys in there so take care using it...
http://www.wardrobesupplies.com/ass...fiebings Professional_Oil_Dyes.pdf?1345149003
 
Shannon, are you looking for something like this? :)

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or this?


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