Dying Wood

[Andrew Meyer]

Can anyone point me to a good source on the technique of dying wood, especially with aniline dyes. If there are superior dyes, I'm interested in knowing what thay are.
I'm interested in how one makes a smooth transition from one color to another since the dyes are absorbed so quickly. Also, what is the best finish to go over the dyed wood?

 

[john lucas]

Get Binh Pho's videos. They are excellent and he's a master at coloring wood. There's an awful lot on information and ways to do it. Airbrushing is the best way to blend colors. I would look at the various metalic dyes. Many dye's are not very light fast and will fade over the years. The metalic dyes last much longer.
You can also get various paints from translucent to opaque to use with the air brush.
I've done a lot of dyeing without the air brush but it's difficult to control where it goes and how much it bleads. That's where the paints come in. They don't bleed as much so you have more control.
Anyway it's a very involved topic. You will probably get some good information here. There's an awful lot of different ways to do it. Just pick one that sound interesting and play with it. That will lead to other explorations.

 

[Mark Levitski]

Not very detailed, but here's a brief article: http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/wood-dyes.html

 

[Bill Blasic]

The Master of wood dyeing for me is Chris Pytlik from Utah. I had been dyeing wood for a couple of years when I got a chance to see Chris demo at the AAW Symposium in Albuquerque. It was an eye opener to say the least. Metal Acid dyes such as Trans Tint are what I use and are very light fast. I then finish with many coats of lacquer. If you ever get a chance to see Chris demo don't miss it.🙂
Bill
P.S. Chris will be demonstrating at Totally Turning in Saratoga Springs, NY March 31 and April 1, 2012.

 

[Thomas Stegall]

I will echo what John said. I have learned from Binh. Airbrushes provide an unparalelled way to blend colors and because dyes are typically thin, they airbrush very well. You can also perform alot of techniques with them than can't be done any other way. Just make sure you get a "double action" airbrush. Binh sells a high quality model to those who are interested. And as mentioned previously, among dyes, metal acid dyes are the most color fast.

 

[Andrew Meyer]

Which are the best metallic dyes and a good internet source(s)? Thanks for all your responses.

 

[Bill Blasic]

Andrew,
Try TransTint dyes. This place has good prices:

http://www.woodfinishersstore.com/products/transtint-dyes.html

Bill

 

[Thomas Stegall]

By the way, while Binh's video is extremely informative, understand that he uses Golden brand airbrush acrylic paints, he rarely uses dyes on his work. Paints and dyes are very different.