Information on vacuum dyed wood techniques

[jimlee]

I found some stunningly colored turned pieces on Etsy and found that they were 'vacuum dyed'.
Found a pdf file on the subject on the Peace River Wood Turners site here:
http://peaceriverwoodturners.org/PRWI/ENHANCING_WITH_COLOR_files/VacuumDyeWood.pdf

Has anyone tried this? Any more information on line that I may have missed.
The results are stunning.

Thanks very much,
Jim Lee

 

[Raul McCai]

A big vacuum chamber is no small thing. The forces involved can be considerable.
Batch Dying pieces is however very do-able.

There's a company in NJ that makes injection molded vacuum chambers from polycarbonate and polypropylene shot with Talc to make it stiff. The upper half is clear the lower is white

They hold up well. I've had one for decades.

You can make a DIY one with any flat non porous surface ( non textured high pressure laminate works) and some neoprene some high vacuum grease and a smooth rimmed large and heavy glass bowl

The bowl is pretty sturdy It'll take the 15 PSI.

 

[Bill Boehme]

The author said that his 50-50 mixture of varnish and mineral spirits was slow to dry and that he planned to try alcohol. Alcohol is not compatible with oil based varnish. I have been using a 50-50 mixture of varnish and naphtha for about 20 years for flat work. The naphtha flashes off very fast and it is a great way to make a fast drying wipe on poly varnish. The varnish that I use is Varathane polyurethane, but I don't see why any good varnish wouldn't work just as well. Of course, vacuum sucking a large quantity of varnish into the wood isn't the same thing as wiping on a thin film with a rag. I'm not sure what the intent of applying varnish under vacuum is supposed to accomplish.

 

[hockenbery]

In the wood stabilization process Vacuum pulls air out of the wood allowing the liquid, eg cactus juice, to fill the space previously occupied by the air.
Vacuum should give deeper penetration of finishes too. Deeper penetration would also mean slower drying as the surface will cure over the uncured interior, Slowing the cure of the interior by a lot.

Some of us have experienced this with CA glue filling a small void and being trapped uncured until turning releases it.

Stains, dyes, bleach, etc applied to the surface of wood do not penetrate much under atmospheric conditions. Usually the thinner the solution the deeper the penetration. Only the top surface is changed and a little turning or sanding will remove the colored layer of wood.
When I bleach or stain wood wood a 1/32 to a 1/16" below the surface is unaffected.
The author is doing a lot of turning on the colored wood so needs a deep penetration.

Al

 

[Bill Boehme]

... Some of us have experienced this with CA glue filling a small void and being trapped uncured until turning releases it...

I would raise my right hand, but it is glued to the bed of my lathe. 🙄

I have a love/hate relationship with CA glue. I've had the super thin stuff leak through the wood onto my hand and then the knee of my jeans and then to the floor where I then put my shoe. So, there I was ... hand glued to knee and foot stuck to the floor. For a bit it looked like I was break dancing. I'm glad that Mrs. B. didn't see it or else there would have been pictures on Facebook. I can trust you to keep this under your hat ... right?

 

[Raul McCai]

The author said that his 50-50 mixture of varnish and mineral spirits was slow to dry and that he planned to try alcohol. Alcohol is not compatible with oil based varnish.

I don't imagine the author would have much success putting alcohol under vacuum. It'd go into vapor state in the low pressure thus defeating the low pressure.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfhtNzqu5sE