Dye question

[Jon Prouty]

I am planning a dye project and I have a question about how you sand back the colors. I was planning on a first coat of black and then sanding that back before application of the next color. My question is how to sand back that black and subsequent color applications? The form is finished so putting it back on the lathe is possibe but not really convenient as compared to hand sanding the form. Will it just take forever by hand or should I plan on getting it back on the lathe? The other thought is sanding with my sanding disks holding the form but I figure any non lathe sanding will cause flat spots and it will show bad with a final gloss finish... Looking for your advice on how you sand back the dye... If you do it before the form is finished, how do you finish the part where it was parted off? Thanks,Jon

[Marty Eargle]

I know that Joe Landon has a short tutorial on how to applies layers of dye to a piece that is quite useful. It's posted on another website, not sure if I'm allowed to post it here...but I'm sure he would help you out if you PM'd him.

[Jamie Donaldson]

205025For the first application of black to pop the grain, remember there cannot be any type of sealer or finish on the wood. I wipe on the black dye with a paper towel, then immediately wipe off any excess, and that eliminates the need for any sanding. Same with any other color applications that follow, but apply dyes a little at a time rather than in heavy coats, because then you will have to possibly do some heavy sanding to start over. And don't neglect to use quality archival dyes, not anilines that are not light fast.

[John Keeton]

Jon, first let me ask what kind of wood are you using? Black is used to pop figure in the wood - such as curly maple, quilted maple or burl. It will make a mess out of wood with no figure. As to the other question, it will be extremely difficult to get the black sanded back as much as it needs to be in order for the effect to work. When I do this on a piece, I try to have a waste block on the bottom of the turning so that I can finish turn at least the edge of the foot or base. Then, I dye the piece (except for the very bottom, of course) and sand it back on the lathe. I flip the piece on a vacuum chuck, and finish the foot, dye it, and sand it back while on the lathe. The rest of the dye applications can usually be done off the lathe.

[Jim Burr]

I'm finding that DNA based dyes need a little sanding post application. But another thing is that the smoother the finish, the less dye is asorbed into the wood. 320 is my max now for a pre treat of black, 400 for finial applications. FYI...Threads posted from other forums are deleted on a selective basis.

[Eric Gourieux]

Jon, do you use a manufactured vac system, or did you make yours? I have an old pump, but I'm having trouble with the handwheel/outboard attachment on my Nova DVR XP.

[Jon Prouty]

The bowl I am makings from Jacaranda... a fairly white bland wood. There is some light graining but I was hoping to liven it up with a bit of color. Maybe I would be better starting with the red and blue and then add black as an accent color? More painting watercolor style. Something to experiment with. I was going to vacuum chuck the piece to power sand but unfortunately the wood is a bit porous so I can't pull a strong vacuum and anything I do will mess up my dye.Jon