Shannon York
05-16-2013, 5:59 PM
I've just ordered some 1 oz samples from JD Lockwood to begin some testing. My goal is to be able to use these water-based dyes in a production setting. Currently, we use mostly wipe stains or, for a few finishes, we use a two step process: dye stain then wipe stain. The wipe stains are pretty "forgiving" for our finishing crew.
I really like the clarity of dyes (vs. stains), so I want to try every known "tip and trick" to allow us to be successful with dyes. I recognize we may need to "up our game" in how we do our finishing (spraying techniques, etc.), but I'm certainly willing to try.
We are not just going to be using browns, etc., but we'll be doing some colors such as reds, greens, pinks, oranges, etc.
We use a pre-cat Sherwin-Williams lacquer for our top coats.
We don't have an oven or other drying facility, so drying time for water dyes is a potential issue. We would prefer (in fact, we can't) not to have to wait 12 or 24 hours between application of the dye and putting on the lacquer.
I want (prefer) to use our sprayer system to apply the Lockwood dyes, not brushes or rags.
Some specific questions/areas of concern that I sure would appreciate some "tips and techniques" on:
1. I understand that getting an even saturation and coating with a sprayer may be a challenge. Particularly on pieces with curves (e.g. turned legs). And, also larger surface areas like dining table tops, headboards of beds, etc.
2. Is mixing some alcohol with the water a prudent approach to reduce the drying time? Is there a ratio of alcohol/water that is too much? I do recognize, of course, that there is trade-off between the goal of reducing the drying time and having the dye solution "flash" so much that it becomes a challenge to work with (dries too fast).
3. We work with Red Oak, White Oak, Maple, Cherry, Walnut, Ash and some Pine.
4. Other tips, suggestions, warnings, etc.
Thank you. Thank you.
Cheers,
I really like the clarity of dyes (vs. stains), so I want to try every known "tip and trick" to allow us to be successful with dyes. I recognize we may need to "up our game" in how we do our finishing (spraying techniques, etc.), but I'm certainly willing to try.
We are not just going to be using browns, etc., but we'll be doing some colors such as reds, greens, pinks, oranges, etc.
We use a pre-cat Sherwin-Williams lacquer for our top coats.
We don't have an oven or other drying facility, so drying time for water dyes is a potential issue. We would prefer (in fact, we can't) not to have to wait 12 or 24 hours between application of the dye and putting on the lacquer.
I want (prefer) to use our sprayer system to apply the Lockwood dyes, not brushes or rags.
Some specific questions/areas of concern that I sure would appreciate some "tips and techniques" on:
1. I understand that getting an even saturation and coating with a sprayer may be a challenge. Particularly on pieces with curves (e.g. turned legs). And, also larger surface areas like dining table tops, headboards of beds, etc.
2. Is mixing some alcohol with the water a prudent approach to reduce the drying time? Is there a ratio of alcohol/water that is too much? I do recognize, of course, that there is trade-off between the goal of reducing the drying time and having the dye solution "flash" so much that it becomes a challenge to work with (dries too fast).
3. We work with Red Oak, White Oak, Maple, Cherry, Walnut, Ash and some Pine.
4. Other tips, suggestions, warnings, etc.
Thank you. Thank you.
Cheers,