What applicator to use to apply transtint dye?

[Jack Gaskins]

I just started using transtint dye on some ornaments and need to find a way to better apply the dye to the wood. First I tried a makeup sponge the triangle foamy ones and all it did was absorb the dye and release the water. Then I tried a paper towel and it did the same! So then I used an eye dropper and gently spread the dye around with it. Tried an acid brush and that works ok but can seem to blend two colors very well. What do you guys use to apply your transtint?

[Mike Lipke]

Q Tip for small stuff, Nylon artist brush for bigger things, rinse with alcohol. Each coat gets more intense.

[John Keeton]

Jack, I prefer to mix Transtint with DNA rather than water, but you have to move a bit quicker when doing so. I have used the sponges, paper shop towel, brush and airbrush to apply dye. All work well, though when using an airbrush you will not get as much penetration. If you steel wool or sand afterward, it will sand off quickly.

When you say the sponge "absorbed the dye and released the water" it sounds like you may not be making a strong enough solution. I think Transtint results in a true solution rather than a suspension or mixture, so whatever liquid is coming from the sponge should be the same dilution/strength as what remains in the sponge. If is isn't causing much of a color change, then I suspect it just isn't mixed strong enough. I use the small plastic yogurt cups for mixing dye, and usually will add 3-5 drops of Transtint to about 1/2" of DNA in the cup.

As far as blending two colors, that is tricky with dye. You will need to start with the lightest color first, but even then, the results can be unpredictable. Sometimes, using clear DNA to blend the edges will work. A lot of this depends on the wood being used. Some woods quickly and deeply absorb the dye - others, not so much. Like any finishing technique, if possible, use a test piece.

[Jack Gaskins]

Well, guess I'll have to try some DNA and see if it works with a sponge.

[Tony Pridmore]

Jack,

The above is good advice. I'll add that I have had good results using wool daubers (http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/search/site-search-results.aspx?sectionpath=3&processor=content&p_keyword=dauber) to apply Fiebing's leather dye. I use one for each color and store them in separate ziplock bags for reuse.

[Mike Lipke]

DNA also raises the grain a lot less than water.
To dark?: keep wiping with a rag soaked with DNA until it is the shade/intensity you want

[Jim Burr]

A sponge can also hold the particulate matter that is the pigment in TT. Adding a correct amount of pigment will assure the solution has plenty of color. Notice that your sponge is the color of the dye...the dye stays in your sponge which means...add more color.

[Jack Gaskins]

Guess I could drop by the Tandy store here in town and pick up a pack and see how they work and try DNA and try more dye and and.....just never stops ehhh.........

[John Keeton]

A sponge can also hold the particulate matter that is the pigment in TT. Adding a correct amount of pigment will assure the solution has plenty of color. Notice that your sponge is the color of the dye...the dye stays in your sponge which means...add more color.Jim, I think that Transtint is actually a true solution of metal-complex dye compounds, meaning that the components may not be separated from the solution by leaving it to stand, or by filtration. The cosmetic sponge is visually showing the saturation of the dye because of its white color and its absorbency, whereas the wood, being a color already (and, usually with a yellow/amber tint) is not revealing the color as much. This is normally a result of a much too diluted dye solution.

Jeff Jewitt, of Homestead Finishing, has a good summary of helpful information about applying Transtint dyes here - http://www.homesteadfinishingproducts.com/pdf/TransTintTDS%206-2009ii.pdf

[Jim Burr]

[QUOTE=John Keeton;2126614]Jim, I think that Transtint is actually a true solution of metal-complex dye compounds, meaning that the components may not be separated from the solution by leaving it to stand, or by filtration. The cosmetic sponge is visually showing the saturation of the dye because of its white color and its absorbency, whereas the wood, being a color already (and, usually with a yellow/amber tint) is not revealing the color as much. This is normally a result of a much too diluted dye solution.

And all that being said...it is still a particulate...metal or otherwise, and its particles will hold out of solution to any matter with greater friction...sponge won't release particles easier than solution. I think there was an easier way to say that...but it's late and very hot in California!!

[Rick Markham]

Jack my experience is a lot like John's. You can pretty much apply it anyway you want. I've used white cotton t shirt material, q tips, airbrushes, different kinds of brushes etc. Take a scrap piece of wood and test your concentrations on it. Once you've got the concentration you want then you can apply it however you want. Lighter colors will require more dye to achieve the same perceived appearance as a dark dye. Hence the test piece, plus if you mix your own colors then you get multiple chances to get the color right before the dye touches the vessel.

[Prashun Patel]

+1 John/Rick, etc. Your problem is not the applicator, it's the concentration and technique. You're really supposed to flood the dye on, then gently wipe of the excess. If the cosmetic foam is too absorbent, you won't be able to get your piece 'soaking wet'. I like the lower density cheap foam brushes for this.

[Jack Gaskins]

Well the eye dropper method was my third try and it seemed to work really well. Just lay the tip of the eyedropper on the wood and squeeze out the dye. Its just that I did know how to get two colors to fade in without creating a line so that is why I was looking at using a brush but then I couldn't control the blending like you can with paint. I was wanting red on the bottom up to the middle third then blending into yellow. Eventually I ended up putting red on bottom half yellow on top half then taking a DNA damp rag and blending the red up over the yellow. Not exactly what I was going for but it was my first try with transtint.

[John Keeton]

Jack, getting a good "fade" is best done with an airbrush, and even then, you will do better using red on the bottom 40% or so, yellow on the top 40%, and using orange to do the blend in the middle. You will probably get a more transitional look with less of a demarcation line. Do keep in mind, however, that as I commented previously, the airbrushed surface is not dyed very deeply. It will not tolerate any abrasion, even very fine abrasion. Best to first wet the turning with DNA to raise the grain a little, then sand before using dye. After the dye, seal it with a couple coats of lacquer before touching it with anything. You can then use 0000 to knock down the slight whiskers you might get.

This is a turning using the red and yellow - without using orange in the middle. I would have achieved a much better look by doing that. As it is, the red overpowers the yellow on top - and it doesn't take much!

[Jamie Donaldson]

Being phrugal by nature, I have used squares of yellow foam carpet padding to apply finishes and dyes for years. Check when the neighbors are replacing old carpet and you can have a supply sufficient to last years!

[robert baccus]

You might try using very thin dyes and multiple coats to sneak up on the blending zone. Also a big hairy mop od a paint brush works well on blending. When overcoating with laq. you can apply the first few coats very dry and burn them in with a wet coat later--if you have bleeding problems

[Bob Bergstrom]

If I am blending two dyes on a bowl I prefer to use a detail gun to an airbrush. The detail gun is like a small spray gun. It applies far more than an airbrush, but far less than a full size gun. I mixed the dye to adequate intensity. If the dye is just to cover the wood both may be sprayed. If intense from bottom to a lighter top as the change goes up the bowl, I will spray multiply coats from the top toward the blending area with less intensity where they meet. Doing the same from the bottom toward the middle. Learning to fog the colors by lowing the fluid flow or increasing the pressure from a greater distance can also influence the application. My suggestion is get a detail gun at Harbor Freight and practice on scrap wood. Blending is not hard, but there is a learning curve. If I am doing three colors I will spray the center first and work toward the middle from the top and bottom.

[Paul Gilbert]

Jack - What you are experiencing is called chromatography. If one filters a true solution of a mixture through a column of something like silica gel the components of the solution that are most strongly adsorbed will remain in the column and the least adsorbed pass through. As more solvent is passed through the column the strongly adsorbed complements will elute. When you use something that strongly adsorbs the dye as an applicator you will be left with only solvent. You should see no difference using DNA and water with your sponge.

I personally use an air brush.

[Paul Gilbert]

Jack - what you are experiencing is called chromatography. It is a very useful procedure in analytical chemistry. What happens is that when a true solution comes in contact with a media that adsorbs one component of the mixture more strongly than the others the strongly bound one remains behind. Thus, if one used a tinny little Q-tip not much dye is adsorbed. But a hefty sponge - you get pure water.

As I see it, you have two options: 1) use an air brush (my favorite) or 2)find something that doesn't adsorb dye.

[Jack Gaskins]

Jack - what you are experiencing is called chromatography. It is a very useful procedure in analytical chemistry. What happens is that when a true solution comes in contact with a media that adsorbs one component of the mixture more strongly than the others the strongly bound one remains behind. Thus, if one used a tinny little Q-tip not much dye is adsorbed. But a hefty sponge - you get pure water.

As I see it, you have two options: 1) use an air brush (my favorite) or 2)find something that doesn't adsorb dye.

Paul, I failed chemistry in high school but thanks for the lesson. HA! What model/brand airbrush do you use? I almost bought an IWATA HCS last week for the dye but read that the dye leaks in a gravity feed air brush....