using dyes

[Noah Wagener]

i was wondering if using water dyes is not recommended on planed wood? The bottle I have suggests wetting the wood prior to application and then sanding lightly. It seems to me that this would mar the finish of finely planed wood. Would oil or alcohol soluble aniline dyes be a way around this issue? What type of oil does one use? I think I read somewhere mineral spirits. Citrus solvent is touted as a replacement in most applications for mineral spirits. I wonder if oil soluble aniline dye would dissolve in it as well? The cat doesn't care for turpentine and i think mineral spirits would make him batty as well.

What is the solvent for walnut hulls and Van Dyke crystals?

If using water dyes is there a particular washcoat? I thought they were supposed to give a more uniform appearance but i get blotchiness with them. Do darker spots happen because the grain has turned up into the face effectively being endgrain? I ended up just leaving the dye in puddles on the wood and it eventually soaked in and evened out the color somewhat but that seems a real cro-magnon method. (Where's the cro-magnon haven? For aspiring neandertals. How did Neanderthals ever make as there doesn't appear to be any females?)

[Bruce Mack]

Noah, others will answer this better, but I will relate my experience. I use water soluble dye and always do a sample on the wood I am using, so far cherry, maple, and white oak. I wipe off the excess and let it dry. Then a light sanding to remove the fuzz. I then apply Watco (undyed) which greatly intensifies the color. Sometimes I have applied a second coat of the dye, without sanding as the grain is no longer raised, before the Watco. There is a lot of alchemy in choosing and mixing the colors, but the results can be stunning.
Thus far no blotching of note. Maybe I'm lucky. My cat sensei does not seem to mind the Watco :)

[Prashun Patel]

Water based dyes will work fine for you.

I wouldn't pre-wet. Just dye, then begin your top coats. After a coat or two, you can lightly sand any roughness in the finish with 320 or 400 and you'll be fine.

If you are really concerned about it, consider spraying your dye diluted in alcohol. That's actually a nice way to sneak up on a color and to control the blotch you might experience.

What type of wood are you working with?

[Noah Wagener]

old floor joists, doug fir i think based on the redness. some parts darken more than others with just oil. i couldn't spray unless an atomizer would work. this dye really changes color as you dilute it. it is called light golden brown but is orange or peach really diluted. does alcohol penetrate more easily than water? I'd like to be able to darken the lighter areas rather than washcoat to inhibit the darker areas from accepting dye.