Dyed Box Elder Bowl

[Toby Bouder]

This is a box elder burl bowl. I first dyed over the flame with red then over the whole piece with green. It is 7.5 inches across by 2.5 inches high, finished with wipe on poly and buffed.

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[David Delo]

Sure is an eye catcher Toby. I like how the colors compliment each other very well.

[Dennis Ford]

Nice bowl and you did a great job on the dye; the colors are dramatic.

[robert baccus]

WOW --looks like jade!

[charlie knighton]

very nice, like your colors

[Jim Seyfried]

Cool bowl Toby! You sure did a nice job with the dye, it looks great.

[Ron Borowicz]

Very cool...question...on a object such as a bowl how do you manage to " I first dyed over the flame with red" just do a portion of the bowl without it bleeding into the rest of the bowl?

[Toby Bouder]

Very cool...question...on a object such as a bowl how do you manage to " I first dyed over the flame with red" just do a portion of the bowl without it bleeding into the rest of the bowl?

Ron, I use a small brush and keep it fairly dry by blotting it on a piece of paper first. Also I mix Transtint dye with water and that doesn't bleed as much as alcohol. The red brush strokes look a bit harsh when first applied but, during finishing, by rubbing in the WOP it blends and looks much better. Oddly, when I apply the green right over top of the red it doesn't seem to affect the red color much at all.

[Thom Sturgill]

I will state that I don't generally like dye jobs. the ones I have liked have generally been where the outside is dyed and the inside left natural. I think part of the reason is that dye jobs can be hard and rarely done well.

This one is excellent and will display well. There seem to be two things that I see repeated when items are critiqued at a symposium size and striking color - and they are related by the fact that they draw the eye from a distance.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Nice job all the way around Toby! I like the form, the slight slant to the rim and also the way you finished the foot area. Great job on the dye work! The red area looks natural - so was well worth the time it took to brush in the color. The green blended well with the wood and brought out a number of hues as well as the curl! Very nice! I look forward to seeing more of your dye work !

[Wes Ramsey]

Fine job! I really like the subtle green and deep red. I picked up a box elder log a few weeks ago that I'm still trying to figure out what to do with. Did you do any color tests to see what the green dye would do to the natural red coloring? I'm thinking about coloring a few of the pieces and looking for intel.

One other question - did your box elder have a strong odor? I roughed out a 'bowl' a little wider and shorter than this one and can't hardly stand the smell.

[Toby Bouder]

Thanks all for the compliments.
Wes, I know from experience that once dyed the red is barely affected by another coat of a different color. I almost never do any tests when dyeing, I just mix it up and put it on. Box elder is very forgiving when dyeing, other woods are more problematic. I tried dyeing black locust burl and it was a flop, almost no difference in density so the dye just changed the wood from one hue to another and didn't enhance the figure at all.
My box elder does have a yucky smell but I tolerate it.