How can I fix a botched dye job?

[Tim Solley]

Hi all,

After much research and testing on test scraps, I decided to use Behlen Solar Lux dye on a hard maple book case that I built. Last night I finally pulled the trigger and applied the dye to the book case. The results were, well, less than spectacular. They were downright aweful. I think I would have been better off using a regular oil based stain and accepting the blotching.

I used a rag, and the problem was that the dye evaporated so quickly that before I could hardly get a few square inches on, I was going back to load up on more dye. Then I would end up with lap marks. The case is uneven, shows lap marks everywhere, has streaks from not being able to get the stain even. It's also MUCH darker than my test pieces came out. I'm very disappointed. All I could think of while staining it was how much work I put into this firewood.

The question is, is there anything I can do to fix this? Is there something I can do to blend it together? Now that I have a dye in place, would a light coat of a traditional oil stain (or any other product) help? My next step was to use BLO to bring out the grain, followed by a Waterlox finish. Will this help it to blend? And is there anything I can do to lighten it? If nothing else, there's just one area I'd like to lighten. Also, I couldn't for the life of me get the dye into the corners with the rag. Is there a trick to this? I was going to go back tonight with one of my wife's craft paint brushes and hit the corners.

Thanks for any help you all could provide.

Tim

[Howard Acheson]

First thing you should do is never use an alcohol based dye. It really only works if it is sprayed on and even there, it takes lots of experience to get it on smoothly. Water based dyes are much more forgiving and most waterbased dyes are more color durable.

To remove dye, you use a chlorine bleach. A new bottle of Clorox will work but a swimming pool chlorine will work faster and more completely.

[Steve Schoene]

The solar lux isn't an alcohol based dye, it is water based, albeit with glycol-ether that dries faster than water based, but still not as quick as alcohol based. The NGR dyes do at least have the light fastness properties of the water mixed dyes. There is a retarder available that slows the evaporation of the dye. Still you have to be pretty fast by rag, though its not impossible. Spray is better, to be sure.

All may not be lost. Before going the chlorine bleach route use distilled water to generously wipe down the surface. There is a chance that you will both lighten the color and reduce the impact of any overlaps.

[Tim Solley]

Thanks for the responses guys. Before I started the job, I knew that this stuff evaporates fast, so I bought the retarder. I added the maximum recommended amount. I didn't notice any difference with the retarder.

I'm sure on a small piece this stuff would have been fine. But this book case naturally has many large panels. The two sides are seven foot tall by 14 inches deep. There was no way I could get more than a half square foot before it was dry, and I was moving FAST.

I'll try the water tonight. I have a reverse osmosis filter at the house, that should be good enough, right? If that doesn't work I may have to go the bleach route. Though with the bleach, will that just lighten it, or take it all off? Either one is fine, I just want to know so I can plan my attack.

Thanks again. Tim

[Steve Schoene]

Bleach has the potential to remove it all most entirely, particularly with the pool chlorine. It might take two applications. After bleaching, let it fully dry, and then rinse it well with water to remove any residual. Good ventilation called for too.

[Joe Chritz]

Rub well with a damp cloth and it should even out some.

I had a similar problem with Target WR stains. It just dried to fast to do with a rag. I fixed it by spraying a heavy coat and wiping off the excess. It allows you to get the material on the entire piece much faster.

If you can't rub it out then go with the bleach.

Best of luck

Joe

[Tim Solley]

Thanks for the help everyone. The sponge and water trick worked. The dye smeared around and evened out. The down side to this however is that it left splotching, which was the whole point of going with a dye on maple. That's okay though, because it looks a heck of a lot better than the laps marks.

After using the sponge and water, I knocked down the raised grain and rubbed the whole project down with boiled linseed oil. Looks great, or at least as great as I can hope after that disaster. My next step will be to finish it off with a Waterlox finish.

By the way, in case anyone is interested, I talked with a support guy from Behlen. He said you can reduce the Solar Lux dyes with acetone. I can buy a whole gallon of acetone a whole lot cheaper at HD than I can get a little can of their "reducer" at Woodcraft. I'm going to use this same dye on my next piece to match this one. But I won't be wiping on. I'm in the market for an HVLP system now.

Thanks again. Tim

[David Eisenhauer]

The Target coatings website has a tutorial/review written by a woodworker (not a Taget employee) on a couple three HVLP systems while spraying their products. It is good read. I switched from conventional spraying to turbine HVLP approx six years ago and haven't regreted it at all. I understand there is some benefit to using a converted HVLP if you have a larger compressor, but with a turbine, you don't have to obsess about filtering your supply air to the gun. Try one out.