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Thread: Think I'm in BIG Trouble

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Chicagoland
    Posts
    2,800

    Think I'm in BIG Trouble

    I made this sewing cabinet for my daughter. Probably spent 4-6 weeks in my free time to make it. I was a little shocked at first but my daughter found a pink dye she wanted me to use. It was a dry power that you add water to - brand name is TransFast. I experimented with the dye and got the process down and to the color she wanted. Strange the dye goes on orange and then dries pink. I planned to use Emtech EM9300 as a topcoat.

    The TransFast seems to be distributed by Homestead Finishes. We purchased it at the local Rockler. I had read that some say to use dewaxed shellac to seal but the info at Homestead says you can seal it with any finish including water based as long as the first coat is light so as to not blotch it. The guy at Rockler confirmed this as well as the Jeff's at Homestead Finishes and Target Coatings.

    OK - so I spray the light coat to not blotch the dyed finish. No blotching but the parts turned orange! Never was told this would go orange again from HF's. So I let them dry and sure enough they go to pink again. I go at them with another 5 coats and the finish is probable best I have ever done. They turned orange again but thought as the finish dried they would recover to pink.

    They have been sitting for about 24 hours now and still orange! It's not just orange it's like safety orange! The panels are maple veneer ply so really not enough material to sand down w/o doing some damage - plus the shaker doors would be impossible to get every spot.

    I remember using EM9300 on an entrance door I made and it got a milky look. It took a good 30 days but the finish cleared. I'm hoping this is just a slow drying issue.

    We are both ready to cry...

    Any kind words of recovery?


    Thanks
    Mike

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2,758
    Some lessons are painful.

    If it only took 6 weeks to make the first time, it should only take 3 weeks to make again.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    WNY
    Posts
    9,647
    Next time make sample boards, start to finish. Those would have told you that it would turn orange, and whether or not it eventually goes back to pink. Now all you can do is hope it does.

    Six coats of finish was likely 3 too many.

    John

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Chicagoland
    Posts
    2,800
    In hind site, yeah sample board for top coat sure would have helped. This is my first use of dye. I made several trials to get the dye process down but never expected following all manufactures directions that some weird chemical reaction would have happened.


    But, I have good news! I purchased some Mixol True Pink concentrated paste dye and added it directly to the EM9300. On the back of some drawer fronts I experimented and was able to get back to the pink color my daughter wanted.

    Mike

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