Replies

1. 
   PeteBradley | May 12, 2006 03:10am | #1

   I get weird results with alcohol. The dye seems to run around on some woods and gets blotchy. Water raises the grain more but behaves better.

   Pete

1. 
   Purdcab | May 13, 2006 04:13am | #4

   Thanks. I'll stick to water.

2. 
   Kleck | May 12, 2006 04:20am | #2

   Water based dyes don't dilute properly in alcohol. Alcohol dyes fade faster than WB ones. they are also harder to apply streak-free unless sprayed.

   I spray my WB dyes more often than I brush or wipe. I can control blotchiness by applying "dry" coats of dye or just to fine tune the color for areas needing more/less.

   It's best to wet the wood first and remove the nubs before dyeing with WB. (let dry and knock off nubs with brown paper or >=320 s/p.

   Dave

1. 
   Purdcab | May 13, 2006 04:14am | #5

   Thanks, I'll wet the wood first, for sure.

3. 
   hammer1 | May 12, 2006 05:11am | #3

   If you don't have a lot of experience with dye, maple in mahogany isn't a good place to start, especially for a customer. I would use a pre stain conditioner because the maple will be prone to blotching. If it is plywood, use two coats of the conditioner. Many companies make mahogany stains. For a rich color you may want to do two applications, or one and a half, meaning that the stain gets thinned a little. Allow it to thoroughly dry. With spraying lacquer, you get a quicker and more even build if you use a sanding sealer first. Again, two moderate coats work well. Sand, clean and go with the lacquer.

   Dyes will bleed into the lacquer if you don't seal them first. I've used water dyes for a long time. I finally figured out that they are a big pain for what you get, which is about the same as a stain, with one third of the work. They have their uses but as an overall stain for a piece of utility furniture, they don't make sense, unless you just want something to brag about.

   I recently did a mahogany piece, stained mahogany and top coated with lacquer. I used Minwax conditioner and stain. Their red mahogany is a little too purple for me, the brown, mixed with half red, cut with 1/5 thinner looked good with two applications. As always, do a few samples and see what you like. Make sure they are large enough to form an opinion. 2" blocks don't tell you much.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

1. 
   Purdcab | May 13, 2006 04:24am | #6

   Thanks. I'll do as many tests as needed. I'm considering dying vs. staining to maintain grain clarity, otherwise I'd just stain for sure.

   Will the conditioner inhibit dye absorption?

1. 
   TLH | May 13, 2006 01:57pm | #7

   We use dye all the time. We mix ours 50% alcohol and 50% lac. thinner. Spray on and if the color is not just quite right we can add a touch of dye to the sealer or the lacquer to tone.
   Thomas