Replies

1. 
   Curtis | May 23, 2005 03:03am | #1

   I buy mine at Rockler hardware.

   I really like the stuff. since I was introduced to Aniline dye I will never go back to just using Pigment stains, the dye's don't hide any grain,thay also make woods that are prown to bloch take a even color,dye's penetrate below the surface, so (I do a lot of wood turning) I can quickly use friction to apply my finishes to my turnings,Matching different kind iof woods, A matching finish in seconds. you cant do that with stains, they rub off!

    

   C.A.G.

   
   

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   Edited 5/22/2005 8:07 pm ET by curtis

2. 
   Tom7 | May 23, 2005 03:18am | #2

   Go to Jeff Jewitt's site, http://www.homesteadfiishing.com, and buy the Transtint dye concentrates.  They are aniline dyes predissolved in a universal solvent.  You can dilute them with water or alcohol or add directly to your finish.  They are awesome.  I wouldn't use anything else.  After dilution, spray them on in light coats and the result is superb, no lap marks and very uniform color.  You can also spray consecutive coats to lay on more color.

   In contrast, aniline dye powders are messy to work with, getting the proportions right is a pain when dissolving them and mixed colors drift over time so mixing up fresh batches is the only safe route.

1. 
   MarkRD | May 23, 2005 03:56am | #4

   Thanks Guys.
   Jeff's stuff is pricey. Rockler has the powders. Jeff has the colors I want - I'll probably end up with his.So working with the transtint stuff... Lots of questions...What do you mix it in Glass, plastic?
   What's it's shelf life? (assuming 60-75 degreee F storage).
   Cut with distilled water?
   I don't have spray equipment. What's second best, Rag or Brush?
   Any special brush?
   Any special rag?
   I've already wet sanded the work.
   Should I assemble then dye or dye then assemble?
   If I dye then assemble:
   Will the dye effect glue joints (mortis/tenon)?
   Will painters tape (blue stuff) keep the dye off of the tenons?
   What do you fill the mortis with to keep the dye out? (or do I just tape over the hole and the area hidden by the tenon end of the board?)Thanks,
   MarkFYI you have a typo in the link http://www.homesteadfinishing.com works...

   Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.

   View Image

1. 
   Hoopa | May 23, 2005 09:19am | #7

   I just finished gluing up a cradle. Used the TransTint and Bartley stain. 

   I mixed 1 oz of transtint with distilled water in a quart mason jar. The cradle used about a fourth of the quart.  All surfaces were blown down with my yard blower. The tenons only were masked with blue tape. I wiped the dye on the unassembled parts with an old t-shirt taking care to wipe along the mortise edges, not across them. There was no problem flooding the dye on and moving it around to fill the pores and no lap marks even with my sloppy approach.

   Next day I went over a piece with 240 grit sand paper. I got some sand through so switched to 600 grit for better results for the rest. Blew off the pieces and wiped on the gel stain on the unassembled parts. I was more careful to not get gel stain in the mortises. There were no lap marks or blotches, but I did apply and wipe each piece one at a time.

   The third day the cradle was assembled with Tightbond. I did get squeeze out and wiped it off with a wet rag. This took some dye or stain off so I wiped on a light coat of gel stain with a quick wipe off that covered the sparse areas.

   The cradle is rock solid and ready for some coats of 1 1/2# cut shellac.

2. 
   Tom7 | May 24, 2005 02:30am | #8

   Mark,

   You can mix transtints in glass or plastic, either works.  I find quart mason jars are the most convenient.  Yes, I use distilled water.  The shelf life of diluted transtints has been months for me.  Starting with powders, I was seeing color drift in less than a month of mixed colors.  Second best to using spray equipment is a simple hand spray plastic bottle.  It gets the dye on quickly so lap marks are never a problem.  Any cotton rag will work fine for wiping off excess stain.  I use old T-shirt material.  By wiping it, you will end up with a darker color.  Color control is much better when spraying the dye.  Do a search on jeff Jewitt's site about dyeing before assembly.  There is a long discussion there on the topic.

   Best - Tom

3. 
   Floss | May 23, 2005 03:53am | #3

   Mark, I have recently begun using the liquid transtint dyes since they are soluble in both water and alcohol. They work great but are a little pricey if you need to make up a large quantity for a big project.

   I also use a variety of Lockwood powder dyes, either alcohol or water soluble. They also make oil soluble dyes as well but I have not used them. Their website is:

   http://www.wdlockwood.com/main.html

   The Lockwood dyes are a better deal for the money and if you use alcohol stains they can be mixed with shellac and used as a toner as well.

   J.P.

   http://www.jpkfinefurniture.com
1. 
   MarkRD | May 23, 2005 04:01am | #5

   J.P. Lockwoods color collect is amazing! Better range than my HP printer :-)Thanks for the link.
   Mark

   Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.

   View Image

1. 
   Floss | May 23, 2005 04:06am | #6

   Mark,Your welcome. They have a great selection plus you can order samples for a few bucks to see what you may want to use.J.P.http://www.jpkfinefurniture.com