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I’ve been using Moser’s water-based aniline dyes with consistently good results and favorable feedback over the last year. However, this past week, I tried their “Medium Fumed Oak” for the first time and noticed that the dyed surface has a peculiar green hue to it…kinda looks like it belongs on the set of Night of the Living Dead.
I like the tone, the browns and golds, that this color delivers, but that green is driving me nuts! First, is this the result of not mixing the dye in the right proportions? I followed the directions…one ounce in one quart. Second, can I offset the greenish hue on the already dyed pieces? Third, is there another Moser’s product that will deliver a more predictable result?
Moser’s “Dark Fumed Oak” is too dark, and the “Light Fumed Oak” is too light.
I’ve tried to dilute their “Dark Fumed Oak” to achieve a lighter color but met with limited success. There comes a point at which too thin a mixture turns everything red! I’ve tried mixing the “Light Fumed Oak” with a greater concentration of dye (one ounce of dye in something considerably less than one quart of water) but still couldn’t reach the darker tone I wanted to achieve.
I’ll try blending equal parts of Dark and Light…which seems like a logical thing to do…and report the results. I suspect the chemistry of each dye is designed to be used a stand-alone product. However, I’m after a result, and if blending delivers that result, that’s great! I think they also make a “Van Dyke Brown” which also might get me closer to the desired color.
As always, I look forward to your observations!
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Tony, I've noticed that all "fumed oak" dyes have the greenish hue you've described. When you actually fume oak, there is a definite green base to the color, but it's much richer, more brown than any dye I've found.
Try mixing the van dyke in, and see if it isn't more to your liking - there's nothing wrong with blending dyes together, that's how we get colors no one else has.
while you're at it, you might consider actually fuming the oak. feel free to get in touch with me if you want info about that...
SB
*i Second, can I offset the greenish hue on the already dyed pieces?Absolutely, you can tweak the color of any dye stain by adding other colors, diluting the mixture, or making the mixture more concentrated. Adding a small amount of red to a greenish mixture will make it browner.If you've got back issues of the magazine, see Chris Minick's "Tips for coloring wood" on p. 121 of issue #142.
*OK...After applying a couple of coats of Bartley's Gel Varnish, and conducting a highly scientific, totally unreliable and invalid survey of some people in the shop, most everyone agreed that the color was pleasing to the eye. Everyone did acknowledge that it tended toward green, however NOBODY thought that the greenish hue was distracting. Conclusion: Much ado about nothing.I did take a fresh batch of Moser's Medium Fumed Oak dye and added roughly 5% additional solution of Moser's Dark Fumed Oak dye with nice results. (I had a nearly full 26 oz. jar of Medium and added just over an ounce of Dark.) The green is more subdued and the dye tends more toward the medium to dark brown color that I had hoped for.I did NOT try to blend another dye over the already dyed piece. I guess, if everyone said it was truly bad, I would have just sanded everything and started over. On the other hand, becoming a good finisher probably means learning these very techniques -- mixing the liquid to achieve the right color BEFORE application, and learning how to affect a color change on the wood AFTER an application.F-L-A-P: Finish Like A Pro. That was Ed Sabol's directive to his cameramen in the early days at NFL Films. He certainly wasn't thinking of furniture when he said it...but he would have been correct!Thanks for the encouragement!
*Hey, Tony, are you associated with NFL Films at all? I've got a really good friend over there!SB
*Scott...no, I'm not. I just remember seeing Ed Sabol on some ESPN or HBO sports special and that phrase, Finish Like A Pro, made a strong impression.
*I am using a water based Aniline Dye on a test strip of Red Oak. I did not want to do a full mix of one quart, So I mixed 13.672 grains (I used a reloading scale) to 1 ounce hot water. I then let it cool. I masked an Oak board off in 8 sections and applied different dyes. I applied the dye wet and waited 1 to 3 minutes then wiped off the dye. All 8 samples came out flat looking with the wood grain flat. Is there some way to get more grain contrast without going to a pigment type stain?
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