Replies

1. 
   BCD1104 | Apr 08, 2009 09:45pm | #1

   I recently used the TransTint Dyes to dye some Maple red. The first coat looked more orange than red, it took three or four coats of the dye before I achieved a nice red. My first suggestion would be to keep applying more coats of dye and see where that takes you. Otherwise, you could search for a dowel that is darker than birch which may give you a better starting point.

   Good luck,

   Brent

2. 
   SteveSchoene | Apr 08, 2009 11:09pm | #2

   How intense did you mix the dye, and what solvent did you use to mix it initially?   How did you apply it?  

   When you mixed the dye with the acyrlic finish did you mix in the concentrate, or the diluted dye?  You can add up to an ounce of the concentrate to a quart of the finish, so that should be a pretty dark color, I'd think. 

   Is there any chance that the dowel had been coated in some way?   Did you wipe it down with DNA before applying the dye? 

1. 
   kentmich | Apr 08, 2009 11:31pm | #3

   Steve,
   I didn't apply anything to the dowel to clean it, but I had to sand it with a belt sander to get the proper taper in it, so I took off the top layer of wood in any event.I mixed the liquid concentrate with water 1:32 and applied it with a rag. The dye looked a light mahogany on the rag, but on the wood it came out more like orange.When that didn't work, after it dried, I mixed some dye concentrate 1:32 into Minwax Polyacrylic finish (water-based varnish). That came out looking orange before I even tried applying it to the wood. And my hands are stained orange. But again, that original rag did come out looking like mahogany.Do you think there's something about birch that changes the dye? I think I'll try it on some pine....

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Apr 08, 2009 11:47pm | #4

   What top coat did you apply over the dyed wood?  You can't tell the final color of dyed wood until some top coat has been applied.  This can be simulated by wiping the dried wood with mineral spirits.  I have often been surprised by the change that happens. 

   While the acyrlic finish has limits on the amount of dye you can add, you can mix the dye concentrate with water MUCH more heavily if you need to.  Try it on bare wood with a significantly heavier concentration in the water. 

2. 
   dbhoward | Sep 28, 2013 06:48pm | #11

   Transtint

   I would never expect one specific trantint color to acheive a match to an exsisting color. I use the Red Mahogany transtint for my mahogany guitar necks but I also add a bit of dark brown and red tanstint and test it on a scrap mahogany to achieve a much deeper complex color. The brown gives it a depth and the red adds a bit of brightness.  So to acheive a red mahogany on bare mahogany wood I use 3 transtint colors. 

   Bottom line you can achieve any color on any wood by using a combination of transtint colors, using single colors, like dark brown, red, amber yellow can push the color in a certain direction. 

   See the attahced image, now thats a red mahogany acheieved with transtint.

   David 

   
3. 
   Walnutz | Apr 09, 2009 06:46pm | #5

   Steve is giving you some very good advice.  I spray transtint dyes all the time.  It's my go-to product when I need to color wood from it's natural color.  The dyed wood without a top finish like your varnish, or lacquer, or any other "finish coat", will not look anything like it will after the finish is applied.  This is why it is always recommended to do a trial run in the wood species you are using with the dye and finish coat, to make sure you get the color you are looking for.  You won't be able to tell until your final finish is applied.

1. 
   kentmich | Apr 10, 2009 02:08am | #7

   Thanks to you all for your suggestions.If I apply a top finish and the color is wrong, then I have to remove the finish in order to apply more dye. So I understand that mineral spirits also make it look like the final color (while it is wet)? I just tried that and the color deepened a little, but still is not anything near a mahogany. It's actually more like an amber.Walnutz - I mixed the Red Mahogany Transtint at 1:15 with denatured alcohol and it STILL came out amber on a piece of 2x4 stud (pine? spruce?) as well as my birch dowel, when dampened with mineral spirits. Do I need to go stronger than that? At $18 for a 2oz bottle, this stuff could get expensive if I can't dilute it down.

1. 
   Walnutz | Apr 10, 2009 02:14am | #8

   The stronger the mix, the deeper the color.  I personally do not take cost into factor when it comes to finish.  It can make or break the piece.  What's the point of trying to save a buck or two if the finished product isn't what you're after.

   I always do a test board of the same material, and I run through my entire finishing schedule before I apply anything to the piece of furniture or cabinetry.  I recommend you do the same. 

   If you mix that red mahogany tint stronger, it will get "redder" and deeper.  Does that make sense?

4. 
   dustymctevish | Apr 09, 2009 11:42pm | #6

   Trying to match  finishes is one of those bugaboos in a woodworkers life.  I got a whole lot of different bottles, cans, and jars of partially used contents of stains and dyes that I collecter over the years and I found that not one of them ever matched anything by itself.  Ya just gota experiment with combinations of different layers of dyes and pigment stains.  It’s an art in itself,  er,, sorry…craft.

5. 
   Floss | Apr 10, 2009 05:31am | #9

   Get some shellac. Zinsser sealcoat is a good wax free 2 lb. cut shellac.

   Put about 1 oz. of shellac in a small cup.

   Then put in about 15 drops of dye.

   Put 2 or more coats on your piece using a small piece of cotton rag.

   Work quickly to avoid lap marks.

   If it is not getting dark enough then put a few more drops in your shellac cup.

   When you get to your desired color, topcoat with several wiped on coats of clear shellac.

   You can then use whatever topcoat you want on the piece.

   F.

   Edit: Let the coats of shellac dry about 30 minutes to an hour before re-coating

   
   

   ---

   Edited 4/9/2009 10:33 pm ET by Floss

1. 
   poplarguy | Apr 10, 2009 08:43pm | #10

   I've been trying to match a dark brown stain with trans tint dyes on new birch, and I had the same experience.  I did the same thing, only using water.  I used a very high concentration of dye in the water, and then, after the piece was wet, directly rubbed a few drops of dye in.  Worked a charm.  Intellectually I know that isn't the way to do it, but there you go. 

   By the way, I was using red birch, and getting a lot of blotches with my test pieces, so I put on an initial coat of shellac, sanded most of it off, and then hit the piece with the dye. 

   Simon

6. 
   Ed_Pirnik | Oct 03, 2013 09:48am | #12

   Dye trouble

   I wonder if a combination of dye and pigment stain might work here. I've used that technique on Arts and Crafts furniture--learned it from an article by Nancy Hiller several years ago and it's worked great for me. Some experimentation will be required though. In my experience with oak, I've applied honey amber dye - which went on looking terrifyingly yellow - and then brought it down to a rich brown town by a subsequent coat of Minwax Early American. Check out the article I liked to above. Hope this helps. Let us know how it turns out!

   Best,

   Ed