I’m trying to match a finish color on some church architectural molding. In the past, I have had excellent success using TransTint dyes and either Waterlox (wiping varnish) or shellac (to mimic lacquer.) Unfortunately, TransTint doesn’t provide a color that is even close to what I need. I think I have blended a Minwax oil stain and Mixol pigments to achieve the right color, but the character of the finish is much different. The woodwork looks more like a dye, in that it is more transparent than a muddy oil stain. I remembered that we have used the original Fiebing’s Leather Dye in the past with no topcoat incompatibility problems. However, the colors that looked most likely to help me were in their Fiebing’s Pro Dye color chart. I understand the Pro Dye is a different animal from the Leather Dye. Does anyone have experience using the Pro Dye on wood, and if so, what topcoat worked for you? (If I need to use shellac, I’ll have to put something alcohol resistant over it, as this church uses a lot of wine.) I ordered two bottles of two different colors to experiment with, but would enjoy knowing a bit more about what I’m getting into. Yes, I’ll make finish samples on scrap — I’ve already made over 50 samples that didn’t work. Thanks for any information you can provide.
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Replies
When in doubt a barrier coat of shellac is your friend. For dyes I keep a few cans of Zinsser spray shellac on hand. Wiping shellac over dyes can smear things and make extra work for you.
From your statement, I'm not sure if I fully understand your issues with regard to "getting the right color with TransTint". TransTint is an excellent medium for that purpose. But, you need an understanding of color theory in order to get what you want. At best, it is a tedious process, but with the correct colors to start with and an understanding of how to mix them, you can get anything you want/need. I usually start with a ready mixed color close to what I need and then, using primary colors (red, yellow, blue, along with black for darkening) I mix with water in very small quantities until I get what I need. I suggest that you get a color wheel and a book on color theory.
Thanks, Bilyo. I may need to go into the fundamentals like that at some point. I was using the ready mixed colors, and none were good starting points. The Fiebings looked like better starting points. I've known for years that color is not my strongest point, tho I'm much better than I was starting out. It doesn't help that the church is 90 miles away, and the finished woodwork was not done in a standard way. Very hard to capture accurately with a cell phone camera.