ike Posted July 11, 2016 Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 some time ago someone ask about dying wood. I used Rit clothing dye an 42 circle ornaments They were made from popular wood. it didn't take but a short time for the dye to sink in. I also tried it on pine , it took longer and the hard parts of the wood didn't do very good. but they were salable. IKE Scrolling Steve, oldhudson, keefie and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWSUDEKUM Posted July 11, 2016 Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 Ike the Ritz clothing dye can be made up using denatured alcohol in addition to the water.. just substitute some of the water for the alcohol. This will help it penetrate woods like pine. Just an observation. DW NC Scroller, WayneMahler and wombatie 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill WIlson Posted July 11, 2016 Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 I've been toying with RIT clothing dye on a few projects now. I like it. It can be a little messy, but seems to clean up well. I've been using the pre-mix. I've gotten good color absorption with most things I've tried, some better than others, but that will hold true with stains as well. I like having the variety of colors available, without having to resort to paint. In most applications, I also like the grain showing through. Good stuff, readily available and relatively cheap. WayneMahler 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangeman Posted July 11, 2016 Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 I use food colors for all my colored puzzles. Good selling point at craft shows, especially for the childrens' non-choking puzzles. I get brilliant colors. bb WigWag Workshop and wombatie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryEA Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 Good info ... thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmarsch Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 It was I that asked about dying wood some time ago. I tried the whole food color thing and that didn't work as planned as i was not happy with the quality of the colors. Soooo, unfortunately i resorted to acrylic paint.... I do however like to color quality in you ornament Ike. I may have to do some experimenting with the RIT dyes for future projects. Thank You for posting this and remembering that someone asked about dying wood! Do all the colors come out that vibrant and true on the Poplar Wood? Thanks Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 It was I that asked about dying wood some time ago. I tried the whole food color thing and that didn't work as planned as i was not happy with the quality of the colors. Soooo, unfortunately i resorted to acrylic paint.... I do however like to color quality in you ornament Ike. I may have to do some experimenting with the RIT dyes for future projects. Thank You for posting this and remembering that someone asked about dying wood! Do all the colors come out that vibrant and true on the Poplar Wood? Thanks Chris Didn't get the answer you wanted post it again.Sometimes the week end everybodys busy with other things .But remember i've never seen a question not answered and in more ways than one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 some time ago someone ask about dying wood. I used Rit clothing dye an 42 circle ornaments They were made from popular wood. it didn't take but a short time for the dye to sink in. I also tried it on pine , it took longer and the hard parts of the wood didn't do very good. but they were salable. IKE Thanks Ike for the picture ,very vibrant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangeman Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 Chris, what went wrong with the food color thingy? It's taken me 5 years to perfect the technique and I get brilliant colors. Check this one out: WayneMahler, amazingkevin and oldhudson 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 @orangeman do you use the color straight from the food coloring bottle? Or do you mix it with water or alcohol? Do you seal in the color so it doesn't bleed into the hands (or mouth if a kid decides to chew on it)? WayneMahler 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangeman Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 Travis, I buy concentrated food colors from Esco and LoRann Oils. Then I dilute with either water or alcohol. Alcohol dries faster but it absorbed more and I get more bleed out on softer maple. Diluting with water doesn't bleed out as much. The softer the wood, the more bleed out from the end grain. Then I seal the pieces with Sherwin Williams Cab-acrylic lacquer (gloss). I use a durometer to test the hardness of the soft maple before I buy. There are many varieties of maple classified as soft maple. Some softer than others. Also, diluting some colors with alcohol will affect the color. I have found NEVER to dilute purple with alcohol - you won't get purple. Same with black. As I said it has taken me several years to perfect the process. Hope this helps. Travis 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 Chris, what went wrong with the food color thingy? It's taken me 5 years to perfect the technique and I get brilliant colors. Check this one out: By jove i think he got it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneMahler Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 What an interesting subject. I'm fascinated to put it mildly. I have used these dyes but not for this purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirithorse Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 Hi, Chris (cmarsch), You can also dilute the acrylic paint so that the grain still shows through but, in my opinion, the brilliance or luster of the diluted paint will mostly be brought out by what-ever finish you use rather than the paint itself. For that reason, I would recommend a high gloss finish. God Bless! Spirithorse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmarsch Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 Brian, Those are some amazing colors! How long does the wood sit in the dye? I was using Pine and Poplar wood and couldnt get nearly those results, as a matter of fact you wouldn't event think I tried to dye them. Is the soft maple the only wood that you use? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmarsch Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 Spirithorse, I will try this too next time I am working on a project that requires un-natural colors. Thanks Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangeman Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 Chris, I dip very very briefly; then immediately wipe all excess off with a paper towel. Yes, I use soft maple exclusively. But only if they meet my hardness test. I would not even consider poplar or pine for dying as they are too soft. bb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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