Popular Post don in brooklin on Posted July 25, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 25, 2017 In a previous post, I was able to get help from Russell AKA Birchbank and came up with the pattern for the head and then I matched to the SSW article and added my own letters. Thank you. I am quite happy. Cut in Baltic Birch, Finish is just food coloring. JOE_M, Lucky2, lawson56 and 7 others 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOE_M Posted July 25, 2017 Report Share Posted July 25, 2017 Please explain the food coloring finish. I've got a project that needs coloring and what I've been doing is just a big pain in the butt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangeman Posted July 25, 2017 Report Share Posted July 25, 2017 An idea: adhere some black vinyl stick-on letters and then spray with a lacquer finish. Letters are very difficult to remove after the finish is applied. bb Lucky2 and Iguanadon 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrolling Steve Posted July 25, 2017 Report Share Posted July 25, 2017 That turned out great ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTCowpoke22 Posted July 25, 2017 Report Share Posted July 25, 2017 Looks awesome! Might have to try that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangeman Posted July 25, 2017 Report Share Posted July 25, 2017 5 hours ago, JOE_M said: Please explain the food coloring finish. I've got a project that needs coloring and what I've been doing is just a big pain in the butt. I've been using food coloring for 8 years now and I a still perfecting the technique. Many variables go into a nicely colored project. For starters I would not use pine or poplar as they are too soft and result in end grain bleeding onto the surface. I use only soft maple and use a durometer to test for hardness before I buy. There are numerous varieties of maple classified as "soft maple" - some harder than others. I just had to experiment with the hardness readings to find a number below which I would get miserable results. Then there is the dilution situation. Water vs alcohol. Alcohol changes the color in several colors. Some colors you can dip and others need to be wiped on with several coats. As you can see there are many variables and I haven't even mentioned drying techniques. One of these days I intend to write up my compilation of techniques and hopefully SSWC magazine will publish. Remember, nothing difficult is ever easy. I see that the author used Baltic Birch and I have found that Baltic Birch is easier to color than maple. Hopefully the author of this thread can chime in and provide insight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOE_M Posted July 25, 2017 Report Share Posted July 25, 2017 29 minutes ago, orangeman said: I would not use pine or poplar as they are too soft Thanks, The projects already cut out in pine so I guess food coloring is out as an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawson56 Posted July 25, 2017 Report Share Posted July 25, 2017 Now that is 1 Smart looking Snake.Fantastic job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWSUDEKUM Posted July 25, 2017 Report Share Posted July 25, 2017 Very nicely done and very colorful. Thanks for sharing this with us. DW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don in brooklin on Posted July 25, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2017 I am just experimenting with food colour and we just put a few drops in some water. It seems you have to make fairly strong. Just dipped in left for a minute or so and then turned over and put on wire racks to dry. Did not wipe. Turned out what we expected. The red could have been brighter but the boss was happy. I have done pine quite recently and it turned out even brighter. The 2 yellow ones below are food colouring. The red is Keda dye. (I not sure it food save so I did not use as I think these may hit a mouth. JOE_M, jollyred, Phantom Scroller and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPscroller Posted July 26, 2017 Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 That turned out great, really cute. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatie Posted July 26, 2017 Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 Your snake looks great love his smilie head. Great work with the colors too. Marg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birchbark Posted July 26, 2017 Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 Yep! That turned out great, you made it work. Really nice. Thanks for sharing that with us. If the boss is happy... Russell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Monk Posted July 26, 2017 Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 I really like it. A fun learning tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newfie Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 Great job Don thanks for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo Posted July 29, 2017 Report Share Posted July 29, 2017 I really like this. And, like Dave M said, a fun learning tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heppnerguy Posted July 30, 2017 Report Share Posted July 30, 2017 Colorizing can be fun and it can become discouraging, I guess if one is going to colorize something they might find it best to try it on a piece of scrap from the same wood as the project, first Dick heppnerguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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