A splash of color

Have you ever considered adding a splash of color to your work?


Woodturner Michael Allison does just that. He uses his experience gained in the guitar refinishing industry to really make his vessels stand out. He describes briefly his methods and materials on his website, but Fine Woodworking has posted a four minute video in which Michael talks in more depth about the techniques behind his graduated dye finish.

Michael uses Trans Tint wood dyes, applied with an air brush. The graduated color is built up over many applications. The manufacturer's technical data sheet describes the dye:

"TransTint Dyes are a single component concentrated metallized acid dyestuff dissolved in a glycol ether carrier. The product is designed to be let down with a polar or mildly polar solvent such as water or alcohol and used as a dye stain on bare wood for interior surfaces."

The data sheet goes on to describe how the dye can be used. This is a must-read for anyone planning to use this product. It covers safety issues as well as hints for dealing with application problems.

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TransTint® Dyes Concentrated dye solution makes it easy to apply beautiful color to your project. Available in 12 colors. 2 oz. bottle... TransTint® Dyes

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Michael primarily uses water based lacquer to build up a finish when the dyeing is complete to make the color pop out. High gloss finishes like this require careful turning since any ripples in the surface will be very obvious, just like a small dent in a polished car.


Technorati tags: dye, color, Dyeing, woodturning

Categories: finishing