Woodcraft_Magazine_-_October-November_2019

Get set to work with dye stain

The gear shown here is what I use to color wood with concentrated

liquid dye stain. The color wheel comes in handy when you

want to combine colors to create a custom blend. Paper cups

are useful for mixing and making small test batches.

Dye stain options

I like to work with concentrated liquid dyes for several reasons. For starters,

I like the range of colors and wood tones that are available. Ease of use is

another positive, especially with regard to making custom colors. But dye

stains come in other forms that may be

more suitable, depending on your needs.

Premixed dye stain is the

easiest type to use, but

it’s also more expensive.

Powdered dye offers the

same advantages as

concentrated liquid dye,

but for accurate mixing

with water or alcohol,

you’ll need a digital scale.

The ability of dye stains to
penetrate more deeply makes
them especially effective
at emphasizing the natural
chatoyance of figured woods
like curly maple. The dye
stain technique shown here
has become my standard
treatment for showing off
figured grain.

Color wheel Sandpaper

Cotton rags

Calibrated syringe

Sanding

block

1 quart jar

Distilled water

Concentrated

liquid dyes

Latex gloves

Paper cups

Scrap

samples

Paper towels

Oct/Nov 2019 | woodcraftmagazine.com 57