Dye questions

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old_picker
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Dye questions

Post by old_picker » Mon Jan 19, 2015 11:19 am

looking at importing dyes from OS and considering Transtints, LMI concentrates or aniline alcohol soluble
the concentrates are quite a bit cheaper and the dyes look very attractive price wise

any have advice on which yields the best results ?
or what do you use?

i have a basic understanding of colour theory and line testing so the testing side of it presents no problems except the extra work involved

btw i found a cheaper buy for the transtints [colortone ex stewmac]
http://www.veneersupplies.com/categorie ... 6__Stains/

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peter.coombe
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Re: Dye questions

Post by peter.coombe » Mon Jan 19, 2015 11:59 am

I would not use alcohol soluble analine dyes. They are not colour fast over the long term. Water soluble analine dyes are much better and that is what I have been using for many years. Transtint dyes are excellent, are very flexible in terms of how you can use them, and should hold their colour indefinitely. I also have Transtints, but have not used them much because I can get the colour I need easier from the water based analines. Don't know about the LMI concentrates, but they are classed as hazardous so are unlikely to be able to be shipped to Australia.
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Craig Bumgarner
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Re: Dye questions

Post by Craig Bumgarner » Tue Jan 20, 2015 2:42 am

Peter, This is timely as I am trying to decide how to tint a guitar. Historically, I've done nothing more than use the finish itself to color the wood. In some cases, I have used amber shellac. But, now I have a project which requires a darker finish that resembles an aged vintage finish. Here is a picture.
IMG_4289 (Copy).JPG
IMG_4290 (Copy).JPG
The back and sides are currently grain filled with epoxy and the top is sealed with a thin coat of blonde shellac. I was thinking of added aniline dye (Stewmac Colortone) to 1 pound cut shellac and spraying thin coats until I got the color value I need, then blonde shellac over that to lock it down and seal. Finish up with standard French Polish techniques. Any comments on this approach?
Craig Bumgarner

Bumgarner Guitar Blog

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Nick
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Re: Dye questions

Post by Nick » Tue Jan 20, 2015 6:12 am

Personally I prefer the transtint/colortone, a little goes a long way (we're talking drops,not mls to mix enough to colour an instrument), really easy to mix, will mix with any medium and as Peter noted, they are colourfast so won't fade over time and lastly aren't considered hazardous so are easily shipped from overseas. But that's just me, you should try several different types if you are just starting with stains to see what works best for you and your method of application. That's why we still see the different forms of dyes and stains as everybody has their own way of doing things.
Craig....Nice guitar! :D The transtint will get you to the colour your looking to reproduce (a semi-weak medium brown by the looks, on my monitor), I have no experience with Shellac as a medium but Peter probably has so I shall defer the technical advice to him.
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Craig Bumgarner
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Re: Dye questions

Post by Craig Bumgarner » Tue Jan 20, 2015 8:58 am

I tried some ColorTone dyes in 1 pound cut shellac. Spray it with many thin coats. Coats dry immediately, I mean instantly, so I can just keep spraying. I stopped only because I wanted to adjust the hue a little, too yellow right now, but not dense enough yet, so plenty of room to adjust. Seems to work just fine, seems very thin, almost no appreciable build up which is what I was after. I want to build up with clear to lock in the color. If Peter or anyone else has suggestions, I'm all ears.
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old_picker
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Re: Dye questions

Post by old_picker » Tue Jan 20, 2015 1:51 pm

for what it is worth i went for the transtints which are relabeled by stewmac as colortone stains
i decided to buy the 3 primaries and black which should get me any of the fancy tones like vintage amber, cherry red etc
i paid us$ $15.70 per bottle +US$56 for usps priority intnl. freight inc insurance -

i cringe at the freight price but there is nothing quite like these dyes avalaible here

Lex
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Re: Dye questions

Post by Lex » Sat Jan 24, 2015 7:49 pm

old_picker wrote:for what it is worth i went for the transtints which are relabeled by stewmac as colortone stains
i decided to buy the 3 primaries and black which should get me any of the fancy tones like vintage amber, cherry red etc
i paid us$ $15.70 per bottle +US$56 for usps priority intnl. freight inc insurance -

i cringe at the freight price but there is nothing quite like these dyes avalaible here

yeah, well just wait until the Australian retailers association manages to convince the government to apply GST to goods under the $1000 threshold , that stain will be worth it's weight in gold :D

Cheers Tod G

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