TransTint dyes from Joewoodworker?

[Hdale85]

Has anyone used these? Are they the same thing as an aniline dye? Are they better? I was thinking about getting the red mahogany or the blue color (leaning towards blue) but I'm not sure.

[eyekode]

Edit: heh, replied to wrong post!

[bobhowell]

Has anyone used these? Are they the same thing as an aniline dye? Are they better? I was thinking about getting the red mahogany or the blue color (leaning towards blue) but I'm not sure.

Yes. I have used them on woodworking projects for 4-5 yrs. They are the same basic dye as Belhins NGR stains, just very concentrated. You can add them to just about any clear finish as well as use them as a dye on unfinished wood.

I have yellow, black, and brown. I also have red in Behlins NGR, and several Minwax stain colors. All of these can be intermixed to get special colors. Minwax stains are just dyes and solid pigments mixed with lenseed oil as a binder.

They seem much easier than the powder form of dyes. They are aniline mixed with some ether based solvent that will then mix with everything.

Bob

[Hdale85]

Yeah I had just heard that Aniline Dyes make the grain pop more then a stain. Just don't want to spend money on it if its not what I'm looking for. I'm using bamboo veneer so I want to make sure the grain pops nicely and with a darker color like blue that may be hard.

[wkhanna]

All I use on my good projects is TransTint.

I mix it with denatured alcohol. Having a good sealer coat down first is V important, IMHO. I often cut my sealer 50/50 too, and apply 2 to 3 coats with a V light sanding in between coats.

[Hdale85]

What about mixing it with linseed oil? I just want to make sure the bamboo grain pops rather well I understand its not going to be completely noticeable as its a darker color but I think you understand what I mean.

[Hank]

Dye is soooo much better than stain. When I discovered dyes, I gave up on stain. My favorite is Solarlux, but I have used black Transtint to tint a customer's oak cabinet bases and external crossover box. Grain filler, sand, then the black Transtint. Even though it's concentrated, it took quite a bit to get the oak pieces right.

[Hdale85]

Yeah I would imagine black takes a higher concentration to come out very black. I'm not sure that I want to make my cabinets quiet as dark as the sample they show on the page.

http://www.veneersupplies.com/product_info.php?products_id=709

More then likely I will have to play around with some different concentrations to see what I end up liking. I also need to get an HVLP sprayer or something to get a nice glossy finish :B

[bobhowell]

I have no experience with bamboo, But on many woods, I put it on and sand off some. It is adsorbed at different rates so your blue would be removed in some places and left in some. Then come back with a second color and you will have a two tone finish. This should be done on a test piece first, as no one knows what you will really get.

I use black on curly maple. sand off most, and then, light brown( or red). You can even get variations by sanding down at differing rates.

Variations is the key, as it creates highlights and shadows of differing colors.

A wash coat of shellac controls the adsorption and evens up the color. You may or maynot want this.

Anyway, I have a birdseye maple jewellry box top that I have finished twice and sanded off with a palm sander, because I did not like the results. It took 3 min each time. the wood is 1/2" so its not noticed.

Be prepared for surprises. I put down yellow and then black. It turned GREEN. Two more coats of black and it went black. Then a brown coat and I had what I wanted. These were small areas and I was using 1/2 cup watter and 2-3 drops of Transtint. I sneak up on the color with several coats.

Good luck.

Bob

[Hdale85]

Got any pictures of your work? Sounds interesting. I'm pretty sure I just want to do blue or red though and not multiple colors. Although I have not convinced my self of the blue completely

[wkhanna]

I sneak up on the color with several coats.


Bob

V good point, Bob!

I have also found it is easier to color match, if you need to, when using the dyes.

[Hdale85]

Yeah....unfortunately I won't be able to dye all 5 of my speakers at the same time lol. Although the rears may just be painted flat black anyways.

[Hdale85]

What do you guys think I should mix it with? Alcohol? Or water? Or should I mix it in with some kind of finish? I'm really not sure....

[bobhowell]

water might be easiest to work with. I suggest mixing weak and applying several coats. Sometimes I seal it first with weak shellac or even linseed oil cut 50-50 with paint thinner. I have found it VERY forgiving and have gone back and applied more color after several coats of oil. For this you might switch to alcohol.

Some like to wet the surface first but they probably use stronger mix. Many ways to do it. Most all work well.

[phisch]

What do you guys think I should mix it with? Alcohol? Or water? Or should I mix it in with some kind of finish? I'm really not sure....

I've always used denatured alcohol with dyes. It smells bad and you need to use a respirator when applying it, but it doesn't raise the woodgrain the way water does.

[Hdale85]

By raise do you mean make it show through more? Or actually raise the wood grain so that it makes it more difficult to finish?

[mbutzkies]

There are pigments and dyes, dyes are meant to penetrate, pigments are not.

Some are oil based, some water based, some alcohol based. The package will say what to mix it with. I do not like water based products due to grain raising problem.

A lot of woods that have dense closed pore structure will not accept a good stain or dye. Pigments are top coats that are not durable without a good binder.

I get the best results mixing alcohol based dyes or pigment directly into a platinum or very blond shellac. It's primarily acting as a top coat. I use tung oil as a sealer to bring out grain. Both shellac and tung give a yellow tint so depending on your color scheme it might not work for you.

I use a 1-1.5lb cut, it drys very quickly and it builds up very quickly. You can also finish it semi matte or give it a high polish.

[Hdale85]

TransTint can be mixed with anything it says. Water alcohol or even shellacs and what not. Being as I want a smooth and glossy finish though I'm thinking alcohol may be my best option as I don't want this grain raising to happen. I'm guessing store bought rubbing alcohol is not what you use though?

[phisch]

By raise do you mean make it show through more? Or actually raise the wood grain so that it makes it more difficult to finish?

It will raise the grain and make it more difficult to finish. The way around this is to wet the surface of the wood with a water dampened sponge first. This will raise the grain of the wood. After the surface has dried, sand with a fine sandpaper (220 or 320 grit depending on the wood) to smooth the surface again. Then apply the water based dye.

[phisch]

TransTint can be mixed with anything it says. Water alcohol or even shellacs and what not. Being as I want a smooth and glossy finish though I'm thinking alcohol may be my best option as I don't want this grain raising to happen. I'm guessing store bought rubbing alcohol is not what you use though?

TransTint dyes can be mixed with almost anything. Some use a 50/50 mix of alcohol and water to reduce the grain raising.

You can use isopropyl alcohol, but most use denatured alcohol with dyes. Smells bad though.

[David_D]

It will raise the grain and make it more difficult to finish. The way around this is to wet the surface of the wood with a water dampened sponge first. This will raise the grain of the wood. After the surface has dried, sand with a fine sandpaper (220 or 320 grit depending on the wood) to smooth the surface again. Then apply the water based dye.

Although I have never done it, all the cabinet making sites recommend exactly what Phisch says

[Finleyville]

Dougie,

I used the TransTint for my speakers as well. I used a 50/50 combo of water and alcohol with mine. I am very happy with the results.

[Dennis H]

If you don't like the smell of denatured alcohol, your local liquor store may have something that smells better.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everclear_(alcohol)

[Hdale85]

Heh.... isn't everclear kind of pricey?

[JoshK]

I am doing a little background research on how to finish my amp chassis. I built it out of dark cherry I had in the basement (fully dried). I did a box joint on the corners.

I am trying to get a durable finish that lets the grain really shine as it is pretty wood. What do you suggest is the best method? There seems to be a variety of methods.

Should I use a linseed oil first, a grain filler first, or something else? Would a shellac be durable enough? Its probably going to come in contact with hands a fair bit, so it needs to be durable enough to not corroded by the oil in hands.

Second question. I used a different bit (longer) then the bit that came with my jig because the wood was so thick. However, the fingers are quite tight and you can see small gaps if you look close. Any suggestion on how best to fill this? The problem is a bit intensified due to using two different toned pieces (same batch just different coloring) to make the joint stand out.

My $.02, this should be a sticky. Lots of good information about finishing. We don't have anything specifically about finishing in the reference threads sticky thread.

[bobhowell]

I have gone to shellac over a linseed oil base for most of my projects. I hate to strip and avoid polyurethane. Put Shellac on thin and you will hardly see it. Heavy and it will look like glass. I put ten coats on once, let it dry a week and smoothed it out with 220 grit wet/dry paper, flooding the surface with odorless paint thinner. You can use water but it might mess up your glue joints. You will have filled in all the low spots and imperfections now. A last thin coat will remove any scratches or places you went through the finish. Now buff it with floor wax and 0000 steel wool for a matte finish. If you want it shinny go further with auto body polish, which I know little about. Shellac is hard but brittle and can damage. But it repairs very easily and has vapor toxicity like a shot of vodka.

Now I usually put on one or two coats and buff it out. This seals the grain but little more and gives it a nice informal look that fits in about anywhere.

I must say I am now distressing most of my furniture projects, so small imperfections are no problem to me. I like the warm look of a waxed finish that smooths over the distresses of age. But the gaps in the joints will be filled. Flakes of shellac are often heated on a knife, melted and forced into dents or gaps to fill them.

[JoshK]

Thanks for the reply Bob. Shellac is up there on my list. I just haven't done any finishing before and I've read dozens of recommended methods. Its hard to choose. I have shellac on hand, so likely that is a good option, but then I have linseed and some other stuff too. The previous homeowners left a lot of stuff, must've been into crafts too, but the shellac is new.

So I don't need any grain filler or sanding finish prior to shellac? I confess to not even knowing what grain filler is. I've seen the others in stores, but not that.

Attached a picture of the subject in question.

[Hdale85]

The grain filler and all that is a bit confusing to me as well... I have no idea if I need it for the bamboo or not?

[bobhowell]

Grain filler is used by a few on open grain wood like oak to get certain effects or HIGH GLOSS. Not needed on bamboo.

I use linseed oil as a first coat to pop the grain out. Cut it 50/50 with thinner. It has little finish protection and must be covered for lasting finish. Otherwise your project will look like raw wood in 6mos-yr. Freshly applied it gives you an idea what you have produced and will show any imperfections, like glue smears, that you want to clean up with sanding.

Shellac is applied over this to provide a lasting finish. A 1 lb cut is easy to work with and goes on smooth. 2 or 3 lb cut will start showing brush marks and are only needed if you want a higher gloss. Brush marks are easly sanded out. Use sanding block with 220 grit and it will knock of the high ridges. This sanding ease is one of the great benefits of shellac. Lacquer is very hard and difficult to sand out.

Shellac goes bad so check old stock. Zinzeer says their's never does but test it by putting some on wood. If it does not harden in a day, don't use it. Bad shellac will not harden.

I read a book 15 yrs back "Understanding Wood Finishing" that is my bases for all this. I have used shellac since and love it. Its very forgiving which is great for hobbyest and low volume shops. Cabinet shops and furniture mgrs need high volume finishes and shellac does not suit them.

[JoshK]

Thanks for the further clarification Bob. I also go a recommendation for Deft spray on stuff. Apparently it is as pretty as shellac but as durable as polyurethane. I am getting the feeling that everyone has their pet finish.

I have some Renaissance wax that I used to protect the copper topplate from further oxidation since I wanted to keep the patina'd look I created. I have heard some who like to use it to finish wood as well and apparently some museums use it. Ever try that? I'll probably just stick with the shellac but I guess I am curious what all the different methods produce and how they compare.

[bobhowell]

Deft is a spray lacquer that works great, however it is loaded with toluline etc., which is very bad for you.To be safe you must use it outside, but here in Ga that leads to blushing, so I can't find a great way to make it work. Same goes for acrylic spray.

I actually use them for very small projects that require a quick burst, then I clear out for hours.