Dye on Hard Maple

[TV]

I am working on a projected for a friend of mine and he want to dye maple (actually he said stain) to an almost black finish. I have never used dye's before and am looking for some direction. If anyone has a suggestion for finishing books that revolve around dye's, that would be appreciated. The color will be matched to a piece of furniture that already exists.

Thanks.

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[DaveO]

Not a book per se, but an excellent resource for finishing information and great quality dye products -
http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/

Dave

 

[TV]

Thanks for the link, Dave.

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[Vanilla Gorilla]

David Marks ebonized maple for the base of a cherry bookcase once. It came out really nice. He said something about dye fading over time, so instead he used metal acid dye to blacken the wood. I am not sure where to obtain the product, but I am sure someone here can get you started on the right path.

 

[jack briggs]

Follow DaveO's link to Homestead Finishing's site for TransTint dyes - they're the most colorfast (resistant to fading) and dissolve in any medium; water, alcohol, lacquer, etc. I use them often.



Cheers,

 

[Howard Acheson]

The color maple to a relatively deep black takes two steps. Just using a dye will leave you with a gray color. After using the dye, most will apply a coat of shellac and then apply a black gel stain. That will give the best consistent deep color.

Now, as always, test out your plans on some scrap from your project. Go through the complete process including applying your planned clear coat.

 

[nelsone]

Jeff Jewitt, who runs Homestead Finishing, has a couple books out. I have one and found it very helpful. I used Transtint on a library unit I built for some folks and it worked great in blending the maple hardwood with the maple ply I used.

 

[TV]

I appreciate the additional advice. I will be doing some more reading of Jeff Jewitt's books.

Howard, what is the difference with using a gel stain after the shellac and utilizing a tint in the finish after the shellac? Thanks

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[DavidF]

One thing that might make a difference is whether you want an ebony look where you can see the grain in the black wood or a fully opaque black like a Japanese lacquer. See my demilune table in my gallery for what I achieved. I used Indian ink on maple which blacker than anything I have ever seen. Followed by black tinted clear finish and then top clear coats. The effect is very nice. After I finished that I decided that next time I wanted a fully opaque finish I would simply use a high quality black paint followed by a good top coat.

 

[TV]

DavidF, thanks for the reply. My friend is wanting it to somewhat match a large picture frame in his house. I haven't seen it yet but he stated that it shows a little be of grain. It isn't completely opaque.

Could you still see the grain of the wood when just the Indian ink was on the maple?

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[Howard Acheson]

>> what is the difference with using a gel stain after the shellac and utilizing a tint in the finish after the shellac?

Using a wipe on gel stain gives you more control than using a tinted finish. With a gel stain over a shellac, you can wipe off the gel stain with a rag and mineral spirits and start over. Also, tinted varnishes are very difficult to apply in a manner that gives a consistent film thickness. Any variation in the film thickness will cause a color intensity variation.

Test a couple of finishing plans on scrap material before you commit to the real thing. That's the best advice that anyone can give relative to finishing. That way there is no surprise and you learn and practice how to do the finish before you get to the "money" project. No tears.

 

[DavidF]

DavidF, thanks for the reply. My friend is wanting it to somewhat match a large picture frame in his house. I haven't seen it yet but he stated that it shows a little be of grain. It isn't completely opaque.

Could you still see the grain of the wood when just the Indian ink was on the maple?

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Yes you could after the first application, but not after the second and third. The Indian Ink is a pigment stain so builds up. I also found that the tighter grain on Hard Maple didn't take it quite as well as soft maple, so was very carefull not to do any sanding until I had applied at least two clear coats over the top.

 

[TV]

Thanks again for the information/advice. I have plenty of time before I have to get this piece done, so I will definitely be doing some test pieces for color.

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