Hi,
I’m making some scroll saw puzzles for kids out of 3/4 poplar and aspen. I’m mixing power dye (Transtint) w/ water. Some of the pieces turned out great, others are very blotchy and havea halo effect. I tried wetting the pieces first and that did not help much.
Next I’m gonn try a thin coat of shellac. Will this work? I also want to put an oil and wax finish on the pieces. Will the shellac affect this? Am I on the right track here?
Replies
With dye you can't really see how it has turned out without something to simulate a top coat. Check them out with some mineral spirits to approximate how they will look under a top coat.
The solvent it was mixed with (in this case water) will (at least partially) redissolve the dye, which can help with the halo effect. Applying a second coat of the dye can also help. Make sure you apply dye quite liberally--I usually use a sponge, and then wipe off excess liquid with the same sponge, wrung out but not really dry.
You can't first apply shellac and then apply either dye or an oil finish. Both need to penetrate unsealed wood.
I assusme you mean TransFast which is the powdered dye, and not TransTint which is the liquid concentrate.
Poplar has a tendency to get blochy. I have used a thin coat of shellac to solve this. You won't get the penetration or depth of color that you would have with out it. Use a de-waxed shellac if you plan to put other finishes over it. If you have alcohol based tints available you might mix some into additional coats of shellac as a toner.
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