Finally dyed my own pen barrel!

[Drstrangefart]

This is a piece of soft maple I dyed with blue food coloring. Ran out of coloring because it was an ancient bottle. I managed to force some denatured alcohol in there and get the dye back to useable so I could finish the job right. I tried soaking the barrel in thin CA after dye so I could sand without too much fear of losing the color, but I still lost a lot of it and couldn't really get into the sanding how I like to. Instead I switched up to piling on layers of medium CA and sanding back until the finish was close enough to call it. I figured a copper kit would really pop on the blue, and I feel like it was a good call to make. It was definitely an interesting and messy process, I hope to try it again. I will likely get the sanding done most of the way first, at least get the 150 grit done so I can start on a smoother surface. The maple had a very open grain after I got done with cutting it into a barrel.

 

[rherrell]

When using food coloring you need to do ALL of your sanding BEFORE you apply it. After applying, let it dry and then burnish it with a piece of brown paper bag at high RPM's, that will get rid of the raised grain caused by the liquid in the dye but won't remove any of the coloring. If you sand AFTER applying the coloring you run the risk of sanding through, then you'll need to start over.:wink:

 

[Drstrangefart]

GOOD TO KNOW. Thanks!

 

[JD Combs Sr]

Great looking pen. If you hadn't said Maple I would have guessed acrylic based on the depth of color and the finish. A1.

 

[KenV]

Alan -- to pick grit with what Rick said --

If you sand lightly - especially along the grain you can "lighten" the dye effect and get shading along the barrel of the pen. It allows the application of dye of a different color and development of different effects. Use fairly fine grit abrasive.

Food Color is fast and easy -- but is not know as being light fast, and the colors fade with much sunlight. Food color is an easy learning tool, but there are more durable dyes available such as transtint if you are going to do much coloring.

 

[Drstrangefart]

Alan -- to pick grit with what Rick said --

If you sand lightly - especially along the grain you can "lighten" the dye effect and get shading along the barrel of the pen. It allows the application of dye of a different color and development of different effects. Use fairly fine grit abrasive.

Food Color is fast and easy -- but is not know as being light fast, and the colors fade with much sunlight. Food color is an easy learning tool, but there are more durable dyes available such as transtint if you are going to do much coloring.

I planned on looking into that. There's some stuff that I used during a brief stint at a gunsmith's shop that worked awesome. We just had the food coloring in the house already and I happened to remember at a convenient time.

 

[Drstrangefart]

When using food coloring you need to do ALL of your sanding BEFORE you apply it. After applying, let it dry and then burnish it with a piece of brown paper bag at high RPM's, that will get rid of the raised grain caused by the liquid in the dye but won't remove any of the coloring. If you sand AFTER applying the coloring you run the risk of sanding through, then you'll need to start over.:wink:

Worked like a charm! Pic is already posted. Next up will be combining dye and sanding to make effects. Tu-tone, Gradient color, tye-dye, etc.

 

[Steve Busey]

Great job, Doc! That's a good consistent coverage of the blue.

 

[Drstrangefart]

Great job, Doc! That's a good consistent coverage of the blue.

Thanks! I just held a bag under this one and dripped the dye directly on it. MESSY. I switched over to using a Qtip to brush it on and that seems to be working okay. I may have to go back.