dying bass wood

[mdwilliams999]

Has anyone tried dying bass wood?

I have a bunch of bass wood from a local historic museum that would like me to make a bunch of pens with the wood. I'm guessing bass wood is not a popular wood because it is so soft and not a lot of character. Anyway, it seems like I have succeeded at drying the wood as it is now at approx. 8% moisture. Interestingly enough, I cut the wood into 1" x 1" by 7" pieces and put in a box in front of my dehumidifier for 2 days.

Anyway, does anyone suggest that I attempt dying the wood to make it possibly more appealing so they will sell or should I just keep them natural. If you think I should dye them what dye or method should I use? Please keep in mind that I would like to keep the expenses reasonable but not at the expense of a quality finished product.

Mike

 

[OOPS]

I have not personally dyed basswood. However, I have seen people use liquid shoe polish to dye the wood black after carving. I have also seen people use other colors of liquid wood dye to rub over the surface. This process takes some trial and error, because not all wood accepts dye well. Black liquid shoe polish does the job, but it removes any hope of viewing the grain. I have also read on this site about using Sharpies to dye the surface of the pen. I would think you would need to apply some CA or something to put over the Sharpie ink, to keep it from wearing off.

Please be sure to post your finished product, as I am sure many would like to see them.

 

[plantman]

Mike; Go to Craft Supplies USA (www.woodturnerscatalog.com). They have both Aniline Powder Dyes and Alcohol-based dye mixes in quite a few colors. These dyes will let what little grain Basswood has show through. You can mix them to get whatever depth you want, or mix colors for custom colors. They penetrate deep and dry in about 5 minutes. I have also used food coloring and Easter egg colors. I once made some pens for an Easter party using the dyes that stay on the surface of the water and do not mix. When I put the blanks in they came out with rainbow and psychedelic colors. There are several carvers in our group that use shoe polish to inhanse their works. You might also check Hobby Lobby, Michaleser, craft store ,or fabric stores for dyes. Whatever you end up using, be sure to seal it with 4 - 6 coates of CA to harden he Basswood. Make sure you try any dye on a test piece of wood first. Go through the whole finishing process so you will know what thr end results will look like when done and see if it meet you standard. Good Luck!! Jim S

 

[plantman]

Mike; Go to Craft Supplies USA (www.woodturnerscatalog.com). They have both Aniline Powder Dyes and Alcohol-based dye mixes in quite a few colors. These dyes will let what little grain Basswood has show through. You can mix them to get whatever depth you want, or mix colors for custom colors. They penetrate deep and dry in about 5 minutes. I have also used food coloring and Easter egg colors. I once made some pens for an Easter party using the dyes that stay on the surface of the water and do not mix. When I put the blanks in they came out with rainbow and psychedelic colors. There are several carvers in our group that use shoe polish to inhanse their works. You might also check Hobby Lobby, Michaleser, craft store ,or fabric stores for dyes. Whatever you end up using, be sure to seal it with 4 - 6 coates of CA to harden he Basswood. Make sure you try any dye on a test piece of wood first. Go through the whole finishing process so you will know what thr end results will look like when done and see if it meet you standard. Good Luck!! Jim S

:redface::redface: Sorry for the poor spelling, it was after 2 AM. Jim S

 

[MrWright]

You know if the bass wood has some historic something going for it you could make a small decal of the Museum, or their logo, and put it on the pen. It would show up real nice on the real light color of the bass wood. It would give the buyers of the pens to want something from the area and museum.