Thanks for all of the very kind comments. Sorry for the delay in responding; we were off to my parents for Christmas and my father's 82nd birthday (the 26th).
I used Lee Valley analine dye. I decided to try a version of the approach described for flat work in the most recent Fine Woodworking magazine. I turned the blanks pretty much to size and sanded to 220. I then dipped the blanks in dark walnut dye, and left them to dry (approx. 12 hours). I then sanded the blanks back so that I could see the natural color of the wood (the dye remained in various burls and quilts). Then I dipped the blanks in ruby red dye and repeated the process. Then I completed sanding, wet sanding through 2500 with Tried and True Danish Oil. Finally, I finished with CA.
By dipping, I mean just that. I made up a batch of each dye in a dixie cup, following the directions provided with the dye. I then screwed a paper towel through the brass tube, and lowered the blank into the cup. Worked like a charm.
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