CA is still reacting with the dye I'm using

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pmpartain

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As suggested, I got some shellac (Bullsye from Home Depot). I applied at least 3 times over the dye. Now here is where I'm probably going to answer my own question. Even after the last coat of shellac, I was still getting yellow transfer onto the paper towel. The yellow didn't turn as orange as before, but it didn't keep the original color either. When applying the shellac to seal the dye from the ca, would you use pressure like a friction polish or not? Is Behlen's a shellac? And lastly, and not related, where can you get the Deft waterborn acrylic?

Thanks a lot, I'm still trying to make a yellow corncob pen. Maybe I should just order another dye or use another finish, and be done with it, but I'm stubborn I guess.
 
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Originally posted by pmpartain
<br />As suggested, I got some shellac (Bullsye from Home Depot). I applied at least 3 times over the dye. Now here is where I'm probably going to answer my own question. Even after the last coat of shellac, I was still getting yellow transfer onto the paper towel. The yellow didn't turn as orange as before, but it didn't keep the original color either. When applying the shellac to seal the dye from the ca, would you use pressure like a friction polish or not? Is Behlen's a shellac? And lastly, and not related, where can you get the Deft waterborn acrylic?

Thanks a lot, I'm still trying to make a yellow corncob pen. Maybe I should just order another dye or use another finish, and be done with it, but I'm stubborn I guess.
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Sounds like you have a lot of dye on the blank. You might want to try the Zinnser SealCoat product. This is a dewaxed shellac that does a very nice job of sealing and may do a better job than the regular Bullseye product. However, if the dye is miscible in the shellac, you are likely to get transfer for several coats since you are partially melting the previous coat of shellac with each application. You can minimize this by not flooding the shellac on and letting the previous coat dry for a few hours.
 
Originally posted by pmpartain
<br />Thanks for the advice. At the time, I thought I wasn't letting the shellac cure enough. Do they sell the Zinnser product at Home Depot of Lowes?
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SealCoat is widely available. I got mine at either Home Depot or Lowes.
 
I'm using a dye made by Jacquard. There was an article about making corn cob pens in Woodturning design. The gentleman who wrote the article used a Jacquard product called Dye Na Flow. I couldn't find their stuff here, so I called them. The tech guy on the phone recommended a product they call Pinata colors. Seems that Dye Na Flow is actually a fabric paint, and this stuff is more of a dye. The colors are brilliant when you put them on the cob. Problem is that some of the colors react with CA and change color. Yellow becomes an orange like red. Almost like tie dye. May be something interesting to fool around with later. Right now, I'm trying to stop the reaction rather than see what effects you can get as a result of it.
 
Try using a high quality food dye that is free of sugar. You may ned to talk to a bakery to see if they have any source information. These dyes are water baser so be sure to allow the blank to dry thoroughly as the moisture will definitely react with the CA ... even a little bit that is trapped will cause problems. [:D]
 
Be careful about applying CA over shellac. It's my understanding that CA will attack most alcohol based finishes and I believe shellac is alcohol based.
 
How do I know for sure. In another post I made, it was recomended that I use shellac as a sealer coat. What happens if the CA attacks the shellac. Will it blush or something so that I can tell, or just fall off at some point in the future?
 
I don't know how deep a yellow you are trying to put on the cob, but I had good luck using a yellow Sharpie brand marker that I got at Michaels.
I was not going for too much color, just enough to make it more corn color than cob color. I put it on strong and then used the paper towel to make some come off till it was right.
I don't remember it having a problem with the CA.
 
Originally posted by gerryr
<br />Be careful about applying CA over shellac. It's my understanding that CA will attack most alcohol based finishes and I believe shellac is alcohol based.
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I use CA over shellac frequently - works fine.
 
I did have some luck today. I applied a couple coats of Shellac this morning before work. After work, I applied a couple more. Barely got some yellow transfer onto the paper towel. I applied the dye as sparingly as I could and get an even coat. I squeezed the paper towel over the cob to make some heat and rub off any excess. I burnished it some more with steel wool. That dye is crazy the way it comes to the surface through the shellac. Anyway, I applied four coats of medium CA this afternoon. Let it cure well and then sanded up to 2000 grit sandpaper. The yellow may have a tint of orange, but if you saw the pen, you'd say it was yellow. I'll try and take a pic of the various pens tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestions. I think I will try to get that Zinnser seal coat, and I may try lacquer dipping if I feel like making a set of delrin bushings to dip with.

Thanks again very much
 
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