Stabilizing burl with color?

[Hosspen]

I have just cut up a bunch of maple burl blanks that look a bit blah to me. I have bought store-bought stabilized dyed blanks many times before and am wondering if I can dye and stabilize my own. Do any of my turning brothers or sisters out there do this? Any help would be appreciated. I do not have a pressure pot but might be willing to learn and invest if that is the only way to make this burl pop. I have stabilized some soft wood with thin CA and was wondering if there is a way to do this with color? Has anyone tried that? How would I color CA glue? Thanks for your input.

 

[Dario]

You can turn it then apply dye, sand then re-apply again if needed. You can use different colors after each sanding too. Give it a try.

 

[Hosspen]

Thank You Dario. What type dyes are good for this and where do you purchase them? I love to experiment so this sounds like fun to me.
Thanks again,

 

[Dario]

If I am going to buy today, I will give Mixol a try.

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=5522

Mixol Universal Tints are the most concentrated, highest quality tints on the market today. They are compatible with most water, solvent, lacquer and oil based stains, coatings, shellacs, epoxies, waxes, varnishes, wood fillers, etc... “Ease of tinting or mixing†is often cited as the main attribute to Mixol, along with the "sophisticated" color palette.

* Mixol tints are highly resistant to heat or frost damage
* They won’t dry out or thicken (because they are binder-free) - so there is a very long shelf/shop life
* Our assortment consists of 24 distinct colors, 10 of which are oxide-based (colors 3, 4, 5, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24)
* The oxide-based colors are made from inorganic pigments which make them color-fast, fade-resistant and weather-proof
* These oxide colors are ideal for exterior applications, or where UV fading may occur
* Clean-up is very easy with soap and water
* Mixol tints are not flammable or hazardous
* 20 ML bottles, a little goes a long way

Mixol 10 Tone Woodworker's Set. This convenient package of 10 colors can create an unlimited variety of shades. Includes the most popular colors-black, umber, brown, oxide red, oxide yellow, blue, red, camel, dark brown, white - and a printed color chart.

 

[karlkuehn]

I've used Mixol, Dario, and compared to Transtint, it's more like paint pigment than a dye. The pigments in there are really 'solid' looking, where the Transtint stuff is much more clear. They do color well, though, very vibrant as a topcoat, but I'm really sold on DNA diluted Transtint for coloring on the lathe.

 

[Dario]

There you go.

Thanks Karl for that info. The write up was so good, I am about to give it a try. Guess not

I am happy with the Chestnut brand but not sure where to buy them now.

 

[Mather323]

Thanks Karl your info is great!

 

[follow3]

Dario,

A cheap but effective material I use..... and it looks great:

Bingo markers. You can get about any color for 2.00 per bottle. They are usually alcohol based and work great.

 

[Hosspen]

Thanks for all the information. Being a thrifty school teacher I'll probably have to try the Bingo markers first. Where do you buy such a thing? There aren't too many bingo halls around here. Thank you all.