# purple wood stain



## jrcarpenter92 (Oct 6, 2010)

where could i get purple wood stain and what kind of kind of wood would look best with it?


----------



## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

Try a fabric dye, like Ritz....Absorbsion will depend on species and what grade of sanding.

Get some test pieces of what u have available, and see what happens. :yes:


----------



## burkhome (Sep 5, 2010)

mdntrdr said:


> Try a fabric dye, like Ritz....Absorbsion will depend on species and what grade of sanding.
> 
> Get some test pieces of what u have available, and see what happens. :yes:


 Interesting! Any restrictions on top coat with fabric dye?


----------



## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

burkhome said:


> Interesting! Any restrictions on top coat with fabric dye?


 
I have only tried laquer, no problems.


----------



## Wood4Fun (Aug 29, 2008)

never heard of using fabric dye before. Transtint makes a purple









http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11448&filter=transtint


----------



## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

mdntrdr said:


> Try a fabric dye, like Ritz....Absorbsion will depend on species and what grade of sanding.
> 
> Get some test pieces of what u have available, and see what happens. :yes:



Actually it's called* Rit Dye*.












 





.
.


----------



## tjwoodworking (Oct 3, 2010)

I've found Rit dye works well, but is not concentrated enough to produce deep colors.

Moser's aniline dye from Woodworker's comes in purple. You can mix it as strong as you like; more powder in the mix produces stronger color. Water-based is the most light-fast, but will still fade if a finished piece is kept in direct sunlight. Even a light coat of asphaltum (mixed into thinned tung or boiled linseed oil) seems to improve the resistance to fading, as asphaltum is totally light-fast. Of course, asphaltum isn't purple. In stronger concentrations it is reddish brown, and thinner it tends towards amber, so it would brown out your purple a bit, and give a more natural woody look.

The color-tone dyes from Stewmac work well. They are mixed right into the top-coat. I've used them with water-based lacquer & like them a lot. 

Maple is a good choice for dyeing purple, as it is nearly white to start with. Aniline dyes and colortone in the finish enhances any figure that is in the maple and makes the curl "pop" and look deeper and more shimmery.

The deep transparent colors you see on some electric guitars is tinted lacquer, such as you could get with the colortone dyes.

Of course, you could also just use purpleheart, which is purple from the get-go.

I prolly have pics of some of these on maple if you are interested.


Timothy

What's a get-go?:confused1:


----------



## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

tjwoodworking said:


> I've found Rit dye works well, but is not concentrated enough to produce deep colors.
> 
> Moser's aniline dye from Woodworker's comes in purple. You can mix it as strong as you like; more powder in the mix produces stronger color.
> Timothy



Rit dye is sold as a liquid or powder, and works just like any dye...the more you mix in, the stronger the concentration.












 





.
.


----------



## tjwoodworking (Oct 3, 2010)

cabinetman said:


> Rit dye is sold as a liquid or powder, and works just like any dye...the more you mix in, the stronger the concentration.


I'll have to look for the liquid - that sounds interesting.

Had a bugger of a time finding the powder here a few months back; the local grocery stores didn't carry it any more, nor did the fabric store. Ended up getting it on ebay.

I've found that the Rit dye powder itself is less concentrated than the Moser dyes, although a lot less expensive. A full box of Rit in a quart of water makes a weaker dye than 2 tablespoons of Moser's in a quart of water.

Timothy


----------



## tjwoodworking (Oct 3, 2010)

cabinetman said:


> Actually it's called* Rit Dye*.


 
That's a great link, thanks, Cabinetman. They show formulas for a lot of shades of purple, as well as other colors, and also instructions for dyeing wood. Plus you can order direct from the site, and the dye is inexpensive. Gonna have to play around with some of their liquid colors.:thumbsup:


----------



## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

tjwoodworking said:


> A full box of Rit in a quart of water makes a weaker dye than 2 tablespoons of Moser's in a quart of water.



I try to mix up what I need at the time. A quart of mix may require too many packets or bottles. Since it's easy to figure out the ratios, I might start out with just a half pint or pint, just to test. That keeps the amount of dye needed to a minimum. I find that it goes a long way if diluted in water as directed.

Once dry, reapplying may bring up a different shade than increasing the concentration of the first batch.












 





.
.


----------

