# Spray Dye, Wipe Dye, or Spray Tinted Lacquer



## djonesax (Mar 3, 2008)

I am planning to dye some birch plywood with TansTint and then lacquer it and thought I’d ask the pros how they do it.

As far as the dilute material I can use…
Water
Alcohol
50/50 Alcohol and lacquer thinner (as suggested by the TransTint FAQ)

As far as the application I can do the following and then lacquer…
Spray the dye
Wipe the dye
Foam brush the dye


Or instead of any of the above, I can just tint the lacquer and spray it which would save a lot of time.…


Thought I’d get the general consensus before I test each one.

Thanks,

David


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## jerry (Nov 1, 2006)

The problem I have with metal acid dyes is almost any thing you put on after will probably dissolve the dye.

Jerry


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## toddj99 (Jan 1, 2008)

Not a professional but I use water for the mix, foam brush it one then apply the oil topcoat. I raise the grain and sand before applying the dye.

In order to get around the lap marks that cabinetman speaks of, I'll hit it twice with the sponge. Gets rid of any lap marks.


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## djonesax (Mar 3, 2008)

I was hoping to find that one way that works best. But like everything else, everyone has their own way. One guy told me use water, another said alcohol works better. I talked to 4 different people at wood craft and they all said something different too. I am sure there are good reasons to use each application. I think the one I have settled on is mixing the dye with alcohol and lacquer thinner then spraying it on. Then after that I’ll spray two coats of black tinted lacquer. I believe that should give me a nice rich black color. I plan to experiment with many different dilutents anyway, just for fun.

David


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

I use alcohol (methanol) as a NGR (non-grain raising) dye. Water mix will raise the grain. Depending on the concentration desired, just wiping may yield overlap lines as it will dry very fast. If you blush spray the dye evenly it goes quickly, and it can be wiped if necessary. It can be done in several applications.

Mixing the dye with lacquer may obscure the grain.


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

I am no expert by any means but with Birch plywood my experience has been that it takes stain very well and had no problems with blotching at all. I eve used the the cheap Minwax stains with great results. Shellac or poly over it.


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## djonesax (Mar 3, 2008)

I figured I would explain what I ended up doing just incase anyone else has the same questions. I ended up diluting the transtint with a 50/50 mix of alcohol and lacquer thinner and mixed one quart at a time. I sprayed it on, but I did experiment with wiping and foam bruising. Spraying was not difficult because I was going for a deep black. For that reason I could just keep applying coats until it was uniform. You can’t get blacker than black right? I think it would be easier to build up color if you aren’t set up properly. Had I been trying for a lighter color, I don’t think my gun set up ability and my technique is at the level to spray a consistent color. Who knows I may surprise myself one day. For now I would suggest for lighter colors, wetting a rag or a large foam brush. I found that there were no lap lines with the foam brush as long as I didn’t let each lap dry before brushing the next line. Use a large foam brush and boogie, and I even would go back over it, like you tip off when painting. Even when there were lap lines, after the dye had completely dried they were that noticeable.

The dye dried leaving a dusty film. I sprayed right over it and it ended up fine. I also tested foam brushing over it and it was fine too. 

That was my experience and despite me stressing over it, in the end it turned out good. The only problem I ran into was that before spraying the finish, I had everything set up out side and it started to sprinkle. Before I got everything hauled back into the garage, some of the pieces suffered some water spots where the rain hit the unfinished dye. Oh well, can’t see it from the couch.

David


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