Feibings Dyes Come Out Too Dark.

[Gawdzilla]

I'm probably making an amateur mistake here, but my dye work comes out too dark. "Light Tan" is almost black. I've tried using sponges, sponge brushes, daubers and lint-free clothes.

Help?

[bison]

Try cutting it 50/50 with the correct solvent. I use denatured alcohol with my spirit dyes. That way you can get the darkness level they way you want it by applying as many or as few coats as you like.

Good luck!

Dave

[Gawdzilla]

Try cutting it 50/50 with the correct solvent. I use denatured alcohol with my spirit dyes. That way you can get the darkness level they way you want it by applying as many or as few coats as you like.

Good luck!

Dave

Thanks, I'll give it a shot.

[Gawdzilla]

Thanks again, Mr. Byland! I'm finding 1-1, 1-2, and 3-8 ratios give me different shadies of the same color. Intriguing possibilities are presenting themselves to.

The only pity now is I'm every bit as artistic as a left-handed monkey wrench. My luck in finding a wife with an eye for color and composition who can also distill some very fine corn whiskey is again emphasized.

[Gawdzilla]

FYI, I've found that 1/2 cup water and one cap full of dye is a good starting point. You can make that solution darker or lighter as you wish. I have the Gladware 1/2 plastic containers for my dyes. I glue the test strip to the top of the container with rubber cement for reference.

[bison]

Sounds like you hit on a great idea with the samples on the containers. Sorry, but I have no advice on the wife issue. Mine has a great eye for color and composition, but is sorely lacking in the skills necessary to make corn whiskey!

Edited January 25, 2011 by bison

[Gawdzilla]

Sounds like you hit on a great idea with the samples on the containers. Sorry, but I have no advice on the wife issue. Mine has a great eye for color and composition, but is sorely lacking in the skills necessary to make corn whiskey!

I had to do the test patches as I'm not sure the batches will come out the same way twice. And anyway, I've come up with a couple of colors previously seen only in a H. P. Lovecraft story and naming them would be "challenging".

BTW, my wife teaches corn squeezin'.

[Gawdzilla]

One mod to the test patch thing. I've put up to five pieces of leather on a lid, each with an additional coat of dye. This allows me to see what the piece will look like with extra coats of color.

And I'm using bouillon cube jars for the mixtures, I have a lot of them stashed just for this purpose. (And I love me some "bullshots", so I'll have to bravely gird my loins to get some more empties.)