Dyeing Wood?

[Old Noober]

Has anyone ever tried to dye wood with leather dye? I'm looking at an unfinished Yew bow for my fiance, and I want to dye it purple, I have some Fiebings and wonder if the contact would hold and how should I finish it so the color doesn't run/streak or ruin through weather?

Oh yeah she does plan on using the bow for target practice, so I need a finish that won't crack.

Thanks

Edited October 5, 2013 by Old Noober

[Yonder]

I've used fiebings black oil dye to "ebonize" guitar fingerboards and bridges. It seems to work fine, holds up to normal wear without a finish on it.

A bow is going to see a little heavier wear than a guitar bridge so like you mentioned you'll want to put a finish over it. I would guess that an acrylic or poly finish would work fine. You might need to spray it to keep from lifting the dye during application.

Test on scrap.

[Frank]

I have done touch-ups on stocks and grips with Fiebing's Oil dyes. They seem to hold up relatively well.

[Matt S]

I happen to know that a piece of leather damp with fiebings pro dye will seep into white ash, even with a heavy wax-oil finish on the latter. Quite resistant to removal too...

[Old Noober]

Thank you all for the input. Time to get an air compressor and try Yonder's technique.

I don't know much about wood, do you think Yew would be any different than Ash, Matt?

[EmbossingDieCompany]

I've done it with small marquetry pieces......the wood accepts the dye very well. The issue you have to be aware of is the clearcoat finishing. Brushing on polyurethane will drag one dyed piece onto another......for example, if you have a black dyed piece next to a yellow dyed piece, when you brush on the poly, the black will bleed into the yellow. To correct this, you should put a thin coat of poly on each color first, before putting them next to each other (if that makes sense).

[Matt S]

I don't know much about wood, do you think Yew would be any different than Ash, Matt?

Not used much of any Yew before but I imagine it would not make a great deal of difference. I would try on a scrap first, applying an even light coat of dye reduced with alcohol, allowing plenty of time to dry between coats. Build up to the shade you want in layers, remembering that it is easier to add than to subtract. Also that any dealer or oil you add will darken.

[Sona]

Wow... well, beeing a cabinet maker I got a little tear in my (left ^^) eye hearing you wanna dye yew purple. But actually that shouldn´t be of my buisness, as you wanna do it

I just once used some antik finish to handle a little dent in journeyman´s piece (a chest made of (natural) dyed oak) and it worked just fine. But I got no experience with dying a whole piece with leather dye.

Just some hints from my side:

- Be sure that it might (!) happen, that the colour will turn out to be not as even as you expect it. Wood has different parts like the "heart wood" and the "sap wood" where the material has different characteristics like the concentration of material, the form and way they "work" (like absorbing water and stuff" and some else. So most kinds of wood have some darker areas (mainly the "heart wood") and some lighter areas (mainly the "sap wood"). Even if I think they should turn out even (as it is a dye based on pigments) the colour shades might differ.

- Before you apply any kind of dye you really wanna wet the piece of wood! Don´t soak it! Just add some water, let it dry completely and sand it. There are some who do this once, some who do this twice and some will do it three times as they raise the grain (right word? hope so ^^) i.e. from 150 to 180 to 240. The reason why you should do it is the following:

As you apply the dye, the fibres of the wood will soak it in and raise. So even if your piece is really smooth before dying, it can turn out to be quite rough after it. If you add some water and sand it (not to hard), you just cut of the raised fibres, so they won´t come up again. The finer your sanding paper, the smoother the surface

Be sure to use some fresh sanding paper and not to sand too much. Otherwise your would sand it down to a level that was not afected by the water and you can start over again.

The point why this is important is mainly, that you shouldn´t (really!) sand the piece right after dying. you would just cut through the dyed surface as it is like 1 - 2 mm and the whole piece will look like ruined.

- When you dye the piece, be sure to apply an even coat. Should be the same as with leather so you should know why and how and so on.

- Let the dye sit for a minimum of 12 hours more like 24 hours to be sure it has dried completely. After that you may apply the first coat of your finnish. it really depends on how and where the bow is used, what finish to use. There are some real good finishes made from wax and oil, but I don´t know whether that might lift your colour up. If you wanna use a varnish (which might be a little interesting to apply evenly and in one row on such a piece), be sure you take a more flexible one as there are a lot that might crack over time through the use and strain of the bow. But - different to Matt´s post - there are a lot of oils and varnishes that won´t darken the wood that much (some not a bit), so it depends on what you are after.

Your first layer should be a little bit thicker and should dry completely as you have to sand it in preperation for the second layer. A lot of it might soak in, too and so you won´t get a smooth surface. As I said above you really...really have to be carefull not to get to the wood itself at this point as you would come to the point you wanna do nasty things to yourself after sanding through the colour ^^. So therefore take some 320 grit, or even a bit higher. This is at least the point where you still can ruin it, or just make the difference for a nice and smooth surface (yeah, I know.... I mentioned it already....twice.....sry for that *laugh*). After that you apply the second layer, not as thick as the first one because this layer will just sit on top of the first one and won´t soak in that much. It just evens out everything.

If you use some oil or similar stuff, you might wanna add a third layer, just to be sure (same step in between)

So this might be really difficult if you are not used to it, as it is not a plane piece of wood. The form of the bow makes it a lot more difficult. But go ahead, give it a try and show us your results.

Hope I could help a little bit . Oh yeah.... and be sure to make some scrap practice piece before you go for the bow

[Old Noober]

Wow... well, beeing a cabinet maker I got a little tear in my (left ^^) eye hearing you wanna dye yew purple. But actually that shouldn´t be of my buisness, as you wanna do it

I just once used some antik finish to handle a little dent in journeyman´s piece (a chest made of (natural) dyed oak) and it worked just fine. But I got no experience with dying a whole piece with leather dye.

Just some hints from my side:

- Be sure that it might (!) happen, that the colour will turn out to be not as even as you expect it. Wood has different parts like the "heart wood" and the "sap wood" where the material has different characteristics like the concentration of material, the form and way they "work" (like absorbing water and stuff" and some else. So most kinds of wood have some darker areas (mainly the "heart wood") and some lighter areas (mainly the "sap wood"). Even if I think they should turn out even (as it is a dye based on pigments) the colour shades might differ.

- Before you apply any kind of dye you really wanna wet the piece of wood! Don´t soak it! Just add some water, let it dry completely and sand it. There are some who do this once, some who do this twice and some will do it three times as they raise the grain (right word? hope so ^^) i.e. from 150 to 180 to 240. The reason why you should do it is the following:

As you apply the dye, the fibres of the wood will soak it in and raise. So even if your piece is really smooth before dying, it can turn out to be quite rough after it. If you add some water and sand it (not to hard), you just cut of the raised fibres, so they won´t come up again. The finer your sanding paper, the smoother the surface

Be sure to use some fresh sanding paper and not to sand too much. Otherwise your would sand it down to a level that was not afected by the water and you can start over again.

The point why this is important is mainly, that you shouldn´t (really!) sand the piece right after dying. you would just cut through the dyed surface as it is like 1 - 2 mm and the whole piece will look like ruined.

- When you dye the piece, be sure to apply an even coat. Should be the same as with leather so you should know why and how and so on.

- Let the dye sit for a minimum of 12 hours more like 24 hours to be sure it has dried completely. After that you may apply the first coat of your finnish. it really depends on how and where the bow is used, what finish to use. There are some real good finishes made from wax and oil, but I don´t know whether that might lift your colour up. If you wanna use a varnish (which might be a little interesting to apply evenly and in one row on such a piece), be sure you take a more flexible one as there are a lot that might crack over time through the use and strain of the bow. But - different to Matt´s post - there are a lot of oils and varnishes that won´t darken the wood that much (some not a bit), so it depends on what you are after.

Your first layer should be a little bit thicker and should dry completely as you have to sand it in preperation for the second layer. A lot of it might soak in, too and so you won´t get a smooth surface. As I said above you really...really have to be carefull not to get to the wood itself at this point as you would come to the point you wanna do nasty things to yourself after sanding through the colour ^^. So therefore take some 320 grit, or even a bit higher. This is at least the point where you still can ruin it, or just make the difference for a nice and smooth surface (yeah, I know.... I mentioned it already....twice.....sry for that *laugh*). After that you apply the second layer, not as thick as the first one because this layer will just sit on top of the first one and won´t soak in that much. It just evens out everything.

If you use some oil or similar stuff, you might wanna add a third layer, just to be sure (same step in between)

So this might be really difficult if you are not used to it, as it is not a plane piece of wood. The form of the bow makes it a lot more difficult. But go ahead, give it a try and show us your results.

Hope I could help a little bit . Oh yeah.... and be sure to make some scrap practice piece before you go for the bow

Wow, that was a lot of juicy info, thank you. And the Wifey loves purple, personally I'd rather go with forest green. Then again, I cos play as a Ranger or a Bard she's a Warrior.

[ChuckBurrows]

quick answer - yes I have done both wood and leather for over 50 years and have used leather dye extensively on all types of wood as do many gunstockers I know. Main thing apply, let dry, and then just like leather buff off the dry powder residue.....

[Cameroo]

I can't imagine why a feller would possibly want to change the natural appearance of a yew bow. You're nuts!

I use Minwax Wipe-On polyurethane on my bows. It's very easy to apply and dries really fast between coats (and no, it won't crack). A lot of my bowyer friends use shellac and True oil for a finish

[johnv474]

I successfully dyed some oak with vinegar black aka vinegaroon. It was matte black/dark gray until I waxed and polished. I may have soaked it in black tea to increase the tannin content, though. I know this isn't purple, but it should be permanent.