Shopsmith Forums

I try mixing these two?
I have only done one other project with dyes and it was not as nice as I would have liked. But, I have the "tree" project that I want to see green and still show the wood grain. So what if I took some of each and mixed them? Sounds crazy but would it work?

Ed

HAVE YOU TRIED IT YET?

My thinking is,,, it would depend on what you use to clean up with, if they are both mineral spirits or they use thinner then I would try it .
if one is water clean up then maybe not , Not sure what the difference in the powdered dye and liquid would be ,,,but it cant be much.
I would try it any way but thats just how I am lol.

As always with something new, do a small test run. Mix a tiny amount and put it on a piece of scrap wood. Then, put it away for a few days. When you get back to it you can evaluate it for color and finish. If something goes wrong like it stays sticky, you know it before the project is messed up.

The Varathane says it's water based. If the dye is alcohol based, as a lot of these liquid dyes are, then it probably won't work - you'll probably need a powdered dye.

Ed,

I think it will work as long as the dye isn't oil based, and I doubt that it is. I've used TransTint dyes with a water-based poly with pretty good success and noticed no separation even stored for months. It appears that the Artisan dyes are alcohol-based, so may not be a perfect mix with water-based but I think it won't cause problems, maybe just needing a quick stir before use. Suggestion: try mixing a little of the dye with some water and see if it stays mixed or separates quickly/at all.

What if you put the dye on first and then put the urethane on ?

My rule of thumb with dyes is if it likes water use with water based polyurethane, if it likes alcohol use it with shellac and then put any kind of polyurethane on top of that.

Awww man! I looked at your subject header and thought for a moment it was gonna say :" I sent you a brand new MK 7".

Needless to say, I'm a bit disapointed.