Has anyone tried using wood color dye on their veneer? If so, how difficult is it and can you post your pics please. Salk uses dye on his veneer speakers with great success. I am not that talented but wouldn't mind practicing on some small bookshelves or a subwoofer box.
I've used dye as a stain and as a toner in my finish. In both cases I didn't find them remarkable. They have a different look than the usual pigment stain, but it's only a subtle difference. If used as a toner, it can be quite effective in providing the color you want, but it can mask the wood grain when used this way. If the wood doesn't accept pigment stain well, it won't accept dye well applied like pigment stain either. Such woods as maple, birch, and softwoods. Stick to ash, oak, and other open woods. Or get fancy with shellac as a sealer and then to carry the dye. I haven't ever done this though. When I wanted maple dyed to a smokey black I just used the dye as a toner in a pre catalyzed lacquer. I would check out some dedicated wood working forums for more info.
Do you have any pictures you can post? I'll search some other sites as well. I did see some interesting videos on youtube however most of those were for guitars. I wanted to try something different from the norm. Piano black or flat black is ok but I wanted to try some different colors. ie. a smoke black or gunmetal gray etc. Then I can work from there. I'll look for some cheap pieces to work with as well. Maybe 10x10 or so.
This is transtint black in pre-cat lacquer on maple. Just enough to smoke it. Not as brown as the photo looks. More grey. This is a comparison of some pigment stains against a dye. Can't remember the brand. Dye is second from the left. On Hemlock which is like a fir or pine I have more I'm sure. I can't locate them though.
I used Transtint aniline dye on Mahogany with really great results. I followed some pro's technique and used it with an alcohol based prep with shellac and did a few coats, then I sprayed with Crystalac for a hard protective finish. I was able to get the really dark bombay mahogany look I wanted and it made the grain pop rather than hide it. Can't seem to find a pic on this new laptop.
