# Blank experiment



## harveysoriginals (May 15, 2014)

I think I have done some pretty thorough reading about dyeing wood and i have come to the conclusion, without even trying, that I am not going to be able to totally saturate a piece of wood, regardless of type, with ANY kind of dye.  
I am thinking of trying to get some type of spectraply effect.
Even though the would not be complete saturation of each of the layers, I think that there might be an interesting effect after glue up and turning.  
Does anyone agree?  Or not?  
Of course, I could just order some very expensive blanks but would really prefer that everything be made by me!
Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated!


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## JTisher (May 15, 2014)

Couldn't you cut 1/8" strips of wood, dye them in various colors, then glue them into a blank.
 It would be a lot of work but you would get as full penetration of dye as possible

  Joe


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## carlmorrell (May 15, 2014)

Not sure what effect you are trying to achieve.  But have you considered, turning the blank to size and then dying?


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## mark james (May 15, 2014)

The laminated blanks I have used are actually not too expensive, but I've had problems with chip-outs.  probably my skill level and possible not sharp enough tools.

BUT...  if you are thinking of doing a few, Jason suggestion of doing 1/8" strips sounds good.


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## harveysoriginals (May 16, 2014)

Thanks for the replies!  Yes it is my intention to do as many plies as I can so they will be thin!  I do hope for maximum penetration but my reading leads me to believe that just soaking the plies will not give me that result!  All is good though as it will be fun to try and you just never know!  Gonna start 2 baths this weekend with 2 different colors and see what happens!!


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## plantman (May 16, 2014)

harveysoriginals said:


> Thanks for the replies!  Yes it is my intention to do as many plies as I can so they will be thin!  I do hope for maximum penetration but my reading leads me to believe that just soaking the plies will not give me that result!  All is good though as it will be fun to try and you just never know!  Gonna start 2 baths this weekend with 2 different colors and see what happens!!



Harvey; Try using alcohol inks to dye your blanks. The alcohol goes deeper into the grain of the wood, doesn't need soaking, no waiting to see what color are getting, and you can control the depth of the color by wipeing off what you don't want. You can also use a blending solution to soften the colors or make them blend evenly. You should be able to find the inks at most hobby or art supply stores, or look up Alcohol Ink on the internet to find a sorce near you or by mail. I added a couple pens to give you an idea of what can be done. The effects and colors are endless.    Jim  S


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## harveysoriginals (May 16, 2014)

Those are really cool effects!  You got that just brushing on alcohol inks?
That would be really great!


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## designer (May 16, 2014)

What about getting wood edge banding at someplace like Rocklers and dying different colors and shades and then laminating them together?

You could even get a rainbow blend I would think.  Layers would be thinner so banding colors could be blended in different ways.


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## rrumohr1 (May 16, 2014)

*Pressure treat.*

Similar to the process  useing  a vaccum chamber to pull air out of castings,use one to pull and expand the cell structure of wood allows for penetration of dye. It is the same process done on the large scale by my stepdad to treat lumber with wood preservative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvII1FTm3YM


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