There are three major types of products that color wood.

 

1.  Dye

2.  Pigment

3.  Chemical

 

Dye

Dyes are chemicals that dissolve into its solvent,that could be water, alcohol, petroleum distillates, or oil.  You can find dyes at concentrates as liquids (such as TransTint), powders that you dissolve (Lockwood), or even as part of a canned stain (Minwax Golden Oak).   Dyes are dissolved and do not settle out.   If you are looking at a can of stain and stir with a paint stick, you will not find any solids at the bottom of the can.   You can control the color saturation by the amount by which it is diluted.  You can start with a full dose, then dilute part of it to various degrees (half, quarter, etc.) to get the amount of color you want.  Keep careful records so you can replicate it if you are making your own dye solutions.

 

Dyes give a very clear coloring, but are more prone to fading over time.   Lightfast is more of a relative term.

 

If you get the color too dark, you can wipe with the appropriate solvent and pull out some of the color or you can even add another color to adjust darkness, neutralize (e.g., too red, too yellow, etc.)

 

Pigment

Pigments are powders that are suspended in a carrier.  Pigments lodge in the grain and pores of the wood (and the sanding marks if you are not careful).  And as such, pigments tend to blotch on certain woods due to their varying porousness.   Pigments will settle out to the bottom and if you stir a pigmented stain with a paint stick, you will find a muddy residue at the bottom of the can.   You can control the color saturation by the amount you wipe off.   You can also buy pigments in powder form to make your own products, you can even smudge some powder onto problem spots and lock in place with a spray.  Or add pigments on a finishing wiping cloth and pad in some color. These methods are used in touchup.   Pigments are usually more lightfast than dyes.

 

Chemicals

Chemicals change the color of the wood by chemical reaction.  Generally these are acids or alkalis such as ammonia (fumes), lye, potassium permanganate, bichromate of potash, potassium dichromate, iron dissolved in vinegar (iron acetate).    The resulting color is not reflected in the color of the solution and the same solution may work differently (or not at all) on different woods due to their different composition.  Heartwood and sapwood may also color differently even on the same board.   You "control" the color saturation by trials, length of treatment, and in some cases the concentration of the chemical.   There are several disadvantages to chemical stains

• It's a "ready, fire, aim" approach.  Run trials. but in many cases, it's going to do what it's going to do and you are not going to stop it.  Wood from one tree may not color the same as wood from another tree.
• Many of these chemicals are toxic or caustic to your skin, eyes, and lungs.   Do research and use carefully and with PPE and ventilation.
• They may be hard to find a place to purchase.

A good application of some of these is in inlay work where a chemical may color some of the species, but not others.  Again, research, choose woods carefully, and run a trial before slapping on and ruining weeks of work.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&ved=2ahUKEwitk4DxgczcAhWk6YMKHVmTBbsQFjALegQIABAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Femgw.org%2FResources%2FDocuments%2FPapers%20and%20Articles%2FChemicalStains.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0l3kGfTTJa7DxfVTrNs7oH

 

 

An oddball colorant that does not really fit neatly into any of the above is Gilsonite,  AKA asphaltic tar.   You can use roofing tar dissolved in paint thinner/mineral spirits to get a mid- to dark-brown color.  This is the colorant used in some "walnut" Danish Oil products.  It's a nice color that is hard to get with the above.

 

 

_{(c) 2018 Keith Mealy}

Thanks for another helpful and informative post, Keith.

That was interesting . Never thought of as three classes. 

A color wheel is helpful when mixing dyes. I use Chestnut Spirit stains and Chromacraft colors and the wheel is helpful in getting close. In using dyes even where in the tree the wood is from makes a difference so bleach is helpful to get brighter color.

Color wheel coming up.

 

Another thing I thought of while sitting here having lunch and looking at a few pieces.  Just finish:

• Color in the finish.  I have a sewing cabinet I made from maple and it's finished with a lemon shellac.   Has a nice, soft yellow appearance.  Orange shellac also does good things to black walnut.
• An air-dried cherry piece -  I applied a coat of BLO (Boiled linseed oil) and sat it on the patio for a week of afternoons.   They applied a shellac.  It developed 10 years worth of patina and aged redness in that week.  I've had similar results on cherry with a Danish Oil, that's often a large percent BLO but it takes a few more years.
• On a small box that holds my wife's crochet needles.   A coat of shellac brought out a lot of color and luster in the mahogany it was made from.  The lid is curly maple and the shellac brought out the chatoyance* in that, too.

* I must be wearing off on you.  I noted someone else used that word this week.

Edited August 1, 20187 yr by kmealy

Think of dyes as background with uniform coloring.  Think of stains as foreground that sain the grain.  

I usually practice practice and practice but my recipe that has held up for years is.

1. Pre raise the grain they distilled water.

2. Sand 320 or 400.

4. Dye of choice  (water based) if Alchol omit step 1.

5. 1 lb cut clear or garnet or orange shellac.

6. Dye 

7. 1 lb cut clear or garnet or orange shellac.

8. Top coat with laq, or poly or more shellac.

18 hours ago, Michael Thuman said:

Think of dyes as background with uniform coloring.  Think of stains as foreground that sain the grain.  

I usually practice practice and practice but my recipe that has held up for years is.

1. Pre raise the grain they distilled water.

2. Sand 320 or 400.

4. Dye of choice  (water based) if Alchol omit step 1.

5. 1 lb cut clear or garnet or orange shellac.

6. Dye 

7. 1 lb cut clear or garnet or orange shellac.

8. Top coat with laq, or poly or more shellac.

Sorry could not edit lets try this again this time with careful typing.

1.pre raise the grain with distilled water.

2 Sand 320 or 400.

3. Dye of choice (water based) if alcohol omit step 1

4. 1 lb cut clear or garnet or organge shellac.

5. Stain of choice to highllight the grain.

6. 1 lb cut of shellac.  clear or garnet or organge.

7. Top coat with laq, or poly or more shellac.