Question about wood dyes

It's sound like it is soaking into the wood. Applying a coat of shellac to the area first would seal it and prevent the ink from running.

Hello Kevin,

I seldom add color to any of my work, but I have used Sharpie pens to add small amounts of color from time to time; however, don't spray something like Deft lacquer over the ink because it sometimes dissolves and spreads the ink.

Fred Holder

dyes will flow into the wood, only things that are very very fast drying will not - or things that are very viscous.

I use Ritz for color

Another option is using a pyro-pen (wood burning) to outline the area. The burning tends to seal the wood and -usually- prevents the color from bleeding out to other areas

On Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:23:52 -0500, Kevin wrote (in message ):

Any time you are applying a thin liquid to unprotected wood you are dealing with capillary action. The liquid will "wick" into the fibers. As mentioned in earlier responses, a thin coat of shellac - or other clear finish will seal the fibers... but penetrating the fibers is how dyes work, generally. Another response suggests a woodburning pen, to create boundaries. I think this is a pretty good solution, but some may not want a dark line between colors. This may be the best practical solution though for containing the colors. In the end, you will have to do some experimenting, to find what works for you. It may be a combination of woodburning pen to create boundaries, and then use of either dyes, stains, or colored finishes like lacquer or varnish to color your work. tom koehler

Thanks for all the insightful and thoughtful comments and suggestions.

-Kevin