[Question] Will dye bleed through a glue joint?
#7
Question 
I'm in the planning stages of a coffee table I'd like to build. I would like to practice some marquetry by using a design around the perimeter of the table and I've never seen a naturally blue tree... I have used Rit dyes to color wood for other projects, and this would be my preferred method to dye the wood colors not found naturally.

Would a piece maple dyed blue bleed through to an uncolored piece of maple if I use Tightbond II?

If that doesn't work, would epoxy or CA be a way to glue without any bleed through?

Normally, I'd test it myself, but my shop has been overrun with a metric crapload of white cabinets, and there is no way I'm going to risk it.

TIA!
-Darkheart
"Truth is cheap, but Information costs."
Reply
#8
How about a coat of very blond Shellac to seal it b4 gluing?
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE EQUALS WISDOM. RMB
The SO asked me today, "what are you going to do to day"? I said "nothing".  She said, "that's what you did yesterday"! Me, "Yes love, but I was not finished yet"!!!!!!!!
Smirk

Reply
#9
Right now, a friend of mine is doing some experiments with this very sort of thing. There are some very wrong potentials within your glue schedule, but I'm not a purist, so I'll answer the question in the spirit given.
First: CA glue is not an option. Don't go there.
Second: Epoxy is a lousy choice. A very bad option. Don't go there.
If you must use PVA, at least it's type II. Type III is a bad option. A better type of PVA for you would be Titebond Cold Press formulation. Regular Elmers, white PVA would be next, then Original Titebond. I don't like PVA for this purpose, but if PVA I must, you've chosen the second to the worst. It's hard to say too much here because you haven't given a meaningful description of what your work consists of. How wide, how long, how much detail, what other woods will the blue be intermingled with, etc. ?
I recently did some test marquetry panels of possible 3" X 5 1/2", with perhaps as few as four or five pieces each, with minimal detail. Because I just wanted to get it done and not fool around, I used TB II. It can be done. It isn't the end of the world, but my projects were tiny, uncomplicated, and they were samples only. Your problem may be different.
My friend is dyeing sawn veneers, and I imagine you're dying sliced, correct? He's using fabric dye, but not that brand. I've heard some bad things about RIT, but I imagine your process will probably be okay. My friend is also putting his dyes and samples on a warming tray for three days, "hot tank" dyeing for full penetration. You ain't doing that. How are you doing it?
My friend also checked for bleed, as I recall, but he didn't have problems.
This question (dyed veneer & associated marquetry methods) is a pretty big topic for myself and many other marqueteurs on FB. It has been for some time. I checked some non-FB websites while answering, but found nothing.
Two last points: We are, more or less, talking about "wrong" technique. I'm not being a stickler about it, so I'm giving you the best and most practical "wrong" answers. You didn't say if it was intended to be an underwater coffee table for use in a scuba hotel, so I said no to epoxy. If it IS an underwater coffee table, then let me change that answer to a resounding YES to epoxy.
Reply
#10
Thanks for the info guys.  As soon as I get these 15 drawers assembled and fitted - At least I'm using a lock miter, not dovetails.

I was mostly brain dead when I wrote my first post. My idea is to do 8 bit designs with 1/2" x 1/2" squares. Either 8 bit or 16 bit characters. Like Mario, Link, the space ships from Galaga or Defender - you get the idea.  I'm leaning towards making blocks, where the end grain is the image, and then slicing 1/4" off of the end for each mini-panel.  

I'll post pictures when I get a chance to draw up a few ideas, and glue some tests together.
-Darkheart
"Truth is cheap, but Information costs."
Reply
#11
I have absolutely no idea how to make sense of paragraph two.
None.
Reply
#12
Paul,

I believe he's saying his inlay will be pixelated (spell check doesn't recognize this as a word), like early 8-bit computer graphics, where curves couldn't be smoothed like they can in 32-bit and 64-bit.

Frank S in IA
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)

Product Recommendations

Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.