ekud1946 Posted August 3, 2017 Report Share Posted August 3, 2017 Has anyone used food coloring to color their projects? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted August 3, 2017 Report Share Posted August 3, 2017 I use it for my kids puzzles and the for the bases of my sea critters. I have several colors mixed and ready to use. I use distilled water. Lucky2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye10 Posted August 3, 2017 Report Share Posted August 3, 2017 I bought some food coloring a while back but haven't used it yet. I also have some black stain (oil based) that I need to try. Ahhhh!! So much to do and so little time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredfret Posted August 3, 2017 Report Share Posted August 3, 2017 Do you top coat with anything? My grandkids chewed on a couple cars I used food coloring on and were beautiful shades of red, blue and green in the face for a couple days. Fredfret Wichita, Ks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted August 3, 2017 Report Share Posted August 3, 2017 47 minutes ago, fredfret said: Do you top coat with anything? My grandkids chewed on a couple cars I used food coloring on and were beautiful shades of red, blue and green in the face for a couple days. Fredfret Wichita, Ks No, I don't coat them with anything. In the year I've been selling them I haven't had anyone come up and punch me in the nose to complain. ;-) But, I no longer color the kids puzzles. Once I started offering them raw for less money, they exceeded sales of the painted ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrollin'fool Posted August 3, 2017 Report Share Posted August 3, 2017 yes, I too am interested in using those cloth dyes for staining birch tongue-depressors to make some of those scandanavian christmas tree decorations I saw in 'fun and easy scrollsaw projects' by spielman. the book says to use boiling water to mix the dyes, but Ive also heard about vinegar. havent tried the stuff yet, because I dont plan to make those christmas tree decorations until this fall. I am guessing that they give a nice bright color when done properly, as those pictures above me show clearly. I hear that the process stinks badly. I am also of the opinion that a nice light coating of polyurethane after the dye has dried would look very nice. yes, to the DOn Knots look-alike above me, I can really understand what you mean about untreated wood selling better than any kind of treatment, even just poly. mothers, I think, dont want their kids putting any kind of chemically-stuff in their mouths, and we might as well accomodate that wish. I guess untreated wood is more hygenic? who knows?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zimmerstutzen Posted August 3, 2017 Report Share Posted August 3, 2017 One person I know uses a paste of bees' wax and mineral oil over the food coloring dye. rub it in briskly and wipe off excess. Years ago, I obtained some really brilliant color using Russian egg dye. As I recall, the powdered dye was mixed with a gallon of very hot water and a cup of white vinegar. The wood was allowed to steep in the liquid for about 30 minutes (weighted down to hold it under the surface) and then set on racks to dry. Once the wood dried, a light coating of BLO really deepened the color. Oily/sap filled areas did not take the dye evenly, but other wise the pieces looked great. The dye did run a little if the piece was permitted to soak in water, even after the BLO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sycamore67 Posted August 3, 2017 Report Share Posted August 3, 2017 I think selling them unstained is a good idea. I recently made some for a friend's kid and made them that way and was told later on the kid had a great time coloring them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanadon Posted August 3, 2017 Report Share Posted August 3, 2017 (edited) 5 minutes ago, Sycamore67 said: I think selling them unstained is a good idea. I recently made some for a friend's kid and made them that way and was told later on the kid had a great time coloring them. Yes, I sell them as READY TO PAINT! Added fun for the kiddos. I even offer a little watercolor set, but everyone says they already have plenty of paints at home. This was the last time displaying the painted ones but shows the new variety of unpainted ones I'm making. Edited August 3, 2017 by Iguanadon Lucky2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 18 hours ago, ekud1946 said: Has anyone used food coloring to color their projects? I want to but always forget ,Wal mart has plenty to chose from too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 7 hours ago, Iguanadon said: Yes, I sell them as READY TO PAINT! Added fun for the kiddos. I even offer a little watercolor set, but everyone says they already have plenty of paints at home. This was the last time displaying the painted ones but shows the new variety of unpainted ones I'm making. Looking good Iggy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangeman Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 I use food colors exclusively for my colored puzzles. But remember this: Nothing difficult is ever easy! It has taken me 10 years to perfect my process and I continually tweak the process. It would take many pages to describe my process. Softness of wood is an issue so I test every piece of wood I buy with a durometer. I have discovered a hardness setting below which I will not buy a piece of wood. End grain bleeding is a problem with softer woods. Some colors work better diluted with water; some with alcohol. Some colors will change color when diluted with alcohol. Some colors require a different application technique. Some colors can be dipped - some colors work better being wiped on. Then there is the sealing situation and what sealer to use. Some penetrate more, some dry faster, some require more than one coat. But it is important to seal the food colors into the wood with a sealer such as lacquer, urethane, etc - picture a young child putting unsealed puzzle pieces in their mouth and then putting the pieces on an expensive white leather couch! Both the child and the couch will be colored. And I guarantee that purple is permanent and can't be removed from the couch. And you can't buy liability insurance to cover any damages! And the list goes on and on! bb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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