Coloring Devcon epoxy.......fabric dye

[Odie]

Just wondering if anyone has tried regular fabric dies for coloring epoxy.....?

I just finished a very highly figured walnut burl bowl with some very large drying shrinkage voids. These voids were filled with clear Devcon. I normally don't hide crack/void fills, because when I've attempted to hide them, it always looks like a flawed repair, instead of something that can be visually acceptable. This time, I'm thinking just a hint of color might have worked better. Too late for this one, though.

Thinking about using just a touch of brown RIT liquid fabric dye to give a tiny bit of tint to the epoxy. Anyone tried this, and if so, how successful was it for you?

(Bill, did you know the large bottles of Devcon clear epoxy now have a 30min set time? I think this might work out a little better for filling voids and cracks on bowls.....I've learned to work fast with the 5min version!)

ko

 

[john lucas]

Odie I'm not sure how light safe that type of fabric dye is. They do make metallic dyes for fabric that are quite light safe. The epoxy will probably act as a sort of UV filter so it might hold up pretty well but I'm just not sure. I use india inks that you can get at Hobby Lobby or Micheals or other art supply stores. I did buy some of the dyes from Woodcraft lately that are light safe. Can't remember the name off the top of my head. I'll be out in the shop in a little while and will look them up.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Just wondering if anyone has tried regular fabric dies for coloring epoxy.....?

I just finished a very highly figured walnut burl bowl with some very large drying shrinkage voids. These voids were filled with clear Devcon. I normally don't hide crack/void fills, because when I've attempted to hide them, it always looks like a flawed repair, instead of something that can be visually acceptable. This time, I'm thinking just a hint of color might have worked better. Too late for this one, though.

Thinking about using just a touch of brown RIT liquid fabric dye to give a tiny bit of tint to the epoxy. Anyone tried this, and if so, how successful was it for you?

(Bill, did you know the large bottles of Devcon clear epoxy now have a 30min set time? I think this might work out a little better for filling voids and cracks on bowls.....I've learned to work fast with the 5min version!)

ko

Thanks for the information, Odie. I did know about the longer set time, but I did not know that they had larger containers than the typical hardware store tubes. I have been using it for a couple years because the longer set time allows most bubbles to escape. I plan to try Mark's method of removing air bubbles.

I suggest that you use RIT powdered dye rather than the liquid. The liquid isn't compatible with epoxy because it contains water according to the MSDS. As far as being light fast is concerned, the RIT dye is less affected by UV light than the epoxy. The epoxy is thick enough that it will provide sufficient UV filtering for the dye. Brown dye is a color that I would not worry about since it is the bright colors that tend to fade to brown. Where do you go from brown? Maybe browner ... certainly not to a bright vibrant color. Personally, I think that the concern that turners have about UV damage is overstated. If something is outdoors in direct sunlight then UV is definitely a problem. Indoors, the problem is far less. Ordinary window glass blocks almost all UV light, but over the long term enough UV exposure will lead to fading for anything that is photosensitive placed where direct sunlight through a window falls on it. Oxygen will also cause organic dyes to dull over time.

I have used black and brown colored TransFast powdered aniline dye to tint epoxy, medium CA, and Inlace. It doesn't take much ... I use a flat toothpick to scoop up some of the powder and sprinkle it over the epoxy and gently stir together without creating too many bubbles.

You might also consider Star Bond Brown CA adhesive. It is a medium thickness CA with a semi transparent amber-brown color. I have found it to be the perfect color for filling mesquite cracks.

 

[hockenbery]

Personally, I think that the concern that turners have about UV damage is overstated. If something is outdoors in direct sunlight then UV is definitely a problem. Indoors, the problem is far less. Ordinary window glass blocks almost all UV light, but over the long term enough UV exposure will lead to fading for anything that is photosensitive placed where direct sunlight through a window falls on it.

Bill,
I have seen box elder and cherry change colors in weeks when near windows. Next time you see cherry furniture in a store with a tag on it, move the tag and most often the wood under the tag will be quite a bit lighter in color.

I never sell a box elder piece without alerting the buyer that the red will fade over time.
One customer told me her box elder bowl that they use every day was still red four years later.

Fortunately we have woods like cherry and padauk which have positive color changes.
Paduk was my favorite wood for Christmas ornament finials. It would be orange coming off the lathe, turn a deep red and the almost black.
Each color phase was great looking to me.

Box elder sort of gets an uninteresting brown color. Bleaching seems to retard the color change a bit.

Al

 

[john lucas]

Yea and I have photos on my wall covered with UV glass and then they are inside and never in direct light. They have faded after 10 years or more. For most turnings and especially colors encased in epoxy it's not a problem for a pretty long while but it's something worth considering if you think that turning may stick around awhile. Transtint is the liquid colors I used. I have used water based colors even though most people say you can't. Guess I'm just stubborn. It works it's just harder to mix up. Alcohol based and oil based colors mix easily.

 

[Odie]

I had not thought about the UV......

John, I see you are using some India inks......don't these have some water content? There is an art store in town, so I could get some fairly fast to try out.....Are they available in colors? My thinking is a liquid dye might be better for mixing in the epoxy, than a powdered dye. I have some brown RIT dye on hand, but as Bill mentioned, water content may not be such a good idea for mixing with epoxy. I'll take the RIT out to the shop today, and mix up a little batch for experiment.

Bill.....my bottles of Devcon are the old 5min version, and I bought these maybe five years ago. They sat on the shelf for a couple years while I used up my supply of "syringe" type smaller packages. I'm now just getting down to the last of the larger 4.5oz bottles and placed an order for more......so, that's how I made the discovery about the change in set time. Once, I made a mistake and left the Devcon on a palette knife a bit too long......had to remove the residue with a 3M deburring wheel......won't be making that mistake twice!

Here's a quick photo of the unwaxed/buffed bowl showing the clear epoxy. The fill-ins I was speaking about don't quite look this obvious under normal lighting.....was holding it up to the light for the camera. I think a tiny bit of tint to it would have looked better......

ko

 

[john lucas]

Some Inks are water based. It's been a while so I don't remember exactly but I know I have mixed water based acrylic paint with epoxy. It's a little hard to get it to start at first but once it starts mixing is seems to work fine. Do a test because all epoxies and water based paints and inks are different. I only have experience with a few. I was going to run a test for you but just remembered I packed all my inks when I was packing my magazines for this move. Alcohol based inks mix with epoxy quite easily.

 

[rick pixley]

West system

West system sells several colors of dye for coloring epoxy. If you get the black a little goes a long way. They also make different fiber fillers to adjust the viscosity for larger voids. I learned about west system some years ago from Marilyn Campbell I believe. It may have been at the Orlando symposium,

 

[Bill Boehme]

I don't see the clear epoxy unless you are talking about the two bright spots on the out of focus back side. When I first looked, my assumption was that it was two light reflections, but maybe they are the "windows" that you are talking about.

The way that I would have handled something like that is to first tape one side then pack with dry used coffee grounds then use epoxy or CA to glue the grounds in place. Sometimes I grind the coffee up a bit with a mortar and pestle so that I have a mixture of sizes from powder to large grounds. Since this goes completely through the wall, you might need to rework the taped side to get a good fill. To me, the texture of the grounds works a lot better than using a solid color. I have also done some carving around a hole to enhance its "natural" appearance.

About fading, everything fades over time. Causes include heat, visible light, UV radiation, cosmic background particle radiation, oxygen, chemical reactions, and who knows what else. Halides and paper interact even if the paper is claimed to be "acid free" (once anything touches it, pigment or dye or photo chemicals, it is no longer completely acid free). The hair on top of my head faded away long ago ... I am sure that it was cosmic radiation or similar mysterious cause.

 

[Mark Mandell]

Light Stable

Metalized dyes are, next to mineral-based pigments, the most light stable, colorfast colorants you'll find. I prefer and use Homestead Finishing's TransTint concentrates that mix instantly with epoxy as well as shellac and waterborne finishes.

Fabric dyes will fade about as fast as "your dad's best jeans."

 

[Odie]

I don't see the clear epoxy unless you are talking about the two bright spots on the out of focus back side. When I first looked, my assumption was that it was two light reflections, but maybe they are the "windows" that you are talking about.

Yes, those two light spots on the far side of the photo are separations filled with epoxy.

Some Inks are water based. It's been a while so I don't remember exactly but I know I have mixed water based acrylic paint with epoxy. It's a little hard to get it to start at first but once it starts mixing is seems to work fine. Do a test because all epoxies and water based paints and inks are different. I only have experience with a few. I was going to run a test for you but just remembered I packed all my inks when I was packing my magazines for this move. Alcohol based inks mix with epoxy quite easily.

I did a test earlier this afternoon with mixing a tiny bit of dark brown RIT fabric dye with the Devcon epoxy. Just checked it a short time ago, and it looks to have hardened ok. It mixed with the epoxy very well. It looks good enough to try it on a bowl with voids......

ko