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I currently have one bottle of Stew Mac ColorTone Vintage Amber Liquid Stain.

When I got this bottle I cut the very tip of the cap off to open it up. I probably should have poked a pin in it so that I could just get a drop, but I didn't realize how runny it was.

So first here's a tip....
Don't cut the tip off the cap or the stuff will leak out like crazy when you tip it over and try to add it to what ever you are tinting.

I'm about to order 3 more bottles for a sunburst project I'm working on and am wondering how everyone generally controls the amount of drops they get out of the bottle. I was thinking about transferring the contents into a different bottle that had an eye dropper. of course thinking about it right now I might be able to just poke a pin into the bottle.

My question is, what do you do? Does the pin through the cap work? Do you transfer it to a different bottle? Is there an eye dropper that will work on the bottle it comes with. I know I could just use an eye dropper, but it would be cool if I had one that would screw on the bottle and I could dedicate it to the specific color.

I'm thinking of possibly buying some of these.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I530LEO/ref ... RWKQ2BOW5A

What about using pipettes, John?

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

I've used Trans-Tint since dirt, and always stick the end of a #11 blade in it. Works fine, you get drops unless you squeeze harder, then you get a stream. Probably have 8-10 of them in the shop.

Oh, the trials of a guitar builder... they are a mess aren't they.

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I use a pinhole for a new bottle but at my work I have several bottles that we've used for years that have larger holes. I find that holding the bottle horizontal and slightly squeezing allows you to moderate the flow, of course that's on bottles that I don't refill all the way to the top. When I'm coming up with new toners I usually do it by counting drops to form my recipe, so with some practice I've gotten pretty good at it.

IMO getting drops is crucial to blending. The formula for the perfect colour invariably comes down to so many drops of this & that per oz. of lacquer.

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Dave
Milton, ON

Thanks for the tips. I just need to practice holding this bottle to get drops. On the new bottles I'll just poke them with a pin or the tip of an Xacto blade.

I tend to over think things and am glad that replacing the bottle isn't the go to step on these.