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i found this video on the fine woodworking website while searching on google for information on sun bursting, i don't know if it has been put up on OLF before or not, but i thought it was really good and that i would share my finding.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAn ... x?id=30182

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~shad peters

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cool vid thanks for posting

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

Good video on using dyes and french polishing and how to get a sunburst finish! Thanks for sharing the video!

great video thanks

I have to give that a try. Thanks for posting it.

Great video which shows how to control those water-soluble dyes- thanks for the link.

I used water-soluble green aniline dye (as in the video) on a project in the 80's (a coffee table) and the dye is quite 'fugitive' ie not light-fast. The table has been in a non-sunny location and the color has faded a lot.

The dyes were from LeeValley- they still sell something that looks similar:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=20082&cat=1,190,42942

Just a word of caution- keep that green mandolin in the case!

Cheers
John

Thanks for posting - very well done!
So inspiring I ordered up a selection of aniline dye for my next build...

Can you use the Transtint colors the same way?
Jason

Both Transtint and ColorFX (both liquid dyes) claim to be water-soluble, and probably either would be more color-fast than the powdered dye I used. I'm sure you could use the exact techniques in the video with either. Expect for the grain-raising issue, water-soluble dyes are probably the easiest to control as you can pre-wet the surface to control penetration and 'wash' to remove excess. And water has a nice slow evaporation rate compared to organics like alcohol.

Nowadays, I'm definitely in the 'leave the wood color natural' camp, with perhaps just a touch of amber from shellac or FP. One benefit of the 'natural' approach is that there's no worry that your project will turn a 'funny' color in 20 years.

Whether it was furniture or cheap guitars, dyes and stains were mostly used to hide the wood and make it look like a different species. In fact, old handbooks for wood finishes were quite straightforward-section headings like 'How to make poplar look like rosewood' were common. ..Fun reading from the dollar bin at the used bookstore....

Some of the new transparent color finishes do look pretty cool, though...

Cheers
John