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A failed experiment with food dye init?

Grump

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I have been doing this over a few days now since someone asked a question of how would food dye penetrate wood.
I thought there may be a chance of the dye leaching through end grain.
I chose a very dry and open grained blank to play with and drilled a line of holes at 1/2 intervals along the length of the blank.
Filled the holes with red food dye and fed the holes every evening over 3 days, left overnight and a fourth day plugged the holes with copper wire and ca glue.
I was expecting as I turned it down to see a red line running through the blank and hopefully spread wide around it too.
What disappointment I had, the copper wire ripped out as soon as the chisel touched them and the dismal effect was a total failure.
I would only use food dye for surface colouring after turning and before finishing, is my conclusion of this experiment unless maybe pressured into the wood.
Not that I want to dye wood anyway but I do enjoy playing init?

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Jimjam66

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An interesting experiment, Brian. I'm a little sad that it didn't work - it deserved to ...

... Oh - and lovely sketch penCIL there! Plastic, I see ...

:devil::devil:
 

Grump

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Plastic Dear boy, NONONONO it's Spalted beech young man made a long time ago that one dear chap.
Not a wasted day though I played with the A axis and got the curve right init?

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Buckeye

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I wouldn't look at it as a failure, you proved it didn't work the way you thought it might, now you have to devise another experiment that might further the plan:thumbs:

Peter
 

Woody

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Bloody stupid idea anyway drill em out put em in a bloody pressure pot come on Brian I credited you with more savy than that :down::down:
He he he luv yu
 

Grump

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Not everybody has or wants a pessure or vacuum pot dad so I just thought I would try,
we know a certain anmount leaches in through end grain as we have proved before now so worth a try I thought.
 

Buckeye

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Brian, I used the Jam makers technique of creating a vacuum. I had a load of punky spalted silver birch and after heating them in the microwave I put them into a jamjar of very warm cellulose sanding sealer, stood that in a pan of just boiled water and when it was as hot as it was going to get, I put the lid on and as it cools it creates a vacuum (not much of one admittedly) and sucks in the sanding sealer. It stiffened up the blanks nicely. I wouldn't want to heat the sanding sealer anymore than I did, though:nonono:

Peter
 

paulm

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Ah well at least you tried, It would have been good if it'd come off. Are you going to try another way?
 

Grump

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Probably not but the above post by Peter has me thinking again.
I wouldn't chance putting a spirit based dye near a flame but I would think the principle could be applied to diluted food colouring which could be boiled easily.
 

Buckeye

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It would work much better if you could boil it. I wouldn't want a flame near spirit dye or sanding sealer either. It might be worth putting the blank in the pan when you boil it, then as soon as you put them in the jar, put the lid on for the best vacuum.

Peter
 
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