"Transtint" Dyes...

[T.L.]

Does anyone here use Transtint dyes? If so, can you tell me if they are good (or recommended)?...

 

[Keyser Soze]

Yes I have used them.  Mainly on furniture projects, but also on a couple guitars. 

My experience has been limited to the red colors - bright red and red-brown and the honey amber.  Used as an alcohol based NGR dye they are very easy to use, infinitely adjustable and also can be manipulated (e.g. blended, lightened, darkened) after application.  The honey amber makes a pretty decent vintage neck stain if you add a small (very small) amount of red, used plain it looks fine - but not quite vintage.  When used as a wood dye my only negative to report would be that the bright red is not particularly light fast - mine faded substantially even under a poly topcoat with UV protection. 

Where they really shine for me is mixed in shellac and used as a toner/sealer over paints.  I've done a fair amount of furniture in faux wood finishes using toned shellac to add depth and richness to the final appearance.  Used this way they also prevent glazes from looking too muddy.

I'm pretty sure Trans Tints contain the same actual product as the tints sold by Stew Mac (and possibly others) under their own house brands.

And lastly, they are ridiculously concentrated so don't be put off by the price - each bottle will last you a very very long time.

 

[T.L.]

Yes I have used them.  Mainly on furniture projects, but also on a couple guitars. 

My experience has been limited to the red colors - bright red and red-brown and the honey amber.   Used as an alcohol based NGR dye they are very easy to use, infinitely adjustable and also can be manipulated (e.g. blended, lightened, darkened) after application.  The honey amber makes a pretty decent vintage neck stain if you add a small (very small) amount of red, used plain it looks fine - but not quite vintage.  When used as a wood dye my only negative to report would be that the bright red is not particularly light fast - mine faded substantially even under a poly topcoat with UV protection. 

Where they really shine for me is mixed in shellac and used as a toner/sealer over paints.  I've done a fair amount of furniture in faux wood finishes using toned shellac to add depth and richness to the final appearance.  Used this way they also prevent glazes from looking too muddy.

I'm pretty sure Trans Tints contain the same actual product as the tints sold by Stew Mac (and possibly others) under their own house brands.

And lastly, they are ridiculously concentrated so don't be put off by the price - each bottle will last you a very very long time.

I am wanting to do a "greenburst" finish. Would the transtint be good for that?  What if I were to mix it with a poly-urethane clear coat? Would that work?...

 

[Keyser Soze]

I'm assuming you are referring to the green bodies shown on the Warmoth website under 'bursts.'

If so, then sure you can use the trans-tint products.  But the two bodies shown would seem to have been created using different approaches.

The tele looks like a typical flame dye job - black, sand back, then green; followed by a black burst and scraped binding (or taped off prior to burst.)

The strat body looks more like a 3 color burst - yellow-green, green, then dark green (or green black.)

Can these be done with poly?  Sure, if Warmoth does it so can anyone else (as long as you have similar products and production type gear or access to such.)

Would I try to do either of these with trans tints?  Only the Tele, and I'd use lacquer not poly - mainly because lacquer bursts can easily be sanded off if laid down poorly (assuming you've put down a good layer of sanding sealer prior to burst.)

If I did try the 3 color burst I'd still use lacquer but the main reason I wouldn't try it is the amount of experimentation required to get the color scheme right coupled with my lack of the requisite degree of patience, perseverence and confidence. The last of which is an absolute necessity when you are slinging multiple layers of color through spray gear.  Tentative shows.

Edit:  Upon further thought - you could do something similar to the strat burst by applying diluted trans-tints (in water or alcohol) as dye and then carefully blending them followed by a clear top coat of your choice.  You will get a nice three color burst but visually the effect will be alot milder/softer - and I would only consider trying this on woods that stain fairly evenly (forget alder or ash and figured maple might even give you grief.)  This is a technique that would require some practice.

 

[T.L.]

Well, perhaps a better question would be:  HOW do they do Sunburst Strats?  I essentially want a see-thru dark green with a solid black outer boarder (no yellow or other colors). The body is made of Alder (and it's real nice).  A buddy of mine suggested transtint, but if there is a better way, I'd love to know...

 

[Keyser Soze]

The way they do them is probably much like I mentioned.

Tele - black dye applied directly to the maple top, then sanded back to leave only part of the figure darkened, then green dye; followed by a sprayed on black burst and scraped binding (or taped off prior to burst) then final top coat with clear.

Strat - 3 color burst - yellow-green, green, then dark green (or green black) - each color applied as a sprayed on colored toner (toner is fancy term for the color being mixed into a clear coat) followed by clear topcoat to protect everything.

I'm glad you mentioned the type of body wood.

The bad news is that alder does not accept stains or dyes very well at all.  It is prone to random blotchiness, while the end grain sucks up color and tends to get very dark compared to the rest of the grain. 

There are ways to pre-treat alder (wash coats of thin shellac or diluted hide glue, or commerical pre-stain products) but they are not foolproof. 

The best way to apply color to alder is to first seal the wood (to prevent dye or pigment migrating into the wood) then apply color as sprayed on toner.  If you have spray gear and are willing to mix up color yourself then transtints are a good choice, but maybe not the best (whoever makes your finish product should tell you what their 'best' colorant is.)

If you don't have access to spray gear you could apply the sealer, then wipe (or brush) on the green clear coat but this can be a tricky technique - you basically have one shot of getting it right and do run the risk of it coming out uneven in appearance.  As mentioned, I use this technique with transtints mixed in shellac then applied over paints.  My approach is to mix up a small volume of very heavily dyed shellac then wipe it on very thin and very fast. You have to work quickly to blend any uneven areas because shellac dries super fast and trying to apply more either makes a sticky mess or just creates more uneven-ness.

For this technique I use Zinnser Bullseye clear sanding sealer.  It is almost colorless, is very dilute to begin with, and is a little easier to sand back than ordinary shellac.  Transtints work great in alcohol (which is the solvent vehicle for shellac.)  With a vial of transtint green and a can of Bullseye you should have plenty for mixing up several dilutions to determine the proper mix (count the drops to determine your best mix ratio and you'll only need a couple ounces of solution to actually coat the body) and try some practice on scrap wood (don't forget to include the sealer coats first.) 

If you go this route use something other than shellac as your initial sealer - otherwise the dye will migrate into the seal coat and you will have no easy way to remove the color should things go wrong.  If the sealer is alchol impervious and you don't like how the green looks you can simply wipe it off with alcohol saturated rags and try again, or do something different.

A solid black burst will simply need to be sprayed on once the color is dry.  There really is no other way to get an opaque burst effect.  If you use shellac for the green you could use most any rattle can black paint (exact type to be determined by its compatibility with whatever you choose to use as final top coating.)

 

[T.L.]

This has been very helpful, and I appreciate your time in explaining it to me...