pilotjones
07-30-2006, 08:57 PM
There was some thread at some point where someone suggested using hair dye as a wood stain. (I searched, couldn't find it.) I think someone thought that someone else had done it, but no one had any concrete knowledge. IIRC.
A few weeks ago there was some leftover dye around the house. So I did a small experiment, and here are the results in case anyone is interested.
Dye: medium-dark brown, sort of a gel.
Method: apply by wiping on and leaving a thin film, wait two hours. (That's how long it took me to get back to the samples, it is normally left on hair for 25 minutes.) At that point it was dry except for in the thickest areas, and in the pores of the oak (see below). Rinse under water, rubbing with fingers, and let dry.
Sample 1: Poplar. That would be yellow poplar, tulip-tree, Liriodendron tulipifera, etc. The stuff they call "poplar" at Home Depot. Found in cheap basses, but also the stuff Mike Tobias uses and calls "tulipwood." This piece was pure white, no green or grey "mineral stain."
Results: a nice medium-dark brown, but, where there had been variations in the thickness of the gel coat, there were stripes in the color darkness.
Sample 2: Oak. Smooth, but completely un-grain-filled, and rift sawn so there was plenty of porous ring exposed as well as white dense area. Similar in many ways to ash in appearance and texture.
Results: The pores took on a medium brown color, about the same as if you had used a light to medium brown wood stain. But, even after rinsing I still saw dried gel in the pores, and I have no idea what effect this might have on later finishing. The white dense wood, however, took on a distinctly greenish cast! Very unexpected.
Results, both samples: They both smelled like hair dye for at least a day afterward.
Some conclusions:
1. Might be usable, but you must experiment, it could be unpredictable.
2. Hair dye is as expensive as stain, for less stuff, so it would only be a serious alternative only if there were a regular user of a particular brand and color in the house, and you could experiment to confirm results, and you could schedule your staining around the hair dying activity (since the stuff is only good for a short time after mixing the two ingredients).
A few weeks ago there was some leftover dye around the house. So I did a small experiment, and here are the results in case anyone is interested.
Dye: medium-dark brown, sort of a gel.
Method: apply by wiping on and leaving a thin film, wait two hours. (That's how long it took me to get back to the samples, it is normally left on hair for 25 minutes.) At that point it was dry except for in the thickest areas, and in the pores of the oak (see below). Rinse under water, rubbing with fingers, and let dry.
Sample 1: Poplar. That would be yellow poplar, tulip-tree, Liriodendron tulipifera, etc. The stuff they call "poplar" at Home Depot. Found in cheap basses, but also the stuff Mike Tobias uses and calls "tulipwood." This piece was pure white, no green or grey "mineral stain."
Results: a nice medium-dark brown, but, where there had been variations in the thickness of the gel coat, there were stripes in the color darkness.
Sample 2: Oak. Smooth, but completely un-grain-filled, and rift sawn so there was plenty of porous ring exposed as well as white dense area. Similar in many ways to ash in appearance and texture.
Results: The pores took on a medium brown color, about the same as if you had used a light to medium brown wood stain. But, even after rinsing I still saw dried gel in the pores, and I have no idea what effect this might have on later finishing. The white dense wood, however, took on a distinctly greenish cast! Very unexpected.
Results, both samples: They both smelled like hair dye for at least a day afterward.
Some conclusions:
1. Might be usable, but you must experiment, it could be unpredictable.
2. Hair dye is as expensive as stain, for less stuff, so it would only be a serious alternative only if there were a regular user of a particular brand and color in the house, and you could experiment to confirm results, and you could schedule your staining around the hair dying activity (since the stuff is only good for a short time after mixing the two ingredients).