Black candy burst/ black sunburst finish

Dave Black

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638
Location
Central PA
I am wanting to do a finish like this
http://www.dwdrums.com/showroom/kits.asp?sKITNAME=exjg-heartwood-curly
I am wondering what the best way is to do this. I have transtint black that I was messing with on a piece of scrap. I am mixing the transtint with water but it ends up looking purple, I used about 2 tablespoons water to between 10-15 drops transtint. I put the dye mix right on the wood to test how it would look. For the burst finish would I spray the dye on the wood or dye the lacquer than spray that? I've never used dye on a project or done a burst finish so this is all new to me.
 
I've done several sunburst finishes on bowls, and I've done it both ways...I've dyed the wood then lacquered, and I've sprayed the wood with dyed lacquer. I've also used quite a bit of Transtint black, and I've seen the purple effect. It goes away with more coats of dye and as it dries. I think using water as your carrier will contribute to the effect, since it takes longer to dry. I prefer using denatured alcohol. (Make sure you're wearing a VOC-rated respirator when spraying DNA. Spoken with personal experience.)

In most cases, I spray the alcohol/dye mix directly onto the wood. On some woods, though, the dye can bleed through in spots and show up on the inside of the piece. In cases where that would be a problem, I'll mix the dye with the clear finish. For that type of finish on a drum, I think I'd go with the tinted finish, just to avoid the possibility of having black dye bleed through and show on the inside of the drum. (Although if you're using maple, there's probably no risk of bleed-through.)

Whichever way you decide to go with the dye, it may take multiple applications to get the dark parts as dark as you want them. One of the great things about dye is that you can sneak up to the color density you want. (And if you go over, you can often pull it back by wiping it with alcohol, although on a fade finish like you're looking at that would mess things up.) To apply it, I'd use either an airbrush or a very fine and controlled HVLP gun. I have a mini HVLP gravity gun that works nicely for this type of thing. Your mix proportions sound about right...I typically use about 20 - 24 drops of dye in about 3/4 of an ounce of alcohol.

Practice on a piece or two of scrap wood (preferably the same wood you're using on the drums), sanded to the same finish the drums would get. I think you'll find it's pretty easy to get a handle on the process. ;)
 
I've done several sunburst finishes on bowls, and I've done it both ways...I've dyed the wood then lacquered, and I've sprayed the wood with dyed lacquer. I've also used quite a bit of Transtint black, and I've seen the purple effect. It goes away with more coats of dye and as it dries. I think using water as your carrier will contribute to the effect, since it takes longer to dry. I prefer using denatured alcohol. (Make sure you're wearing a VOC-rated respirator when spraying DNA. Spoken with personal experience.)

In most cases, I spray the alcohol/dye mix directly onto the wood. On some woods, though, the dye can bleed through in spots and show up on the inside of the piece. In cases where that would be a problem, I'll mix the dye with the clear finish. For that type of finish on a drum, I think I'd go with the tinted finish, just to avoid the possibility of having black dye bleed through and show on the inside of the drum. (Although if you're using maple, there's probably no risk of bleed-through.)

Whichever way you decide to go with the dye, it may take multiple applications to get the dark parts as dark as you want them. One of the great things about dye is that you can sneak up to the color density you want. (And if you go over, you can often pull it back by wiping it with alcohol, although on a fade finish like you're looking at that would mess things up.) To apply it, I'd use either an airbrush or a very fine and controlled HVLP gun. I have a mini HVLP gravity gun that works nicely for this type of thing. Your mix proportions sound about right...I typically use about 20 - 24 drops of dye in about 3/4 of an ounce of alcohol.

Practice on a piece or two of scrap wood (preferably the same wood you're using on the drums), sanded to the same finish the drums would get. I think you'll find it's pretty easy to get a handle on the process. ;)

Where did you get your mini hvlp, I have been looking for one, I have 2 full size harbor freight hvlp guns that are nice but a little big for this application. I just tried some DNA with the transtint and sprayed it on a scrap and it looks pretty black. It may look slightly purple where the fade is lightest. Maybe I need more transtint?
 
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