dye bleed

Recently i completed a project that I used Behlen Jet Black dye for the top as requested. I let it dry overnigtht, longer that needed. For the top coat i used 2 coats of Minwax clear Woodsheen. I let this dry for several days and then applied a coat of Minwax paste wax before I delivered the project. My daughter took the table to her office and got some snow on the finish on the way in and proceeded to wipe it off as soon as the table was in place. I got an immediate phone call. The cloth used to dry the water/snow was covered with black and my daughter said she wiped the dye off down to bare wood. I told her that had to be the most toxic snow I had ever seen. When i looked at the table top it did infact look like there were spots with no dye and bare wood was showing through. To shorten the story I applied some more Minwax paste wax and now the top looks good. There are no spots that appear to be bare wood. I did instruct my daughter not to use any liquids of any sort on the top. Can someone help me and maybe explain what I did wrong. I have used dyes before and have NEVER had this problem. Behlen dyes are my favorite products.

my experience with behlens dyes have been great. did you seal the top before dyeing it? if so then that could cause dye to not be secured to the wood. and a alcohol base solvent can take it off to lighten a area.. i used lacquer for top coat and not had the color leave.. dave hawksford is the guy to ask on here he is a pro at dye and finishing

Thank you Larry for your response. i applied the dye to bare oak. I am baffled but I am sure I will learn something from this on down the road. Experiment Experiment.

IMHO wax is not a film finish to seal the dye... it may be a nice finish over another film finish like lacquer, or something like linseed oil, but I would not have expected wax to be sufficient by itself.

Charlie Plesums said:

IMHO wax is not a film finish to seal the dye... it may be a nice finish over another film finish like lacquer, or something like linseed oil, but I would not have expected wax to be sufficient by itself.

Click to expand...

As I understand it, the Minwax clear Woodsheen is a film finish. Sounds like it's a mighty thin one, though.

Sounds like a light duty interior 'finish' but, not really a table-duty top coat. From the manufacturer:

Q: IF I WANT EXTRA DURABILITY, CAN I APPLY A CLEAR TOPCOAT OVER MINWAX® WATER BASED WOODSHEEN®?A: Yes. For extra durability without adding color, wait three hours after applying Minwax® Water Based WoodSheen®, and then apply Minwax® Polycrylic® Protective Finish, Minwax® Water Based Oil-Modified Polyurethane, or Minwax® Water Based Wipe-On Poly.

i have had red oak bleed stain not dye in the past threw a top coat of min wax wipe on poly, especially when it was warm and sunny.. the open grain of red oak traps the excess and it doesnt dry well. had to wipe off a couple times then re coat the top..

Sorry I'm late to the meeting.
1st thing I though of: behlin ANILINE DYES, Alcohol are not compatable with minwax. I've had this problem. If your going to use min wax use there stains. You'll avoid cross contamination.
You can use the Water-loc stains. You can use oil wiping stains BUT* its best to let dry 3 days before adding sealer if you are applying lacquer over.