Transtint Dyes, Reddish Brown

Works well. I use this on cherry to bring out the grain with a deep hint of red. Looks so much better than the usual coat of stain. The dye is absorbed into the wood so the color is deeper. I was first taught about using dye by a master cabinet maker 50 years ago. Applies easily, be cautious about the fumes of the alcohol used as the carrier. Dries quickly.

I used the purple dye on a 335 guitar kit that I bought from Leo Jaymz (also on Amazon). It's very easy to use and it has a really nice color, but the little red cap that sits on top of the white lid was cracked. It was sealed and there was a rubber band around it to keep it all together, but it might leak if I doubt keep the cap and rubber band on, and keep it in the bag. Worked fine on a maple veneer. There are some before and after pictures on here. It isnt finished yet. I just sanded it it with 400, wiped a coat on, waited an hour, and put another coat on. I mixed it with water, so im going to let it sit for about 2 days to completely dry before I finish it with Tru-Oil. I would recommend wearing gloves because it stains skin and nothing helps it come off. It also recommend using those lint free blue shop towels because the absorb a lot, so it doesn't puddle up, and they don't tear up and leave lint as easily as rags or paper towels. I made some extra dye just in case, and used less than half of the bottle for the entire body and neck. I feel like it's a bit over priced for the amount you get, but it's great quality.

Great product but small amount ..good stuff

Absolutely a saving grace when it came to color matching a refinish on an old sideboard. I had to fabricate a new solid walnut top to the piece, so it was that typical purple-hue initially, but with the dye, you wouldn't even be able to tell now. Super easy to apply with spray bottle then wiping, and then it dries within minutes. Mixed with distilled water well with a good shake. No smell really, and looks fantastic as a quick glimpse of what it'll look like after finish. They provide a rubber band now since the cap tends to fall off - worked fine for me.

The only reason I gave the dye 4 stars instead of 5 is because I think its a little 2 expensive for what it is. Do not get me wrong this is a great dye, but I have used other dyes that performed the same way for half the price. I just wanted to try this because it seems this is what a lot of the more experienced wood craftsman that I watch online use. One thing I really like about these dyes is that I can mix it up in a Mason jar and keep what ever I do not use. I actually had some of this in a mason jar for about 6 months. I took it out shook it up and it was ready to use. Now I don't know if there are any warnings against doing this but it has worked great for me. Transtint also makes these dyes in a lot of different colors which is quite nice and they can be mixed together to create your own custom colors. You may have to do some serious online searching to find all of their colors though, as some of the colors seem a little hard to get your hands on. I have also used this to tint some clear shellac and it worked well for that. All and all the dye works great on hard woods. As with any water based dye or stain on blotch prone woods like, birch or poplar. I recommend spraying the dye on with an HVLP gun to get a nice even absorption. Sand your wood good with a 120. Then wipe it down with a fairly wet cloth. Let it dry completely and sand it again with a 220 before you stain or dye. Though I have applied this to pine with a phone brush and got really nice results.

Works well, a little goes a long way. No smell and works well with water based dyes

I’m making a Telecaster from scratch and wanted a butterscotch blonde look so that it resembled Micawber (Keith Richards’ famous Tele). I used TransTint honey amber and got surprisingly close, although not exact. This was my first go at getting this color so I’m sure after more experimentation, I can more closely produce the color. Anyway, I got close enough to be happy, although probably a little too dark. The directions say to mix with denatured alcohol OR WATER! I used water since I don’t have a proper respirator to deal with the nasty fumes from denatured alcohol. I also don’t have any spray equipment, so I simply mixed it with water in a red solo cup. I filled water up to that line (the circumferential indentation in the cup) you can see above the liquid and the used maybe 1/8th of the dye mixed in. See the picture of the TransTint bottle I included. This is what’s left in the bottle. The bottle was brand new and full before. If you didn’t know, the creator of TransTint is Jeff Jewitt, who is not only a master of finishing, but also a master luthier and makes beautiful custom acoustic guitars. Check him out. Anyway, since I used water, it raised the grain, but that is fine and lightly sanding the grain back down (I used 1000 grit), it creates a super smooth surface. Note that the guitar as pictured is after 3 coats of TransTint honey amber. It also has 5 coats of Tru Oil already as seen in the picture. I think I will do 4 or 5 more coats. Before doing Tru Oil, it did look closer to banana yellow, but Tru Oil has a nice amber color which helped to bring that to what you see in the pictures.

Great basic dyes. They are not pre-mixed, but mix well with water, denatured alcohol and oils (tung, Danish, etc.). I mix almost exclusively with Behktol denatured alcohol (alcohol doesn't raise the grain as much as, and gives greater grain resolution than, water) and apply the stain prior to using the oil as you have less control over color reversal once the oil is applied . I use TransTint interchangeably with Mixol depending on the color I'm trying to achieve (I occasionally mix the two together). The TransTint dyes are more economical, but the Mixol tints offer greater color variety.. Both work well. I'm not a chemist, so I can't speak to the specific TransTint formulation, other than it is not a pigment-based product and has no binders (same as with Mixol) and is not a pure aniline dye made from coal tar so it is not as hazardous as true anilines. I have found that the open time (after mixing with denatured alcohol) is easily measured in months. If I experience evaporation, I just add Behlen's thinner and I'm good to go. The shelf life of the opened bottle of concentrate is considerable - many months. When I mix up a desirable color, I store it in Ball Jar Crystal Jelly Jars with Lids and Bands, Quilted, 4-Ounce, Set of 12 for $10@Amazon which provides a tight seal. I keep the stains this way for months. When mixing I always add a small amount of Behlen's extender (maybe a 1-50 ratio). Since I apply with brushes, the extender keep the dye from drying too fast and making streaks. A short introduction to dyes may be found in Jeff Jewitt's Taunton guide to Finishing. One thing I don't like about TransTint on Amazon is the hefty shipping charges and the widely varying prices depending on color.