It was done mainly because it was cheaper then than the oak was, so it became necessary to compete business wise. The same type of affect is done now on car dashes etc. when a very expensive burl is desired on a car, without the cost.

i have pics but new here, so i hope WW will tell me how to post them when he reads this ok?

Apply your dye to the wood first, let dry
then apply your oil for best penetration
wipe all the excess off and let dry 24 hours
then apply your shellac at a 1 lb. cut
let dry/sand 320/lightly but smooth
then come back with your poly finish or varnish
skip any tri-mixes of oil/varnish/thinner, and just use a straight poly or varnish thinned just a little if necessary for flow and leveling if brushing. If not you can spray it straight out of the can. or with a spray can.

Make sure your using sealcoat or freshly made dewaxed flakes. sealcoat for poly / dewaxed flakes for oil varnish.

Sincerely,

Chemmy

Once you have applied and let dry for a day, then if dyes are used, it will further enhance the affect

It's not that it can't be done as suggested here, it just gives more of the affect. Again, if you want to even make it more pronounced, you can use the sanding method also. The FS treatment has been around along time, nothing new, just another arrow to have in your finishing quiver when needed.

As to the trans-tint dyes, those are a common dye that has been around for a couple decades or so. Just new packaging /promoting/etc.. if you like you can buy them direct but only at gallon pricing. the least costly is back at around $70.00 per 8lbs. [basically a gallon.] the most expensive is the blue, around $165.00, still sound way to expensive?

Look at it this way – approx. 128 oz. per gallon -at 70.00 per gallon divided by 128 = $ 0.58 per oz. for the blue @ 165 per gal., divided by 128 oz. = $1.28 per ounce. the others will run in between.

most brown colors can be made with no more than the three primaries, red,blue,yellow. or the alternative green and red. ok?

these are not another type of dye, they are the “same” dye. a chrome or other metal complex dye in liquid form. Why continue to pay the high prices for the small bottles? everyone here if they don’t need gallons can get together in groups of 4 or more and split the gallons into quarts/pints etc.

I personally have been using them since 1981 and they are available from http://www.dyes.com Keystone aniline. Cut out the middleman and keep your saving to buy other necessities ok?