Dyes are often used in finishing....

http://www.woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FU...ARTNUM=843-924



Matt in Fenton wrote:

I bought some stain today and was trying it out on a piece of pine. I
didn't thoroughly mix the can because I was in a hurry and just wanted
to see what the color looked like, so I opened the can and wiped some
on.

I let it sit for less than a minute and wiped it off. Needless to say
it was MUCH lighter version than what was pictured on the can. But the
thing is I really liked the effect of this vs. a rich stained color.
It was more like tinting the wood instead of staining it (which serves
to color the wood).