Nobody Special wrote:

3) I got a vacuum pump off craigslist today and after too
many trips to the BORG (I hate buying brass fittings there)
got a pickle jar dropped to where the blocks bubbled and sank
into the alcohol-dissolved transtint (liquid this time) dye.
(I don't have guages, so I don't know what in/Hg it was at).
Updates to follow tomorrow. I'll have to see how well the jar
holds vaccuum - so far I had to tighten down the fittings a couple
of times. Should have taped the threads, but was in a hurry.


Update at 3hrs of soak under vaccuum. Pulled one piece out and cut off
a corner at a diagonal. In 3 of the directions there was 1/8" or more
(in one case probably 1/4") of penetration by the dye. On the last side
there wasn't much. But since the block was pretty small, it would
probably have been dyed throughout in a few more hours.

I put its partner back in along with some of my stopper blanks,
pulled the vaccuum back down and will check them in the morning.

--
Nobody Special