On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:31:50 -0500, Larry Blanchard wrote
(in message ):

On Sun, 16 Aug 2009 14:37:18 -0500, tom koehler wrote:

As another poster here suggested, dye the surface (that will be glued
later in making up your woodblock) and when the project is turned, a
very thin colored line will show up. The glued (and dyed) surface is
wood-to-wood, and so will be as strong as any other glued part of your
project.

Actually, I'd question the "as strong" part. The adsorption of the dye
reduces the adsorption of the glue. Maybe a very minor amount, maybe
more.

If any reader has done some sort of testing on this, or knows of some
tests, I'm sure we'd all be interested in the results. I mean testing
with measuring equipment, not just "it worked (or didn't) for me."



You are right to question the "as strong" part, of course. My thinking was
that a wood-to-wood glue joint would be stronger than a wood-to-paper-to-wood
joint. My only experience in this being my own use of paper in a glued joint
for the purpose of easily splitting a turning into two pieces along the paper
joint.

The nature of the dye effects on a colored wood surface will depend entirely
on the nature of the dye, I guess. I have used aniline dyes - either powderd
and mixed with alcohol, or liquid and diluted with alcohol - to color wood.
The alcohol allows the coloring agents to penetrate and disperse in the wood
fibers, and then the alcohol evaporates, leaving the color behind.

It is true that some stains use various oils as a vehicle to carry the
coloring agents, and a volatile solvent to thin out the vehicle. When the
solvent evaporates, the vehicle and coloring agents are left behind. The oil
will polymerize, and form a thin skin, which will affect how the glue would
stick.

I should have specified an alcohol-type liquid for carrying the colorant, as
is often used in some commonly available dyes.

I earnestly hope I have cleared my intentions in this thread without rankling
any of the contributors here.
tom koehler


--
I will find a way or make one.