Thanks for the advice. I'm working with Transtint and 91% iso-alcohol.
Not too bad, so far.

Alcohol is a bit harder to work with. It is real easy to get lap marks
if the edge drys and the next wet section overlaps. You can rub it
down with pure alcohol to try and dilute out any differences. Also
watch for wicking. It gets in the seams and then wicks back out after
you have wiped it down and often drys before you can wipe it away
again. Same problem with water but easir to catch before it dries and
easier to wash out if you miss it. You can also replace about about
20% of the typical alcohol with isopropyl alchol which drys a little
slower.

I started with alcohol but found that the minor extra work to deal
with raised grain was way less problem then trying to get good results
with alcohol. I wet the piece completly before I start applying my
water dye and then rub it in to the depth of color I need and wash it
back out if it gets too dark, etc.