On 6/24/2014 6:37 AM, dadiOH wrote:
I've never had occasion to use dye so don't know how strong a color one can
get.
I have need to get some work to a semi-gloss jet black. I had planned to
use black paint topped with poly - and if I can find some black, alkyd
enameI probably will - but I hate the idea of having to use acrylic...I
don't have spray equipment so will need something I can sand to get a nice
surface.
Would black dye get me a jet black? I don't mind wood texture showing but
not grain pattern. How about dye topped with poly that has some black tint
in it? Would light wood (eg, poplar) work better or a dark one (eg, walnut
or mahogany)? Maybe Peruvian walnut?
All opinions welcome but experience gets extra points 
Some years ago, well before I was the expert woodworker that I have so
recently become, I built a cubbyhole unit to go over a desk. It spans
the space between two armoires that we had had built by a local shop to
hold my music gear. The armoires were a cordovan dark maroon.
I decided to try to approximate the color of the armoires for the
cubbyhole unit. I bought four colors of dye; three powders and one
liquid (TransTint Cordovan). One of the powders was black.
I had kind of hoped that the Cordovan dye would be a good match by
itself. No such luck. I made a positively ridiculous number of samples.
At one point I had a 6' 1x2 with a different color "swatch" every three
inches, and that was *after* I had made a dozen or so separate pieces,
some with a different dye mix on each side.
One of the problems was getting the wood dark enough. That's why I
bought the black. At some point I believe I tried mixing as much black
powder as would dissolve in a small amount of alcohol, with no other
colors added. It was just another 3" of wood, after all.
If memory serves, this did produce somewhat blackened wood, but not
nearly what you seem to be describing. There were variations in color
and the grain was plainly visible. So if you give my expertise and
experience the weight they deserve...
.... well, you'll pretty much be back where you started, because the
characterization of my skills above is pure bunk. Having said that, I do
not believe that any mixture of the powdered black dye I bought will
give you the look I think you want. I made it "rich" enough that there
was still a little undissolved powder at the bottom; the solution was
saturated.
I think you need something that will obscure the wood, and - again,
consider the source - I don't think that's what dyes are good for.
Although I can easily see the difference between the color, sheen and
grain of my cubbyhole unit and the armoires, I get many compliments on
the match, so I guess it came out OK in the end. As an added plus, the
weeks of sample making - "I'm adding Eye of Newt tonight honey, and a
little Wolfsbane. Wish me luck!" - was a source of great mirth in the
Guarino household.
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