# An Experiment



## jazz (May 15, 2012)

Hi all,

Before becoming a member in this forum this year, I used to make very simple slingshots from naturals: cut - bark tie - shoot.

Now I learned that there is much more to it and I am at present learning about natural staining the wood.

There are recipes for staining with rusty nails and vinegar, new nails and vinegar, coins and vinegar, textile dyes, tea leaves, coffee etc.

My first experiment was textile dye and blackberries.

Here is the fork which I painted with the textile dye whic I prepared so that I boiled 1/tenth of the liter of water and mixed the powder in:









After I washed the excess of paint under tap water I gor this brick-like hue (the fork to the left on the next picture) which is not bad but is promising: further experiments will bring in mixing two or more dyes together, like what you do in painting (I do not know what kind of wood this is; I found it dead on a lake shore and it had reddish skin):









(Please note the uneven cut in the prongs: I did it freehand with hand saw for metal which I had at hand and without vice since I still do not have it; this fork will never become a slingshot.)

For the fork to the right I took a handfull of blackberries and squesed them agains the fork, a real mess, and I did it few times.

Then, I applied lineseed oil about five times to the red fork and, finaly, some bees wax. The final result:









The other fork ("Blackberry") did not take any oil: it stayed wet for a whole day, probably the fruit blocked it somehow, but also this fork is dogwood so maybe dogwood does not take lineseed oil much... (I do not put whole forks into oil because I do not have that much of the oil here..) At the end it also got some bees wax and it now has a silky shiny look which remind me of the sweets they had in the shops when I was kid:









I know that this is nothing special, only the begining, but was surely fun: I had no idea what shall I get so I will experiment more.

Now, does anybody have some interesting and simple recipes for dying wood (forks) with things that surround us (plants, minerals etc)? Also, what is the proper way to apply bees wax, how does this process look like?

thanks,

jazz


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

There are "water stains" specifically made for treating wood. Here is just one example:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=20081&cat=1,190,42942

One more thing to try ....

Cheers ....... Charles


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## Btoon84 (Nov 22, 2011)

cool man i'm all about doing it yourself. good job. keep trying new things


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Food dye works, too.


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## WILD BILL (Jan 26, 2012)

Great ideas!

"Blackberry" is pretty cool. What about Blueberries? How about a bucket full of Oak leaves and water, let it set until the water turns dark from the Tannins. Black Walnut hulls and water or concentrated makes a real good stain

There many things that are natural and will Dye/Stain things. Native Americans used many different things to dye fabrics and hides.

Remember, when "mixing " colors you usually don't get the color you expect. Go to a "painting" web site and look for a chart that shows combinations of colors. Once you find that chart, you'll know what to expect when you mix colors. Of course the different results with different woods will be mind blowing.

I have been " Vacuum Infusing" the oil into my slings as it pulls the oil into and through the wood. I have been doing this after sanding. Using a lite colored oil and things like Blackberry, Raspberry, Blueberry, Pokeberry juice mixed with the oil and infused into the fork before you start working, just might result in some interesting colors through out the wood. Of course you would only be able to see if there is a bit of shaping.

The disadvantage to Oil Infusing the wood before work begins is your sand paper will load up quicker. The main advantage is that , if the infusion process went well and the oil made it to the core, as you shape and sand, you will end up "burnishing" the wood.

Keep us informed

Bill


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## Natty Fork (Jul 18, 2012)

WTBJR said:


> I have been " Vacuum Infusing" the oil into my slings as it pulls the oil into and through the wood. I have been doing this after sanding. Using a lite colored oil and things like Blackberry, Raspberry, Blueberry, Pokeberry juice mixed with the oil and infused into the fork before you start working, just might result in some interesting colors through out the wood.


You can mix oil and water and vacuum it into the wood?

Oil & water don't mix, so do you shake the mixture into an emulsion and then put it under vacuum?


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## WILD BILL (Jan 26, 2012)

Natty Fork said:


> I have been " Vacuum Infusing" the oil into my slings as it pulls the oil into and through the wood. I have been doing this after sanding. Using a lite colored oil and things like Blackberry, Raspberry, Blueberry, Pokeberry juice mixed with the oil and infused into the fork before you start working, just might result in some interesting colors through out the wood.


You can mix oil and water and vacuum it into the wood?

Oil & water don't mix, so do you shake the mixture into an emulsion and then put it under vacuum?
[/quote]

No,. I would not try to mix water with the oil. I would mix the berry juice with the oil. I have not done this, just saying that one might be able to color the oil with berry juice (no added water). Yes the natural juice is mostly water so it might not "mix". I guess you could cook off the water. Heck I don't know, never attempted it.

I just use the oils with no color added and let the wood dictate the end result

Maybe just infuse the wood with the berry juice (no oil) after it is stable then infuse the oil or just rub it with oil. My Head Hurts!

Bill

You might have mis-understood me. The


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## Natty Fork (Jul 18, 2012)

WTBJR said:


> I have been " Vacuum Infusing" the oil into my slings as it pulls the oil into and through the wood. I have been doing this after sanding. Using a lite colored oil and things like Blackberry, Raspberry, Blueberry, Pokeberry juice mixed with the oil and infused into the fork before you start working, just might result in some interesting colors through out the wood.


You can mix oil and water and vacuum it into the wood?

Oil & water don't mix, so do you shake the mixture into an emulsion and then put it under vacuum?
[/quote]

No,. I would not try to mix water with the oil. I would mix the berry juice with the oil. I have not done this, just saying that one might be able to color the oil with berry juice (no added water). Yes the natural juice is mostly water so it might not "mix". I guess you could cook off the water. Heck I don't know, never attempted it.

I just use the oils with no color added and let the wood dictate the end result

Maybe just infuse the wood with the berry juice (no oil) after it is stable then infuse the oil or just rub it with oil. My Head Hurts!

Bill

You might have mis-understood me. The
[/quote]

Lol, yea I thought you had actually done this. When I said water, I did mean it in terms of juice being mostly water (as you mentioned).

I'm interested in trying something along these lines, I'm just hesitant to throw stuff (dyes) into the BLO I have, in order to try it under vacuum. BLO is cheap, but not that cheap if you have to throw away batches or keep separate batches for different colors.


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## worserabbit (Apr 16, 2012)

Food dye is what I have used. It pretty good.


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## ifix (Jun 11, 2012)

you can mix your coloring with alcohol and let your forks soak in it over night. works great with green wood because it also drys it up.
also, any color you get from nature, like flowers and plants, will usually decompose in UV light and the color will change depending on the acidity of the wood.


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## jazz (May 15, 2012)

Hi all,

Thank you for your comments and encouragement, which as always I get from you:

Hi, Charles: Thanks for pointing me at water/aniline stains, I will spend few dollars at the site you linked me to, just to try them/experiment and then will come back;

Hi, Btoon84: Thanks for encouragement!

Hi, Dayhiker, hi, Worserabbit: thanks for pointing me to food dyes, although I have never seen them here in our shops I will ask around in specialised places and if not I can always get them from Germany;

Hi, WTBRJ: Thanks for the encouragement and for pointing to other possibilities and other tips;

Hi, Natty Fork: thanks for this doubt about mixing water and oil, actually, I was thinking of doing something which would involve this mixture, and now I will be more cautious;

Hi, ifix: thanks for pointing me at this with alcohol; question: is there any way to stabilise/protect natural colours from decomposing under sunlight, like a fixative or so?

At the end of my post above I had a question about proper way to aplly bees wax, but it probably slipped your attention. I ask this because I heated the wax, applied it to the fork with a cloth but rubbing off the excess of the wax was more like peeling and rubbing this off than wipeing it away and I did not like this process at all; so, my question again is: do you also do it this way, do you also have these same problems or is there still better way to do it?

THANKS,

jazz


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

I am no expert on bees wax finishes, and have never done it on a slingshot. I have done it a few times on small wooden furniture. The technique involved heating the wood and then crayoning the bees wax onto the surface ... just take a chunk of bees wax and rub it onto the heated wood. You can do this several times. You do not big globs of wax on the surface this way, as the heated wood tends to melt the wax and absorb it. After one or two applications, polish the surface.

Others here have a lot more experience than I do, and hopefully they will chime in.

One note on natural dye stuffs ... cabbage, beet, blackberry, etc. ... most natural dyes are not colorfast ... that is, they will fade when exposed to sunlight.

You might want to try Kool-Aid. Friends use Kool-Aid to dye wool yarn, as here:

http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall02/FEATdyedwool.html

Just do a Google search and you will find lots of information.

Cheers ..... Charles


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## jazz (May 15, 2012)

Hi Charles,

Your answer is in the best tradition of zen-wisdom: dont boil the wax, just warm up the wood and rub the wax...

THANKS - I myself would NEVER think of this!

Tomorow I plan to lineseed a fork and the day after I am going to try this method.

Thank you very much again!

Now, I have been doing some research on Internet, actually looking for a book or so about this topic, but I found none. Instead, I found few sites which discus a recipe or two, including the one above you pointed at and I want to share this with you and others who might be interested.

Please note that there is no system in these links, they are as they are, some repeating, some differing but worth while looking at, I think:

http://www.ehow.com/how_8042673_diy-wood-stain-henna-powder.html
http://ronpare.hubpages.com/hub/Home-made-vinegar-wood-stain
http://www.woodworking.org/WC/Garchive01/3_27colorants.html
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/homemade-wood-stain.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_11367757_create-professional-waterbased-wood-stain.html




http://www.ehow.com/how_7674214_make-natural-wood-stain.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_11400534_make-own-waterbased-wood-stain.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_2311815_own-wood-stain.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_7796936_make-own-wood-stain-watercolor.html




http://inspiration-earth.blogspot.com/2012/03/diy-all-natural-wood-stain.html




http://voices.yahoo.com/natural-stain-unfinished-wood-11519810.html?cat=6
http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/natural-wood-finish.html
http://safenaturaltips.com/decorating/naturalstains.html
http://www.thenaturalabode.com/green_home/natural_wood_stains.htm
http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/finishes-for-wood.html
http://www.moneypit.com/article/natural-non-toxic-wood-stain-coffee-berries-and-more
http://charlesandhudson.com/kitchens/cabinets/stain-your-cabinets-with-coffee-grounds/
http://thebucklist.blogspot.com/2010/04/how-to-make-homemade-wood-stain.html
http://www.toolgirl.com/toolgirl/2010/03/staining-wood-with-cheap-natural-and-nontoxic-tea.html
http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Trim/Staining-Trim/wood-finishing-tips/View-All
http://www.ehow.com/way_5530645_wood-stain-recipes.html
http://woodworking168.blogspot.com/2011/12/julia-weber-homemade-wood-stains.html

cheers,

jazz


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Thanks for all those links, Jazz. I am sure many will find them very useful indeed.

Cheers ...... Charles


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## rockslinger (Nov 16, 2010)

Interesting links, thanks Jazz!
I made the vinegar and rusty nail stain a while back. It turned a piece or mesquite heart wood pretty black.
Going to try it on a slingshot eventually.


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## e~shot (Jun 3, 2010)

Thanks for the links!


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## jazz (May 15, 2012)

Hi all,

Related to the topic above I did some more Internet research and here are couple of links to some interesting stains recipes thsat I would like to share with you:

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/crafts/crafts-basics/naturaldyes.html
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/homemade-wood-stain.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_7689127_make-own-wood-dye-watercolors.html
http://www.ehow.com/info_8577317_wood-dye-vs-stain.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_8841_extract-dye-fruit.html
http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall02/FEATdyedwool.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_8581457_use-mushrooms-stain.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_12042850_make-dye-fruit.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_5625728_make-dye-out-fruits-veggies.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_5625728_make-dye-out-fruits-veggies.html

Again, some recipes are very similar, maybe some are same, but still interesting, like that one explaining stains from mushrooms..

cheers,

jazz


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## blindhari (Jun 27, 2011)

I was at a garage sale a year or so and bought a box of every which color KIWI paste shoe polish. For board cuts of white cabinet grade plywood I put on a thick coat of shoe polish, let it dry then buff with random orbital sander. So far brown and tan work best with a second coat of neutral. Good tack to the hand, nonstaining to hands or clothes, high lustre and pretty much weather proof.

blindhari


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## ifix (Jun 11, 2012)

jazz said:


> [..] is there any way to stabilise/protect natural colours from decomposing under sunlight, like a fixative or so?[..]


you cannot really do anything to the dyes themselves because of their nature. UV will eventually cause the colors to fade. you can protect it with a clearcoat that contains UV absorbers but then again these colors will eventually decompose because of oxidation. This is why varnishes and oils and various wood finishes of organic origins are all a shade of brown. they make use of this oxidation to get to their end state.


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## jazz (May 15, 2012)

Hi blindhari, hi, ifix,

thanks for these hints, they are very important to me to know!

cheers,

jazz


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## Quercusuber (Nov 10, 2011)

Very interesting topic!! Probably red wine is a good dye material too for wood, I will certainly have a try. Very criative colours on your slingshots. Congratulations!!


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## jazz (May 15, 2012)

Hi all,

I have found a book that could be usefull for slingshot makers, just google for:

UNDERSTANDING WOOD FINISHING
How To Select And Apply The Right Finish
By Bob Flexner

cheers,

jazz


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## Sofreto (May 10, 2012)

Hi Jazz...

Dayhiker posted some info on beeswax and how he applied it...hope it helps

http://slingshotforum.com/topic/11931-american-beech/page__hl__+beeswax%20+mixture#entry128325


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## jazz (May 15, 2012)

Hi Sofreto,

Very valuable link, THANKS.

jazz


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