Are Rit Dyes Good for Dyeing Wood?

[@dragonstorm8171]

I've used Rit dyes on my past few project guitars. For the price, they are pretty awesome to work with. One trick i've learned though, being its a water based dye, you can put on a few layers pretty thick (not diluted) on the guitar body, wait for a day or so for it to dry, then wipe down the guitar body with a rag and just plain water. It gives you the chance to lighten up the dye to the shade you want, or even do a cool burst effect by wiping the center of the guitar with water rag, but not the outside of the guitar body. Also, the stuff comes out really well with wipe on finishes like Minwax wipe on poly, or tru oil. (As you can tell, im a weekend hobbiest who gets most of his supplies at the local hardware store lol) also, another cool trick is to pour the dye directly on the guitar body, and instead of using a rag, use .0000 steel wool to get it into the fibers of the wood. also works good for doing a blend style or burst stye finish.

[@BradAngove]

Awesome. Thanks for the tips.

[@rickgledura3194]

I don't think it's a Good idea to wipe it with steel wall as it is made of metal with a water soluble product it will tend to rust

[@dragonstorm8171]

@@rickgledura3194 I've never had an issue with rust on the guitar body or finish. In order for rust to form, the metal itself has to be exposed to the air for extended amount of time. If by chance there would be rust particles on the guitar, it would just wipe away or basically fall off cause rust doesn't stick to wood, and the steel wool for this type of application would only be single use anyway. By the time rust would form on the wool, it's already been tossed in the trash bin anyway.

[@BradAngove]

You won’t have to worry about that expect perhaps with water based finishes.

[@rickgledura3194]

I guarantee that you will have those fine fibers from the steel wool imbedded in the wood. If you wipe it down with a damp rag, you will raise the grain again. But it's your choice. Personally I use bronze wool but never on bare wood

[@KeVRocK668]

I'm working on my first Solo guitar kit now, a flame top Les Paul, and I found that the rit dye works really well, and dries fast and applies evenly...when dying a flame top I found that a great way to make your flame really pop is to dye the whole top with Black Rit dye→sand it down→ and then apply the color you want, the sanded down black really created a nice contrast with the more vibrant colors

[@GhostDragon1182]

I’ve done some guitars wit Rit Dye and they’ve held up well over the last couple years. Dan from Guns and Guitars used these quite a bit too, that’s where I got it from.

[@BradAngove]

That’s sounds like something Dan would be quite well-versed in.

[@TroodosPoolGuy]

Glad you made this video, I've got some of that dye, (although in powder form), same colours as well. Looks like it worked for you, which gives me some confidence, that it'll work for me.

[@BradAngove]

Yeah, it’s pretty straightforward to use as well. I think it will likely work fine for you.

[@rawr2u190]

That looks pretty good. 8:04 More like, "good work Brad for thinking ahead and laying out paper"

[@diodesDankessAndDives]

This is very informal, you've inspired me to find my rit dyes I have chilln in the closet . ✨️🤙✨️

[@brandondaigle2496]

Brad, the segment of 'fast forward sanding' is great ASMR!

[@BradAngove]

Glad you like it

[@stu-j]

Fabric or leather dye works great on lighter wood and on darker woods like mahogany I use spirit based dye. I also think the finish you put over the top makes a difference also. Nitrocellulose goes yellowish with age and uv light. Oil finishes seem to hold up better and don't seem to fade but the do rub off with lots of playing and you then get that authentic relic look..

[@ShefRobotham]

Thanks again for your guidance. Finished the 175 kit using oil based stain followed by wipe-on-poly. I'm in process of a 335 'like' solo kit and chose RiT stains. I sanded the guitar w 220 and when applying the stain, the surface appeared 'polished'.. as if sanded w > 400.. After several applications, I got the desired sunburst [ "Lemon Yellow > Kelly Green" ].. I sprayed Minwax water based sanding sealer on the head stock as anomalies kept popping thru the black paint.. I did not use the sanding sealer on the guitar itself as it is NOT clear and would hide/cloud the stain detail. I went straight to Wipe-on-Poly w 600 grit sanding pad. That unfortunately, this removed some stain.. I did one coat using the 600 grit then another using a cloth only, both 'wiped' dry'.. I figure several more wipe on coats and then I will need to sand smooth and then the 'real' finish will start..... Thanks again...

[@robertsummers4514]

I've used Rit on three of my for kids I've done so far. I'm actually pretty happy with the results I've seen. And I've done them without diluting the dye.

[@edwardippoliti626]

Thanks for the tutorial Brad ,and probably a good idea to test on spare wood first ,lol! Thank you

[@theepimountainbiker6551]

Thanks Brad, love your channel. I've used RIT dye on a stratocastor neck it turned out great. I'm going to get a Solo kit you've done 2 of, the spalted maple top LP and wanted to dye it black with the top fade in to Indigo or purple. It'll be my 3rd kit from them and honestly the 1st was all your advice on woodworking. Never done it in my life but life long guitarist I wanted to good P Bass, the thing has even had TV time with my band.

[@BradAngove]

That’s awesome

[@theepimountainbiker6551]

@@BradAngove the Solo PBass I love this thing. Wife did the artwork on the headstock kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3-boJeIr7qKldk

[@rondelio8562]

RIT does a good job for all the reasons you mentioned. The denim blue needs to be diluted to get a decent blue tone. I used it once on a spalted maple guitar body straight out of the bottle and it looked nothing like I was shooting for, but it still turned out nice.

[@BradAngove]

Thanks Ron

[@murpsman]

Thanks for another very useful video Brad. I get much more benefit from your videos than I do from the Twinkie Brothers in Colorado

[@BradAngove]

Hahaha

[@pops71]

Great video for a readily available product.

[@Rigel7WasAlreadyUsed]

I used it a few years ago to dye some maple. I gave the item away as a gift, so I don't know how well it's held up.

[@BradAngove]

Looked good though?

[@Rigel7WasAlreadyUsed]

@@BradAngove Yeah. I made a picture frame, dyed it red and hit it with some Watco. Looked great last I saw of it.

[@09mtcamp]

I’m going to try using the RIT dye with Sodium Alginate to thicken it. We use it in fabric dyeing all the times.

[@09mtcamp]

In screen printing with dye we use a very cheap algae thicker I wonder if using that a working from powder dye would give more intense results.

[@briansimpson8116]

My brother uses them on his guitars regularly. And they work very well. Also, cleanup is easy. Great video Brad. 🇨🇦💯🤘👍 Yes, we have Michaels here too. If Mrs. Angove has any trouble getting the spot out of your pants, she can use the Rit Denim dye.😂🤣

[@BradAngove]

Haha yeah I think I’ll still with the royal blue!

[@hawleybrowder4083]

I watch Dan Thompson mix two Rit Dye colors for a Sea Foam Green. Came out ok. I’ve thought of giving it a try.

[@BradAngove]

Nice. I should perhaps look for that video.

[@hawleybrowder4083]

Here’s the link. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZqQiGyArcRkpaM

[@ceruleanguitars6281]

Pour it on the floor like a savage. Priceless!! I love that graphite colour that shows the grain. Gonna try that.... and good job on the acoustic btw....

[@BradAngove]

Thank you

[@ceruleanguitars6281]

Just keep doing what you're doing..... let the rest of us live vicarously, hahaha. Would help if I could spell vicariously....

[@BradAngove]

Haha it does help, but I get some absolutely incredible grammar in some of the questions on here.

[@BluesInSeattle]

Cool stuff. When using a water based dye, it is recommended that you never go over 10% water thinner. I general start at 5% and do a couple spot tests and adjust from there.

[@BradAngove]

I rarely thin it at all.

[@SweetTGuitars]

Interesting Brad! I've got 3 or 4 bottles of this. Graphite, Neon Yellow, Royal Blue and Scarlet Red. I've done some test and they work great to be less than $5USD per bottle. Thank you once again for showing us the way man! Peace & Love brother

[@BradAngove]

Cheers friend

[@landofahhs_1]

I enjoyed seeing Rit dye, like my grandmother used over 60 years ago, still being used and competitive with modern dyes. As you mentioned it would be interesting to see how the old dye does against the modern concoctions under the same conditions. For those who relic their projects what better way to help fade or make a project age than to use the real deal, Rit dyes?

[@jeffberg8015]

I wanted to darken the fretboard on one of my guitars. It was one of the modern alternatives to rosewood and was very light in color, almost pinkish. I had tried wood stain and it made next to no difference since the wood is very dense and oily. On a recommendation I tried black water based Japanese calligraphy ink and it worked great. The fretboard is now a nice medium brown that has shown no signs of color loss or bleeding in the months since I stained it.

[@BradAngove]

Yes that stuff is very similar to the Mohawk ngr dye stains I think.

[@michaelcarey9359]

I've used MX-procion activated dyes on a couple of guitars. I've used it both mixed with soda and applied, as well as soda solution applied to wood with dye powder/solution applied to the wood surface... both do their jobs well. The activated dyes chemically bonded to the cellulose in the wood, as opposed to soaking in and coloring, and pairing that with the possible use for it as a two-part system lends itself to different applications. Same dyes as those tie-dyes that never seem to fade.

[@BradAngove]

Intriguing. What’s the reason for the soda?

[@Charles75N]

I have been wondering about this. Thanks.

[@wolflahti412]

I used Rit "denim" to dye my cajón (high-grade plywood), and even though I diluted it a fair amount, it came out virtually black. The figure is barely detectable but kind of nice in a subtle way, but it was not the effect I wanted.

[@BradAngove]

Sorry to hear that. Water based dye penetrates fairly deep as well so it can be difficult to remove.

[@kimballowen-brown4771]

I prefer Angelus just more depth of colour more vibrant easier to blend. Thanks for the effort

[@EarthtonesCymbals]

More expensive too. Just sayin'.

[@FrugalFixerSpike]

Brad, I use the Angelus, didn't like the way these blended. The Alcohol based stain is much easier to get a smooth blend, in my experience. What I really like is, you can go back later and adjust it. Till cleared.

[@BradAngove]

Yeah, you can kind of do that to this with water. Angelus is really good for that sort of thing though.

[@Strumbum01]

+1 on the Angelus dyes! Worked great for me.

[@DeePrime]

I think it’s funny you did this vid because I bought some Rit dye last week to try on some flame maple I’m gonna cut into test pieces. Pretty humorous timing lol.

[@BradAngove]

Excellent

[@niles006]

I’ve used Keda dye with water and alcohol. The water works better for me, it’s seems easier to blend or fade colors together. I would like to try Rit.

[@BradAngove]

Yes the water option give more “open time” to work with it because water dries so much slower than alcohol.

[@mattomon1045]

Mr Angrove have you tried any Fiebing"s leather Dyes

[@stevesstrings5243]

I have used black to dye a neck. It turned out great.

[@BradAngove]

I haven’t tried those ones

[@markmilligan8773]

They seem great 👍 but how do they compare in price and quality with the water based stunning stains crimson use

[@BradAngove]

I’m not sure about price. I assume they’re cheaper. I prefer the vibrance of the crimson stains though for sure.

[@bevinmodrak4997]

wow this is eye opening.

[@MithatKonar]

I've seen some crafters use diluted acrylic artist paint to stain wood. I'd love to see you try that approach as well.

[@BradAngove]

That’s more of a stain technique but it works for a strong tint. I do it with oil based paints sometimes.

[@AliceBowie9]

Awesome video - my son wanted a dark purple and ended up getting blue denim after watching this lol - can you recommend a clear glossy sealer to go over this? Do you have a video demonstrating that?

[@BradAngove]

Will you be spraying the sealer?

[@MikeSequeira-y6d]

What kind of clear coat would you recommend on this?

[@BradAngove]

Pretty much anything that isn’t water based should work fine.

[@thomaslthomas1506]

I would love to have seen them clear coated. 😎

[@EarthtonesCymbals]

Royal Blue for the win!

[@richardjblackman]

rit recommends 1:6 ratio with water as a starting point (1/2 cup to 3 cups)

[@johnvanmtb8775]

How long do you usually wait for the dye to dry before applying wipe on poly ? Thanks

[@BradAngove]

For water based dye it’s nice to be able to give it a day or two, but you can speed up the drying with airflow or a bit of heat. I’ve applied finishes over it after probably an hour or so previously.

[@SidecarBob]

Perhaps Rit intended the dye to look like the indigo (between blue and violet on the visible light spectrum) dye originally used to colour denim before fashion dictated a less purplish blue.

[@BradAngove]

That would surprise me, but it’s certainly a possibility.

[@williamfotiou7577]

What do you think about dye on maple? I'm thinking about a project with a new kit build. I'm reading a lot of issues when dying maple. Thanks

[@BradAngove]

People dye maple all the time. What kind of maple?

[@michaelpavone7658]

Brad, I was just at MICHAEL"S here in Hollywood FL. I was looking for a dye for my clear nitro , yes.....they don't sell it. Can you use the Indian inks they sell to dye nitro????

[@BradAngove]

I’ve never tried that combination, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it works.

[@shanekeat7473]

I only use this stuff, here in NZ its hard to get anything else, i use the powder version cause i can get the concentration the way i want it. Wish i could send you photos of the guitars I've made!

[@TroodosPoolGuy]

Could you give me an idea of the mix I would use to get a good strong colour?

[@BradAngove]

You can on Instagram or Facebook if you use the links in the description Shane.

[@EverydayKings]

Glad I stumbled onto this video! Very informative. I went with Aquamarine from RIT and it worked great .. Can you recommend a clear coat?.. spray or wipe-on?

[@BradAngove]

Either one is fine. I tend to prefer spray, but a wipe on is acceptable.

[@EverydayKings]

@@BradAngove Much appreciated! Thank you.

[@wjewell63]

Thanks for this...I like the blue

[@BradAngove]

Thanks

[@otter9916]

Sir I have a question, I wanted to paint my bumper today with acrylic spray paint but I ran out of paint before completing the process, I ordered another can of paint. It will take 2 3 days to arrive. Would that cause a problem? Have to wait 2 3 days to apply another coat. Do you recommend continuing the process or start from primer again??

[@angryroostercreations5194]

buff the existing paint before applying the next coat. Most spray paints will have recoat times on the can. it will say "apply second coat within 30 mins or after 48 hours". you need to look at the can you have and see what it says. In my experience as long as you follow those instructions it should turn out fine.

[@ashleymartin974]

Can you put them in a pot and boil the wood?

[@BradAngove]

I suspect boiling the wood would do some significant damage to it. Wood often tends to expand and warp when moistened too much.

[@ashleymartin974]

@BradAngove just wondering because fabric dye is used, in hot also boiling water to dye fabric.

[@BradAngove]

@ashleymartin974 certainly that’s the usual way of doing it for fabric.

[@PoohBear31184]

We do have Michael's in the states. I'm still going to stick to transtint though Also royal blue jeans if I had to pick

[@BradAngove]

Cheers Matt

[@PoohBear31184]

@@BradAngove Nah, cheers to you Brad. I've learned so much from watching you do experiments and whatnot, I don't know where I'd be without them. Thanks for doing what you do!

[@midnightorchid9731]

I know this is an older video, but if i came across it today, I am sure others will in the future lol..I suggest to dampen the wood a bit before adding the fabric dye. It is something even Rit suggests I their instructions. It helps to soak in the dye better to the subject you are dying. That purple should be a bit more vibrate if you do I can't say about the others but if the purple does, I can suspect the others will as well lol 💜💙🖤

[@BradAngove]

Thank you, that’s helpful.

[@minkorrh]

Dollarama sells dirt cheap wood panels and boxes for art purposes.

[@bradyclevenger]

Hey Brad. Always enjoy your stuff. I recently did a guitar with these Rit dyes and had a question. I used an alder wood body and didn’t dilute the dyes. I put a black on first, sanded it back, then went in with Scarlett red, sanded it back, then did two coats of royal purple. It looked great. But then I used a spray can water poly, did 5 coats with an hour inbetween, then let it sit 24 hours and began to sand back I believe with 400 before moving on to do 5 more coats. And other than my poor technique giving me a little bit of a blue haze in the center, it came out fine. However for some reason I would always end up sanding away all the dye on the edges of the guitar even though those were the areas I did the least amount of sanding. I was wondering if you had any thoughts on that.

[@BradAngove]

Unfortunately, paint (including clear coat) does not build up very well on edges. Especially slower drying paints like the water based ones. There probably just wasn’t much clear there. It’s very very easy to sand through an edge by accident.

[@bradyclevenger]

@@BradAngove gotcha. That makes sense. Would you recommend putting on the clear a little heavier on the edges or just ease back on the sanding?

[@BradAngove]

Just don’t sand all the way to the edge. Clear coat will run away from the edge and create ridges if you try to lay it on there thick.

[@joebotz1243]

I wonder if mineral spirits is better then water

[@kenmccarthy6039]

Will it mix with alcohol to dry faster?

[@BradAngove]

I’m not sure. I’ll probably end up testing it in alcohol and in lacquer to see what kind of options we have, but I doubt it.

[@frankforrester42]

i would like to see those pieces of wood now, one year on....

[@BradAngove]

I might still have them. I’ll check.

[@marcusprince3999]

Brad, I've been wondering something, for some time. Do you think it is possible to make a candy paint, by mixing a little bit of Rit dye (straight out the bottle/concentrated) into some clearcoat paint, then spray...? Also, what about India ink?

[@BradAngove]

Mixing a dye into clear can make candy, it’s just a matter of finding compatible products. There may be a clear that works with rit dye for that purpose. I have not had the opportunity to test that theory though.

[@marcusprince3999]

@@BradAngove Oh cool. Thanks for the info. If you find out, anytime soon, PLEASE reply back here and let me know!! Otherwise, it sounds like something that I will end up experimenting around with this Spring or Summer. -Thanks again!!🤙

[@PLINKER]

Very interesting!

[@RuthlessMojo]

I think tattoo ink would work quite well also. Of course the best part of using tattoo ink would be colour matching your tattoos and your guitar.You could even go all out and dye your hair the same colour too.

[@BradAngove]

Tattoo ink should work fine. So does fountain pen ink actually.

[@ProfessorPerhaps]

@@BradAngove like winsor & newton pen ink?

[@BradAngove]

I’m not familiar with that specific brand, but I don’t see why not.

[@doctoribanez]

I tried to dye some black pants with that and couldn't get it to work 😆

[@BradAngove]

You weren’t by any chance trying to dye them black…

[@3cardmonty602]

I have dyed guitar bodies with black, blue, & aquamarine inks diluted in 90% rubbing alcohol. Very inexpensive and will last through coats of wipe-on Poly or Tru-Oil. Beware with Purple - if you put too much Purple on a guitar it’ll turn brown, but it’s salvageable - just sand or steel wool it back.

[@robingibbany9060]

would you just wipe on an oil based polyurethane after the dye dries, or would you apply something underneath (maybe a sealer) and then use the poly? would it be any different with Tru-Oil? I am very new to finishing guitars and this is my first project.

[@dalgguitars]

Moving in on Big D's territory. ;-)

[@BradAngove]

I gave him a proper shout out haha

[@rebekahjoystudio]

"You'll dye your hands and look ridiculous" 🤣🤣 love it

[@BradAngove]

I’m speaking from experience on that one haha.

[@Terry3Gs]

That bluejean blue .. almost looks like raisin purple ... lol !!

[@BradAngove]

Yeah, that’s kinda what I was thinking.

[@justinbanks2380]

Just found this video and your channel. Would be interesting to see how they hold up to light. Did you happen to put these tests in a window or make something using this technique on a project? How'd it hold up? Or recommendations on what types of dyes to use? (Stains lately have not been doing what I want)

[@BradAngove]

I haven’t tested it in the sun. I recommend the NGR dye stains from Mohawk. They should be available through solo guitars or amazon. I have links in the description if you’re interested, and several videos using them (including one of my most recent ones on the PGK kit.

[@jeffreyeagen4896]

Good video, nice to see the Rit dye in action. If water based dyes penetrate deeper, as you say, I guess you have to keep mistakes to a minimum and do test pieces first. I have used Angelus dies and like how they work so far, at least on the only one I've done so far.

[@BradAngove]

Yes, there are benefits and drawbacks to a deeper penetrating dye. They dry a little slower than alcohol, so they are easier to manipulate but have more chance to soak in.

[@BradHutchings]

A Good Grit to Die... Sounds like a Bond film. Also, there's got to be a better way to do this followed by turbo sanding was funny. How did I miss this?

[@BradAngove]

KZbin likes to occasionally hide my videos I think haha.

[@mrfatbobrider1969]

Looks like the Denim blue bottle was accidentally filled with purple 🤔

[@BradAngove]

Seems that way

[@RevGerryRM]

I think the factory screwed up and put purple in the denim bottle.

[@BradAngove]

It certainly looks like it.

[@mauricerrr]

What was that about wearing gloves? ;)

[@jeremiahlyleseditor437]

Those would look good on a guitar.

[@SeanDS89]

0:57 😂 funny and informative... funformitive, if you will lol

[@BradAngove]

Indeed I will haha. Thank you.

[@risunokairu]

"...is a good grit to dye with." Ancient Klingon Proverb

[@mallninja9805]

I've learned that Royal Blue is Denim Blue, Denim Blue is Purple, Purple is Purple, and Graphite is light black👍

[@BradAngove]

At least I conveyed some information then haha

[@mallninja9805]

@@BradAngove In seriousness I am glad you did these tests. Thanks for sharing!

[@BradAngove]

Thanks for watching

[@ericschulze5641]

Blow the ink out of the guts of a pen into a small amount of mineral spirits you can now mix it with a Danish oil or polyurethane or linseed oil finish cant get much better

[@BradAngove]

You can simply purchase pen refill ink or stamp refill ink rather than taking a pen apart if you want.

[@billyturk8117]

Not to veer away from your channel, but Guns and guitars uses rit dyes on a lot of his guitar/bass builds of anyone is curious to see it on an actual guitar

[@jimbucket2996]

I tried it when I was a kid and wasn't impressed. I've since learned not to used water based dyes for wood.

[@BradAngove]

Not fond of water based hey? Why’s that?

[@rickgledura3194]

You mentioned it was a good idea to wear gloves so you don't get it all over your hands where are yours

[@hollierthanthou83]

Angelus dies are much nicer, pretty affordable too

[@BradAngove]

They’re a good product from what I’ve seen.

[@user-dz6oi3nm9o]

thank ya wife or use the rags that are behind you on the floor Meah.

[@danhumphrey5755]

Says we should wear gloves so we don't look like idiots, then he doesn't wear gloves.

[@mark0648]

Try diluting your die with the denatured alcohol, or even rubbing alcohol … it works amazing and makes your guy drive faster!