sequoia
Well-known member
Something about bright, dead white bleached bone nuts and saddles against my terrified spruce (instant vintage!) tops just sets my teeth on edge. So I'm experimenting with dyeing my nuts and saddles. I used Chinese restaurant tea and alcohol as a solvent. I nixed using water/tea as it occurred to me that this could cause the bone to swell which could be problematic with saddles. I think a perfect fit here is important: Not too tight, not too loose, but just right. A swollen saddle might be not fit and then as it dries out it might get too loose. Swollen nuts would obviously not be a problem.
I'm also making some nuts and saddles from Micarta stock for the first time. I really do not like the gray look of the material but I love how it works. Soft. Too soft? I tried to dye this with a alcohol tea infusion also, but as you can see below, the material did not dye after soaking over night. The bone however took on a lovely, lustrous hue almost like old ivory. Bone on the left, Micarta on the right.
I'm also making some nuts and saddles from Micarta stock for the first time. I really do not like the gray look of the material but I love how it works. Soft. Too soft? I tried to dye this with a alcohol tea infusion also, but as you can see below, the material did not dye after soaking over night. The bone however took on a lovely, lustrous hue almost like old ivory. Bone on the left, Micarta on the right.