Staining bamboo

[K. Mogensen]

Hey all,

Gonna be building a bamboo bow soon and was wondering which stains would be good for it. I was wondering if they made something that was colored. Not just different shades of brown but actual colors like orange, red, blue, green, etc. It probably sounds weird but I was looking to do something different and kind of cool. A bow that was my favorite color, or stain it to match my hunting area (gray's and dark to light green) 3rivers carries some water based arrow stains and also some oil based but as mentioned these are for arrows.

Thanks.

[Kevin L.]

Check for aniline dyes. These are alcohol based and can be had in a wide range of colors.

[4est trekker]

The Ace Hardware stores in my area carry colored stains.  You might check them out.  I use alcohol based stains alot, and often times just make my own from various berries and calligraphic inks.  Cut/dilute them in denatured alcohol and experiment on some scraps of bamboo.

[K. Mogensen]

Will pretty much any alcohol based dye work? I've had a hard time finding aniline.

[R H Clark]

Fiebings leather Dye.

[K. Mogensen]

After looking, it looks like Fiebings is the winner. Thanks R H Clark. If that'll work with bamboo that's what I'll go with, lot's of colors.

[Pat B]

You won't be able to get a good dye job until you remove the rind on the outside of the boo.

[Grey Taylor]

Specialty woodworking catalogs like Lee Valley or Woodworker's Supply carry analine dye. You won't find it at Home Depot. In fact, they probably won't know what you're talking about.

Guy

[K. Mogensen]

Pat, can you just sand the rind off? Probably a dumb question but will that affect the tiller a whole lot?

[M60gunner]

Sanding of the rind (enamel) of the bamboo should not affect the spine of finished bow. Bamboo flyrod makers do it all the time. I use a scrapper plane that I set to take off about .oo6 to remove the enamel. I used to use 320 grit sandpaper.

[K. Mogensen]

Alright, thanks!

[wingnut]

A light cabinet scraper followed by sandpaper is a good way to remove the rind. You might try a test piece by just sanding the rind with 150 grit to take the shine off.  I believe it will take stain then and will also help protect the bamboo from splintering.

BTW the leather dye works about the best.  I have a drawer full of colors.  LOL

Mike

[Tom Leemans]

I bought mine from Larry Maggard, but the arrow dyes you can get from Mike Yancey at Pine Hollow are the same thing, and will work great. A little goes a long way too.

[K. Mogensen]

Wow, thanks for all the help guys. Think I got it from here. I appreciate it.

[Mark Baker]

Minwax has a line of water-based dyes that also works well with bamboo.  You don't get the color selection of analine, but I've used it with great results so far.  You might check that out, and any of you other guys.  I think I picked it up at Home Depot....pint size.  It also is a great option with woods like Hickory.

[K. Mogensen]

Alright, I'll check it out. Right now (it probably sounds stupid) but I'm thinking of orange for the dye color, it's my favorite color and I think it might look kind of cool...