For quite a while now, I’ve been thinking about putting my own range of colours together. Yes, I know there are several companies out there with stains and dyes of many different colours. I found though, that they all seem to be ‘off the shelf’ colours and much the same as each other.
intrinsic
adjective
/ɪnˈtrɪnsɪk/
belonging naturally; essential.
“access to the arts is intrinsic to a high quality of life”
For quite a while now, I’ve been thinking about putting my own range of colours together. Yes, I know there are several companies out there with stains and dyes of many different colours. I found though, that they all seem to be ‘off the shelf’ colours and much the same as each other.
After using a couple of different brands of spirit stains (which I really enjoyed using, btw), a wonderful discovery of Crimson Guitars Stunning Stains lead me down a water based path, and now I prefer the water based colours over spirit based ones.
After a lot of success with those colours, I recently took the decision to develop my own range of by blending ‘off the shelf’ pigments into a set of eleven highly complementary and modern colours. Five months later, and a lot of experimenting later, I’m pleased to introduce you to the Intrinsic Colour Collection – a set of water based wood dyes.
Each colour in the range was worked out to complement as many of the other colours in the range as possible, giving you the widest possible combination of colours for your work.
What are They? Being water based, they are non-flammable, environmentally friendly and afford you a longer working time than alcohol based stains and dyes. They sink deeply into the wood and preserve the appearance of the figure in the wood, releasing the hidden subtleties and enhancing chatoyance. Apply more than one coat of dye to build up sumptuous depth of colour and atmosphere, and add a black or earth undercoat for an even more dramatic effect. The downloadable video guide goes into depth about using the colours in a variety of techniques.
For the adventurous colourist, Intrinsic Colours can be mixed together to create even more shades or thinned with water for a lighter shade.
Presentation: Professional presentation is important, and like Hampshire Sheen, the range has been designed to present it as a professional and quality product.
It is important these days for an independent product to stand out from its more established competitors.
The full size 250ml bottles come in their own boxes with wipe-clean labels so the colour name can always be visible, a short colouring guide, going over the important points of how to apply the Intrinsic Colour range. There is also a handy guide for colourblind woodturners and woodworkers wishing to use the colours to their work. See below for this information, too.
A set of all eleven 250ml bottles plus a bottle of my preferred Danish Oil, which has an added UV filter comes in a smart black card box together with an in depth colouring guide leaflet. The guide has photos of the colouring process I favour and screenshots of the full length video that is also included with each set as a download with purchase. And, there is also (as a trial, at least), a very fine 3M Scotch-Brite™ pad for cutting back raised grain and the Danish Oil if users follow the guide to the letter!
15ml sample bottles are available in complete sets, boxed in black card and include a brief colouring guide and a link to download the full length video.
The sets are a brilliant and affordable way for woodturners and woodworkers to try the dyes out before taking the plunge with individual colours or the complete boxed set.
Lightfast? No colour is 100% lightfast. They will all fade in time. The pigment manufacturer has given me assurance that they are light fast for at least as long as a normal household paint. To increase the lightfastness, I am making available bottles of my preferred Danish Oil which has an added UV filter to ensure the longest possible fade-free lifetime.
The Colours: Below are photos of the colours on samples of sycamore, sanded down to 400 grit and wiped with a light coat of Danish Oil. The colours here are as accurately reproduced as possible, but should be used a guide only as screen calibrations vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and device to device…and of course, the final colours will vary from wood to wood. You should test the colours before actual use to ensure compatibility and suitability.
Whilst they have pretty descriptive names, to colourblind people, they won’t mean much. After speaking to couple of colourblind woodturners, I’m pleased to say that there will be a detailed guide of what each colour is in each product in the range, ensuring that everyone can use the colours successfully.
Intrinsic Colour Guide:
Black: In several coats you can build up a deep, pure black shade.
Burnt Orange: A dark orange, on the orangey side of brown.
Earth: A warm brown, the colour of drying mud. Sounds bad, but makes a great undercoat or accent colour.
Flame: A bright yellow-orange. Add luxurious fire by blending with Burnt Orange and Ruby.
Forest Green: Rich green, quite dark, a lot like Jade. A great accent colour and blends well with Straw and Honey.
Honey: A glorious yellow. Superb as a bold single colour or a ‘wash’ overcoat.
Midnight Blue: Deep blue with hint of purple. Add to quilted figure and catch the purple glint as you turn the piece.
Plum: Sumptuous Purple. Looks quite Royal, lending an air of expense to your work.
Ruby: Darkish red, Ruby adds a deep and opulent shade which blends superbly with Burnt Orange
Stone Blue: A fairly bright blue. Mixes magnificently with Midnight Blue.
Straw: A rich yellowy-green. Almost grasslike, one of the brightest colours and mixes well with Stone Blue to create a luxury green.