Killing Red with Green Tint
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Green dye can neutralize red in wood or an existing finish, but proceed carefully to avoid over-correcting.March 28, 2015
Question (WOODWEB Member) :
I am only an occasional finisher and need a little expertise. My customer has asked to take some of the red out of the African mahogany table I have made. My plan is to:
1. Spray a little TransTint green (22147) and lacquer to kill the red.
2. Wash coat with 50/50 vinyl sealer.
3. Spray TransTint (25182) walnut and lacquer to deepen brown.
4. Seal with vinyl sealer.
5. Clear coat with cab acrylic
Is this a good plan?
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Forum Responses
(Finishing Forum)
From Contributor G:
The green dye will do it. Use is sparingly and go slow. Wait for ten minutes after it flashes before you decide to do another round.
From the original questioner:
I've got TransTint coming in. I’ve never used it. Most of the finishing I've done is simply clearcoat. When I was coloring years ago we used powder dyes. Top coat was nitrocellulose. Everything has changed now - half the time I'm not sure what I am looking at.
From contributor A:
There's always a chance that you'll spray too much green tint. In case you do, it will be visible as green. It can be removed by scuffing with a ScotchBrite grey pad. You can avoid spraying too much by reducing the tint to a very low concentration. I've had to do too many of these no red jobs, and I've learned that the customer can change her mind unpredictably, so a word to the wise: make a sample and have her okay it by writing "approved", dating it and signing it.
From the original questioner:
Thanks for the heads up. Since I've never done this before I'm unsure of the right proportions and where to start. A medicine cup seems like a good place to measure out the TransTint, but how much?
From Contributor M:
An eyedropper sounds better.
From contributor F:
Instead of snipping the spout, take a finishing nail and poke a hole through it. This will turn it into an eye-dropper.
From contributor R:
I like using a green I mix myself using TransTint primaries since not all red is the same or the ideal correction color for what your customer wants. I also use a very dilute mix in acetone since it flashes off quickly.
