[pianotech] Need help with TransTint

[James Grebe]

Hi Chuck,
I have found that the blackest stuff there is -is black India Ink.  It works 
great for dying some of the things I make like black caster cups and also 
when used with an artist brush is great on re-edging edges on ebony pianos. 
Most any finish will adhere to it after it is dry so it is user friendly.
James
James Grebe Est. 1962
Piano Tuner-Technician
Creator of Custom Caster Cups
Creator of fine Writing Instruments
Theatre and Theatre Organ Historian
www.grebepiano.com
1526 Raspberry Lane
Arnold, MO 63010
(314) 608-4137
Become what you believe
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chuck Behm" <behmpiano at gmail.com>
To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2010 7:36 AM
Subject: [pianotech] Need help with TransTint


> Hello, everyone - I need some advice on how to best use TransTint for 
> dying
> sharps. I'm writing a segment on various approaches used to refinish 
> sharps
> that will appear in the September Journal, and have tried numerous 
> products
> recommended by other technicians. Most of the products mentioned by others
> work well to varying degrees. The TransTint has given me fits, however, 
> and
> I'm ready to leave it out entirely, or just recommend that it not be used.
>
> Here's the situation to date. I ordered a bottle of the stuff, and was 
> given
> some recommendations over the phone by the supplier. I made the mistake of
> not writing everything down that I was told, which came back to haunt me
> later.
>
> When the TransTint arrived (in a bottle that seemed quite small for the
> price), I foolishly followed label directions and mixed the entire bottle
> with water. The effectiveness of the product when mixed according to the
> directions was not great, to say the least. It was simply not very opaque,
> at least when compared to the other products being tested (Flebing's 
> Leather
> Dye, Kiwi Leather Dye, Higgins Calligraphy Ink, and General Finishes Ebony
> Dye Stain)/
>
> Assuming I was doing something wrong, I called the supplier again, and 
> told
> them what I was doing. "No, no, no!" was the response. Mix the TransTint
> with denatured alcohol, not water. Less that 50% alcohol. (I was probably
> told this the first time I order, but as I stated, I hadn't written 
> anything
> down. My bad.)
>
> "Okay," says I. "Send another bottle."
>
> A second bottle arrived shortly after, along with the bill, and I had at 
> it
> again, this time judiciously mixing half the bottle with denatured 
> alcohol,
> and saving back the other half in case I blew it a second time.
>
> The results were not good at all. With the other dyes and ink being 
> tested,
> drying times of 5 to 10 minutes were observed. With the TransTint
> formulation, the stuff was still wet *the next day*. When it finally did
> dry, two or three days later, it was splotchy in appearance. Again, I was
> positive that I was doing something wrong. Certainly, technicians would 
> not
> be recommending this stuff if this was how it was suppose to work.
>
> With a half bottle on reserve, I made one more call to the supplier,
> explaining what I had done.
>
> This time I was told that I had left out shellac. You apparently need to 
> use
> shellac as the base, Transtint as the colorant and denatured alcohol as 
> the
> thinner. (Possibly that was mentioned in the second phone call, possibly
> not. I do remember that it was recommended for use when the keystick needs
> to be dyed, but I don't recall that it was recommended for the sharp
> itself.)
>
> "Aha!" said I. "What ratio?!"
>
> At this point communication became difficult, in that the supplier was
> either unable or unwilling to give me a simple recipe for mixing the stuff
> up. After asking several times for some idea of how much of each key
> ingrediant to mix together, I got the impression I was being stonewalled.
> For some reason, I was not meant to partake in this information.
>
> So, here's my question. With a half a bottle left, can anyone give me a
> tried and true method of using the stuff that actually produces results.
> Otherwise, my recommendation will be not to bother with it. I've bought 2
> bottles, and don't plan to buy a third when I can't get a straight answer 
> of
> how to use it.
>
> The other products are all easy to use and produce results. Given my 
> choice,
> I would choose easy.
>
> Thanks for any info you can share with me. Chuck Behm
>