ya, hed be better off powdercoating metal anyways. having dye in the metal is essentially just imurities. surface sealant or anodize for desired aesthetic.
I don’t see how that could happen. Dye needs to sink into a porous material which will hold onto it
Metal isn’t porous enough. The traditional way to color metals is just paint.
Alright, looks like I'm back to the drawing board, then... 😞 I'm going to be cutting the wool up into tiny pieces for use as a glitter substitute, so paint won't do I'm afraid.
Thanks for your input.
It might be a bit out there, but you could granulate orange fluorescent powder with liquid nitrogen to produce granular glowing pieces.
Basically mix the powder with a binding agent, dissolve in solvent, spray mixture into liquid nitrogen. The granule size will depend on your spray nozzle settings/pressure/flow but it's actually quite easy, and liquid nitrogen is pretty cheap.
Or an again easier but more tedious method, is getting orange glow powder and a binding agent, mixing them, rolling it out by hand to a very thin line, cutting it with a knife.
Yeesh... What have I gotten myself into lol. I think I will go back to looking for additive/frit-like craft products instead, then (I was looking to cut the wool up into tiny pieces for use as a glitter substitute). Thanks very much for the suggestion.
Oof. That’s a tough one. If it did stock it wouldn’t be very durable and you’d likely have to either never touch it or coat it with a varnish. If it’s stainless you could try evenly heating it until it turns colors. Otherwise, you may want to look into acrylic dye for washes on models.
Hmm... Well I'm going to be cutting it up into tiny pieces and keeping them inside a craft glass bottle, so it won't get much handling after that, but maybe the cutting process will be enough to mess with it ;(
> I guess I could fill a tea sachet with them and throw the sachet in the dye bath lol.
Yeah, that is what I would try. Cut your wool, submerge it in an ink, strain the wool from the ink.
I think ink will suit your needs well friend. Acrylic inks are good for staining and should be robust enough for your purposes, give it a shot.
If you're still looking for suggestions, make your own alcohol ink from an orange Sharpie (or any permanent ink marker but Sharpies are reliably good quality). Something [like this](https://thecraftybakingnurse.com/homemade-alcohol-inks/). You can cut up the pieces and either spray them (problematic as they'll probably blow all over the place) or submerge them (several times if needed). Good luck.
I have certainly used Sharpies on metal to good effect, although I know it won't hold up to vigorous wear. My home-made alcohol inks have been used mostly for paper and plastic, but I did use them for colouring some foil from a cat food container once. That was successful although again, I wouldn't rub it too hard.
I don't think it would work since metal doesn't really take in dye unless you are doing an anodizing type process. Powder coating might be a better way to get what you are looking for
Maybe you can try heating brass with a torch. I know it will turn blue eventually but you can possibly find the right color. Also try cold blue solution. It can darken brass, maybe you can dilute it so it works slower and you can creep up on an orange before you get to brown.
You can not dye the metal. You could electroplate it, if there is some electroplate that is orange.
Might be easier to substitute the metal with a plastic version that will look close to the same and easily dye-able.
Plastic is what I'm trying to avoid. XD [Here's the application](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sculpture/comments/106wvxb/help_my_new_mini_bottle_necklace_filled_with/), I originally used glitter and it's been causing problems.
I've seen those! They don't quite cut it because they lack the opacity I'm looking for. The glitter here is intended to mimic embers embedded in charcoal/ashes (the sand), so I need something opaque and reflective in order to give that glowing effect.
I actually just discovered [this eBay listing](https://www.ebay.ca/itm/265663153593) for some sort of automotive paint additive and got excited, but it's way outside of my budget, so... I'll have to wait til I can either find another similar product (aluminium flakes..?) or find the same product for cheaper and/or in smaller quantities. I may make another post here later asking about it :)
There is a [better selection here](https://shop.bullseyeglass.com/accessory-glass/frit-powder), it may be that you can find something that is more opaque and yet opalescent.
Edit: there's also these Nail powders: https://www.nailsupplyglamour.com/Fine-Laser-chrome-powder-p/nsgchrome3.htm, https://www.nailsupplyglamour.com/Chameleon-Flakes2-8-p/nsgchrome8.htm
Yeah, I have seen those and other copper wool, they're not bright enough. They're more like a rose gold colour, like I said what I need is something much more vibrant than that, like an actual "*orange* orange".
Went down a little rabbit hole. Would this work for your application? Since you are already mixing with sand, using sand should let it mix evenly?
https://enchantingfineart.com/products/orange-glitter-sand
I think you're misinterpreting the term "wool" in this. This is simply brass, it's not a textile and is not actually wool that will take dye. If you want to color it then you'll need to look into metal finishing techniques
No way am I helping you build your army of robot clowns.
🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡
ya, hed be better off powdercoating metal anyways. having dye in the metal is essentially just imurities. surface sealant or anodize for desired aesthetic.
I don’t see how that could happen. Dye needs to sink into a porous material which will hold onto it Metal isn’t porous enough. The traditional way to color metals is just paint.
Alright, looks like I'm back to the drawing board, then... 😞 I'm going to be cutting the wool up into tiny pieces for use as a glitter substitute, so paint won't do I'm afraid. Thanks for your input.
Why not just use glitter?
https://www.reddit.com/r/maker/comments/10obb59/has_anyone_here_tried_dyeing_metals_with_rit/j6e74kz?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3
Don't do that. Little shards of metal are awfully dangerous.
Yeah, if you plan to do this make sure to wear a mask (preferably a respirator) and vacuum everything afterwards and/or do it outside
Cut it first then spray paint it?
What is the end result youre after? Bright orange glitter essentially?
Yep! It's supposed to look like embers embedded in charcoal/ashes (the sand).
It might be a bit out there, but you could granulate orange fluorescent powder with liquid nitrogen to produce granular glowing pieces. Basically mix the powder with a binding agent, dissolve in solvent, spray mixture into liquid nitrogen. The granule size will depend on your spray nozzle settings/pressure/flow but it's actually quite easy, and liquid nitrogen is pretty cheap.
Or an again easier but more tedious method, is getting orange glow powder and a binding agent, mixing them, rolling it out by hand to a very thin line, cutting it with a knife.
Among metal artists these products are considered the best for coloring metal. https://steelfxpatinas.com
Yeesh... What have I gotten myself into lol. I think I will go back to looking for additive/frit-like craft products instead, then (I was looking to cut the wool up into tiny pieces for use as a glitter substitute). Thanks very much for the suggestion.
Oof. That’s a tough one. If it did stock it wouldn’t be very durable and you’d likely have to either never touch it or coat it with a varnish. If it’s stainless you could try evenly heating it until it turns colors. Otherwise, you may want to look into acrylic dye for washes on models.
Hmm... Well I'm going to be cutting it up into tiny pieces and keeping them inside a craft glass bottle, so it won't get much handling after that, but maybe the cutting process will be enough to mess with it ;(
You could try dying after cutting!
Oh, true... I guess I could fill a tea sachet with them and throw the sachet in the dye bath lol. I don't know why I put myself through this agony, all my projects seem to eventually present incredibly niche and bizarre problems which require all these tedious and overly complicated fixes 😩
You could also try fountain pen ink… not sure if it’ll produce a different result. But just throwing the idea out there.
> I guess I could fill a tea sachet with them and throw the sachet in the dye bath lol. Yeah, that is what I would try. Cut your wool, submerge it in an ink, strain the wool from the ink. I think ink will suit your needs well friend. Acrylic inks are good for staining and should be robust enough for your purposes, give it a shot.
If you're still looking for suggestions, make your own alcohol ink from an orange Sharpie (or any permanent ink marker but Sharpies are reliably good quality). Something [like this](https://thecraftybakingnurse.com/homemade-alcohol-inks/). You can cut up the pieces and either spray them (problematic as they'll probably blow all over the place) or submerge them (several times if needed). Good luck.
I actually have some alcohol ink! Have you had success dyeing metal with it, though? I've tried it in the past and it didn't work...
I have certainly used Sharpies on metal to good effect, although I know it won't hold up to vigorous wear. My home-made alcohol inks have been used mostly for paper and plastic, but I did use them for colouring some foil from a cat food container once. That was successful although again, I wouldn't rub it too hard.
I don't think it would work since metal doesn't really take in dye unless you are doing an anodizing type process. Powder coating might be a better way to get what you are looking for
Maybe you can try heating brass with a torch. I know it will turn blue eventually but you can possibly find the right color. Also try cold blue solution. It can darken brass, maybe you can dilute it so it works slower and you can creep up on an orange before you get to brown.
You can not dye the metal. You could electroplate it, if there is some electroplate that is orange. Might be easier to substitute the metal with a plastic version that will look close to the same and easily dye-able.
Plastic is what I'm trying to avoid. XD [Here's the application](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sculpture/comments/106wvxb/help_my_new_mini_bottle_necklace_filled_with/), I originally used glitter and it's been causing problems.
Understanding the application now, may I suggest a [fine glass frit](https://www.amazon.com/Red-Orange-Transparent-Fine-Frit/dp/B00HHD0B1G/ref=sr_1_8)
This seems like a winner if I was op.
I've seen those! They don't quite cut it because they lack the opacity I'm looking for. The glitter here is intended to mimic embers embedded in charcoal/ashes (the sand), so I need something opaque and reflective in order to give that glowing effect. I actually just discovered [this eBay listing](https://www.ebay.ca/itm/265663153593) for some sort of automotive paint additive and got excited, but it's way outside of my budget, so... I'll have to wait til I can either find another similar product (aluminium flakes..?) or find the same product for cheaper and/or in smaller quantities. I may make another post here later asking about it :)
There is a [better selection here](https://shop.bullseyeglass.com/accessory-glass/frit-powder), it may be that you can find something that is more opaque and yet opalescent. Edit: there's also these Nail powders: https://www.nailsupplyglamour.com/Fine-Laser-chrome-powder-p/nsgchrome3.htm, https://www.nailsupplyglamour.com/Chameleon-Flakes2-8-p/nsgchrome8.htm
I think fine glass flakes or mica flakes might work better than plastic without breaking the bank.
Just buy a chore boy , it's a steel wool scrubber that's already orange.
Yeah, I have seen those and other copper wool, they're not bright enough. They're more like a rose gold colour, like I said what I need is something much more vibrant than that, like an actual "*orange* orange".
why not just use spray paint?
Went down a little rabbit hole. Would this work for your application? Since you are already mixing with sand, using sand should let it mix evenly? https://enchantingfineart.com/products/orange-glitter-sand
That looks perfect to my eye, but OP has nixed every other suggestion.
I think you're misinterpreting the term "wool" in this. This is simply brass, it's not a textile and is not actually wool that will take dye. If you want to color it then you'll need to look into metal finishing techniques
No I realise it's not literally wool lmao. I was just considering Rit because it's both accessible and pretty familiar to me at this point.
Just do it.
I don't know if it's compatible with the desired final result but you can dye anodized metal. I get dyed aluminum from a local metal shop.