dying cork?

[Carpenter]

Anyone here have any luck dying or staining cork? looking for red rings, but might have to make them.

Thanks,

[upnorth]

I could have sworn that someone just posted something about dying or staining cork a few weeks ago.

[upnorth]

OK I take that back, but someone did coat the handle with tinted epoxy I would say cork would absorb stain/dye pretty well, not sure how well it would hold that color tho.

[CAMAN]

Mudhole makes a red dyed burl cork ring, but they are fairly expensive for a 1/4" thick ring. If you really want to try dying cork rings I would try putting some red wood stain in a mason jar, put a couple cork rings in and weighing them down so they are fully submerged and putting a vacuum sealer on it to get the stain further into the cork.

Otherwise I don't think cork will soak up a stain very well and will probably just sit on the surface, unless you let sit in the stain it may soak in, but that may take a while.

[upnorth]

This is about dying cork floors, but I would think it is pretty similar.

Quote:

How to dye cork flooring tiles yourself

It is not difficult to add color by yourself to your cork flooring. This will save you lots of money and will allow you to give a new look to the room where to cork flooring is installed. However, it is important to mention that you can only dye cork flooring before a protective varnish has been added. Otherwise you willhave to remve the protective varnish before proceeding with the dying. Here is a step-by-step guide to dying cork flooring:

First sweep the cork flooring clean. If the cork flooring has a protective varnish then first remove the varnish layer with strippers.

Open the can of stain and mix it with a stirring stick. Stir until the stain is an even texture and consistency.

Test the stain either in a corner or on a piece of cork flooring left over from installation to make sure the stain doesn't damage the cork and that you like the color.

Dip a clean cloth into the stain and apply to the cork in an even circular movement. It might be necessary to apply two coats of stain.

Leave the cork flooring over night for the stain to dry.

When the cork flooring is dry apply a polyurethane sealant with a paint roller. Allow plenty of time to let the sealant dry. If you are applying a sealant to heavy traffic situations like in a hallway then take advice from a home store about the best sealant for cork flooring that is heavily used.

Apply extra coats of polyurethane to add further strength to the cork flooring.

As you can see it is quiet a simple process to stain cork flooring. You can use commercial oil based stain but this will probably contain VOCs which are bad for indoor air quality. To minimize the health impact of using oil based stain containing volatile organic compounds leave the windows open as much as possible for a few days after staining and use a fan to speed off the off-gassing of any VOCs. Alternatively, you can use a water based stain. Results can vary with water-based stains. Sometimes it is better to apply a water-based stain prior to installation. Take advice from flooring professionala or a DIY or home center about this before starting a stain job on your cork flooring.

[rushing]

You might be able to soak the cork in rit dye...you can find it any fabric store and some grocery stores. Made for dying cloth. No idea if it will work but its cheap.

[Carpenter]

I was thinking rit dye too. I've seen the red cork you can buy and its not really that red. Going to try rit I think

[upnorth]

Not sure if you have thought of these yet, but I would make sure it is at final size before dying, and also may want to put some sort of finish/sealer on the cork after you are done with dying it.

[Steve Foss]

I don't build rods but I've stained some cork floors. My advice also is to make sure the rings are fully submerged for a few days, with some stirring now and then, so the stain goes all the way through them. Reason being, over time, the best way to rejuvenate old dirty cork handles is with soap, water and a scrubby pad, and that will take off stain if the whole cork is not impregnated.

Red Oak oil-based stain my Minwax is pretty darn red. If you use the Rit dye, it'll start to leach off onto your hands/gloves when the cork gets wet.