Solar Lux NGR dyes

[l-lopez]

I need a new bottle of Behlen's Solar Lux NGR dye. Color is "Light Golden Oak". I can't seem to locate it on the web. Does anybody know where to buy some?

Len

[nailshooter41]

phased out.

Fruitwood seems to be the go-to "give it a little color" dye of choice these days.

Oak color is still listed at woodfinishing supplies on the net as part # " Oak Golden B503-670 ".

You can probably match your desired color by a bit of thinning of that color before applying, and minding the amount you apply.

Also, Woodcraft used to sell a lot of the Solar-Lux brand of dyes. I would call them and if necessary have them call around to see who might have a bottle or two on the shelf.

Robert

[Nova]

All I could find is:

[SonomaProducts.com]

[nailshooter41]

Good memory. It is, but not as we used to know it. About 10 (?) years ago I got an email from Russ Ramirez, the guy that started it, saying he was thinking of quitting. Shortly after that, he retooled, then decided to quit anyway.

He was a professional finisher/refinisher that loved what he did, found some great products and wanted to make a few bucks other than when sanding and finishing.

But he found there were too many "experts" to deal with on the internet, some had even read part of a book, or read a whole magazine article (!!) and looked at a picture to learn finishing. He got tired of putting out fires in the hobby finishing community, and sadly, a lot of the problem was his fault.

He gave folks WAAAAAYYYYY too much credit for experience in finishing, too much credit that they would listen to someone that had been doing it professionally for 20 years when they offered advice for free, and he was just plain too nice. He would try to explain how something he said was taken out of context, or how he was misquoted. And he did that on several different venues, trying to defend his reputation and product against the internet loudmouths that like to bludgeon people with their opinion. It was just too much. Russ never did understand why folks responded poorly to someone that was experienced and knowledgeable that was trying to help out.

He tried to be too helpful. He was my go-to guy for shellac flakes after O'deen decided to go play with his grandkids, so we emailed or spoke often. My opinion was that he owed his clients a good product delivered at a fair price in a timely fashion.

Russ was thinking he was "building his clientele" by working with folks when they called in after messing up their projects. He spent hours teaching and talking to argumentative idiots, casting his pearls before swine. This was about the time that the graduates of Google U began to crawl out from under the rocks, so people asked and argued about the most incredibly unimportant minutiae you can imagine just to try to impress him. What a way to waste your days.

He sold it all for what he told me was much too little to cut his losses, and sadly stopped all contact with those that like him and respected him. Sad. He tried to hang onto (I think, not sure) the shellac business, but in the end I think he gave that up, too. He was exhausted physically and mentally.

I hadn't thought about Russ in so long that when I went to the addy book, it didn't even ring a bell.

What a great guy he was.

Robert

[l-lopez]

That is a water borne dye, not an NGR. It will probably work and is less expensive, but I suspect it will dry slower?

Len

[nailshooter41]

I will dry slower, the wood will take the color differently, it will react with the top coat finish differently if you are using a solvent based material, and it will raise the grain causing you to sand down the swollen grain only to dye it again winding up with an unknown color.

Outside of that, you should be fine.

This is a wonderful opportunity to remind you to try the dye/finish combo on a piece of scrap first, not your project.

Robert