Alumilite Dye 1 oz. or 6 oz. Alumilite

Alumilite Dyes are the preferred colorant system for all your stabilizing needs.                                        

These dyes are not actually dyes at all but rather a colorant system made for plastic resins. As a result, they are 100% liquid and will cross link with your Cactus Juice and become part of the cured resin. They are easier to mix than any powdered dyes and there are no solvents or carriers that can affect the chemistry of the Cactus Juice.

NOTE: 1 oz. bottle dispensing tip must be cut to dispense dye. Tip may also be removed completely.

Dyeing Techniques

Cactus Juice can be dyed when you want to add some color to the material you are stabilizing. For this discussion I will assume wood but the same principles work with any porous material. The best success will be obtained with Alumilite Dyes. They are very concentrated and produce nice, vivid colors that mix and work well with Cactus Juice. Some powdered dyes can work as well but typically have a hard time dissolving thoroughly, leaving a residue in the bottom of the mixing container and on the blanks, sometimes preventing proper uptake of the resin. Alumilite dyes will not affect the cure of the Juice since they are specifically made for use in plastic resins. Be sure to use more dye than you think you need!

There is no formula available to give consistent results from wood to wood. This is due to the way different species and even different pieces of wood within the same log take the dyed Cactus Juice. It is all a matter of trial and error! Stabilizing itself is a science while dying and stabilizing is an art!

To mix your dyed Cactus Juice, you will need a container. Plastic quart paint mixing cups with snap on lids work very well. Keep one for each color you plan to do. Use your clear Cactus Juice that has been used a few times and started to darken to top them off and add more dye. When you first add dye, don’t worry with counting drops, just squirt some in and stir it up. Keep adding dye until it is very dark. When doing blue, for example, make the dyed Cactus Juice look almost black from so much dye.

Then run a sample batch. After cured, cut in half lengthwise to see what the color inside looks like. If it is too dark, add clear Cactus Juice to your mix. If it is not dark enough, add more dye. Just keep in mind that it takes a LOT more dye than you might think.