How to Make Your Own Wood Dyes (tutorial)

[getwozzy]

Hi there can i ask with those coloured paddle pop sticks do you just give your bird the stick like that to chew on because i have a baby eky and want to do this for him or do you make toys or something like that with them? Sorry im a new owner here just am curious

Sure- you can give them to your eky like a foot toy, but I'm going to drill a hole through the middle of all of them at some point (lol) and I usually string them up and my galah just loves annihilating them

 

[getwozzy]

And here is the finished product!

 

[getwozzy]

So now that I have a million dyed Popsicle sticks I had to figure out how to put a hole in them... Thank goodness for random craft tools because this thing came in handy

It's a tool used to attach snaps and/or eyelets to materials, and can also punch various sized holes in leather....and Popsicle sticks haha

And now I have a bunch of Popsicle sticks ready to be made into a toy

And the finished toy ready for chomping!

 

[Juliejet]

Great idea thank you can I ask what water can't be used instead of alcohol cause I did some last weel for Jet but I used water he hasn't played with them yet

 

[Juliejet]

And a not her thing is I have found it hard to find some thin soft pine wood only hard bigger ,thicker ones (but I can cut them ) is hard ok

 

[getwozzy]

Great idea thank you can I ask what water can't be used instead of alcohol cause I did some last weel for Jet but I used water he hasn't played with them yet

You can use water in your solution to dye your pieces, but not if you plan on storing it for future use because the water could potentially grow bacteria...and bacteria can't grow in alcohol.

 

[getwozzy]

And a not her thing is I have found it hard to find some thin soft pine wood only hard bigger ,thicker ones (but I can cut them ) is hard ok

It's ok as long as it's bird-safe wood and not pressure treated.

Do you have a Home Depot or other building supply store? Go there and buy an untreated pine 2x4 and cut into pieces.

 

[Juliejet]

Thank you Getozzy I have some vodka here so I can use that do I dilute it,as for wood I have been to a few hardware stores but I was looking for soft wood but now I know harder wood is ok I will get some and cut it thanks again ,

 

[getwozzy]

I did not dilute my solution, but you can if you want- I'm not sure if the color intensities will have the same results, but I'd give it a shot! Maybe test one color and see how it turns out and go from there... Good luck!

 

[Macawlover12]

I love this tutorial! ! I am dying some wood pieces tonight, thanks to you.

 

[MomtoPercy]

How on earth did I miss this??

Brilliant tutorial!! Thanks a ton!

 

[SpotsandSally]

Could you substitute the alcohol for vinegar? Or will it make the birds not like the wood as much?

We really don't have any isopropyl alcohol. I'll try to get some.

Or could I use water, and why couldn't I keep it for re-use if I used water?

Thanks

Ok read the thread found the answer for water thanks!

 

[Mariahh0721]

I tried this with larger pine pieces for anzu and it didn't take very well to the wood, its noticeable but not like yours, i wonder if I'm doing something wrong or if its just the wood

 

[getwozzy]

I tried this with larger pine pieces for anzu and it didn't take very well to the wood, its noticeable but not like yours, i wonder if I'm doing something wrong or if its just the wood

You could try increasing the amount of coloring you're using and letting them sit in the solution longer- I have not had the chance to try it on anything other than the Popsicle sticks.

 

[Mariahh0721]

I put almost a whole bottle of the coloring in mine, and it sat overnight, i may try increasing the coloring a little more and post results. How long did you wait before giving it to Chili?

 

[getwozzy]

Oh wow! I'm going to have to find some larger pine pieces and try this-

I let the pieces sit over a couple days, but they really only needed to sit about 24 hrs and they were all dry

 

[Mariahh0721]

I tried I couple pieces and this is what they ended up looking like

 

[Starlit_Night]

Could you substitute the alcohol for vinegar? Or will it make the birds not like the wood as much?

I used vinegar to color dried pasta noodles. They still smell like vinegar and Aleta won't really touch them. I can't say if it is because of the vinegar, or perhaps because they look tasty and taste pretty blah. I didn't think the alcohol would be safe, so I went the vinegar route. Definately will try the alcohol route next time I dye.

 

[getwozzy]

The alcohol evaporates as it dries, so it is safe; if you can't find or don't want to use isopropyl alcohol you can use vodka or water.
Vinegar will leave that smell since the wood soaks it up and the smell does not dissipate as it dries like the alcohol does.

 

[getwozzy]

I tried I couple pieces and this is what they ended up looking like

That's not too bad! But I can see how you'd want the colors to come out better.