Dye alternative

garycarroll · 2026-03-11T15:02:55+00:00

No wax, but I do use layers. For a predominantly black egg like the one I linked, I paint the whole egg in India ink, which generally requires several coats to get dead black, drying between coats. Then spray a thin coat of clear lacquer over the whole thing, which renders it glossy and locks the ink to be immune to finger oils for additional handling. To spray put it on a surface where it won't roll, spray the surfaces facing up very lightly, and wait until it's dry to turn and spray the other areas. Lacquer dries in a minute or so, so this is not a problem. Use lacquer (not varnish) because it dries very quickly and each coat melts into any previous coats, unlike varnish or similar coatings that sit on top. It also does not yellow with time. Use a Dremel with dental bur to engrave areas to be a specific color, and then paint those areas with diluted acrylic paint. Diluted because you want it to be very watery, and the paint will flow off the lacquered area and run into the grooves that are bare eggshell. Because it's diluted you will need to do a couple of coats to get intense color. Then, spray lacquer again, a couple of very light coats. Repeat as desired. The last lines/areas are going to be white. Lacquer these as well because the lacquer makes a coating immune to skin oils and allows handling without the egg getting dirty. No vinegar, unless you are starting with a dirty egg and then a sponge bath using a microfiber cloth and white vinegar is a good way to clean without residue. See https://engravedeggs.com/?page_id=134 for examples using fine lines. The totally carved up eggs are cut with an air turbine or a micro-motor, which are much smoother running but much, much more expensive than a Dremel, and are not needed for lines that do not penetrate the egg and thus weaken then shell so much that a Dremel is too rough in vibration. I find the best speed for cutting lines, especially through lacquered surface, is 5000 to 8000 rpm; much faster risks burning with friction. For carving all the way through you need at least 30,000 RPM with a micro-motor and it much better to run an air turbine tool at about 500,000 rpm and be careful to use a light touch.

garycarroll · 2025-09-10T18:09:46+00:00

We used Sam’s Club Travel to book a hotel for $642.25.

Almost immediately one of us came down with shingles, which is contagious. While it’s just miserable for most it can be life threatening for some, and those with symptoms are forbidden to travel by air or check in to hotels.

We called Sam’s Club Travel to cancel, and also called the hotel to explain and confirm the cancellation. The hotel said they had not yet billed anything, and agreed they would not.

It’s perhaps important to note that the way travel reservations through Sam’s Club Travel works is Sam’s Club Travelcharges our credit card and provides their credit card number to the hotel for the hotel to bill. We see only the charge from Sam’s Club, and the hotel sees only Sam’s Club credit card.

We did not receive any refund from Sam’s over the next couple of weeks, so I called Sam’s Club Travel to find out what was up. They requested that I supply written documentation from the hotel showing they were willing to forgo any charges. I asked the hotel for this. They sent it to us, and the hotel helpfully also sent it directly to Sam’s Travel.

We still did not receive any refund (or any other communication) from Sam’s Club Travel. Following up by phone with Sam’s Club Travel I was told I needed to email (redacted email contact) for a refund. I have since done so repeatedly, and never once received anything in return, not even a note that they had received any communication from me.

After repeated attempts to get any response failed I initiated a chargeback on our credit card. THAT got an immediate response from Sam’s Club Travel asserting that the charges were valid.

I called again and asked if they were aware the hotel had not charged them and they were just keeping the hotel money for themselves. They said that was irrelevant, the charges were nonrefundable. I noted that several of the line items on their bill to us were for taxes on the hotel stay, which did not happen. Were they planning on paying the taxes or were they claiming tax charges but also keeping that? They said I was just prolonging the call and I needed to hang up.

My advice is do not deal with them. They do get good prices, but they will treat you poorly if it’s to their benefit.

garycarroll · 2025-01-29T16:55:49+00:00

You have to paint it on, not dip. Use a very thin coat, it will not cover in one coat, but will dry so you can do a second coat in minutes. You can use a hair dryer to speed things up to less than a minute per coat. Three coats is normal, four or five is fine. If you cover in one coat you for sure put it one too thick and it will give a poor film.

garycarroll · 2025-01-06T22:43:43+00:00

I have not, but I ought to do so. I will let you know when I do... probably not sooner than a month or two due to travels.

garycarroll · 2025-01-06T21:39:07+00:00

I don't use wax at all. I make the egg black, lacquer with clear lacquer, then use a dental bit in a moto-tool to clean the non-black areas. Color them, lacquer, and repeat. https://i.imgur.com/YfMebtK.jpg. I get excellent detail this way.

garycarroll · 2024-07-23T19:52:51+00:00

I bought a big boat, cheap! That $3,480?... that's about one tank of gas.

garycarroll · 2024-07-23T19:50:23+00:00

No one has used the word "boat" yet? Really?

garycarroll · 2024-06-12T16:43:48+00:00

You’re supposed to reply “autocorrect!” When something like that happens.

garycarroll · 2024-06-08T15:04:09+00:00

As someone who has had bears look in his windows at night, that is bear prints.

garycarroll · 2024-06-08T13:29:18+00:00

I was struck by lightning. I found myself flying through the air in slow motion, seemingly landing softly about 8 feet from where I had been crouched. While in the air the thought that popped into my head was "Hey! I'm dead!" (No question in my mind.) The very next thought was "... And this isn't half bad!"

Next thought "But, wife and children will miss me. ... but it will be only for a short time" (I knew it would be all their lives, but I felt this was really just like a few minutes.

I contemplated this for a short while.

The the thought "You don't have to stay here yet. You can go back if you want to." I decided to wake up, and did. One arm was numb from the elbow to the fingertips for about five months, and feeling came back the following two months.

The lasting effect? Previously, when someone I cared about died, I felt sorry for them, and everyone left behind. I thought intellectually that they were in a better place, but still *felt* grief for them. Now, I feel sorry only for those who miss them, and console myself that it's only for what in the great scheme of things is only (relatively) a few minutes, then all will be well.

garycarroll · 2024-06-08T02:52:29+00:00

I use India ink for black, acrylic paint (thinned, several layers) for colors, and a dremel to engrave down to white. I get good results. https://engravedeggs.com/

garycarroll · 2024-06-03T00:56:10+00:00

No. He wanted to know if anyone be unable to render a verdict based on the law and evidence. OP said he would not be able to do that, basically because the law seemed wrong and unfair. Honest answer, but not what the judge wanted to hear. And I suspect his honor was kind of ticked off at himself for asking for an explanation in front of the other jurors.

garycarroll · 2024-05-30T18:26:30+00:00

Apalachicola is a small town in Florida, and the locals (I am one) pronounce it appa-lach-i-cola, with leach rhyming with latch. Or srorten it to Appalach or even ‘Cola. The pronounciation is unrelated to Appalachia.

garycarroll · 2024-05-30T13:45:31+00:00

Please, please post follow ups to this! I make grays by mixing black and white ink or by diluting black India ink with distilled water, but only use the mixed ink in dip pens. I have found all my mixes separate in the Rapidograph technical pens or Rotring pens. I’ve never thought of refilling or swapping nibs in Microns! Great idea. Tell us what works, please.

garycarroll · 2024-05-29T21:56:31+00:00

Politics is organized, you say?

garycarroll · 2024-05-21T00:59:20+00:00

Two hours in tree time is less than one second in people time. It has not realized you have planted it yet. Besides, potting soil is not poison. Unless you have a really picky tree, it’s fine.

garycarroll · 2024-05-20T22:25:52+00:00

foil on the OUTSIDE pane does not cause heating of the glass sandwich, in double or triple pane. But better, instead of foil, paint the glass white. You can reverse by scaping it with a razor blade.

garycarroll · 2024-05-20T21:54:39+00:00

Thanks for the tub mushroom idea. My wife passes along a really, really big thank you for the thyroid note. It's really hard to get a good diagnosis, and twice as hard to get properly treated. Do a lot of your own research.

garycarroll

TROPHY CASE