I used to know a guy who tinted his varnish with coffee ... it worked quite well ... looked very nice.

The problem with pigments ... either artists oils or dry powders ... is that their color is composed of a mixture of other pigments that have their own color. When you mix artists oils or dry powders into varnish ... you're making a translucent wash, not an opaque paint ... the different pigments separate and the constituent with the strongest color will determine the final color of the wash. As an example ... mixing earth toned artists oils into varnish yields a wash that tends heavily toward orange ... and that orange is VERY difficult to control. Complicating issues are the quality (purity) of the pigments, ratio control, the number of coats, settling (common with dry powders) etc. Ya also have to be careful in mixing two or more different colored pigments to get a wash because the mix will tend toward gray and dull depending on the pigments and the color you're going after ... and some mixes are very touchy in that small changes in pigment ratios can yield big changes in the final color of the wash.

Ken Blanton

: Common earth pigment work well, too :)

: Carbon black comes from soot. You get a nice brown from rust, and
: burnt umber and burnt sienna are nothing more than clay that got
: too close to some caveman's cooking fire.

: Can't get much more common than dirt rust and soot. These have been
: with us for millenia.

: Artist pigments tent to start about $7 for a small bottle. Want to
: make your own? Try tiny amounts of instant coffee or instant tea
: for brown tones. with or without caffeine. Yes, you can mix in
: some coffee whiteners to lighten it, too, or dilute it with more
: resin. For black, copy toner refill works good. For colors, ask
: at a paint counter at a hardware store if you can get a few
: drops of the tinting pigments they use. Explain what you are
: doing and bring your own bottle or film can. Sometimes you can
: get a few drops (enough for a stain) for free, or a buck or two.

: Dry powders sold for fabric stains might work well, too. Don't mix
: them with water ot use liquid stains.

: Pigments go a long way. Use just a pinch at a time and mix well.

: PGJ

: PGJ