How do you dye howlite?

[Skipper]

The Facts:
Howlite is a white rock with grey veins. Polishes really nice. It's a porous rock, so it can "suck up" moisture. I saw at the store that it can be dyed different colours, and often is done in blue to mimic turqoise. I'd like to do this as well. I've found some info on the web, but not sure if I have everything right. If you have tips, suggestions, corrections, please let me know!

Process:
1. Tumble rocks through first 2 phases (stop before prepolish).
2. Heat it up to around 200 degrees in the oven for a couple of hours to dry it out
3. Dip it into your choice of colors. The cooling will help draw the dye into the stone. Soak the stuff for a few days then rinse it off .
4. After it dries, complete the polish cycle.

Colors: Tidy Bowl in a concentrated form
gives you fake turquoise and Rit clothing dyes can create all sorts of unusual colors.

Questions:

• Why wouldn't the polish cycle remove the dye?
  
• Why not dye after finishing the polish cycle?
  
• Any more suggestions on types of dye to use?

Thanks!

[piewire]

I am interested in this same information. I have a friend whose mother had a
"turquoise" stone on a cord with color that has faded. I looked into what kind of substitutes for the popular turquoise exists. I learned about howllite and feel this is what the stone is instead of turquoise. I am not into tumbling, but with my interest in jewelry and wire wrapping stones, I guess its time to learn. My feeble efforts to dye the stone darker have failed, so I need the help of more experienced rock people.

I hope you may have learned more about dyeing howlite.

[rockmanken]

Works best if you use denatured alcohol.
Ken

[stefan]

Couple things here (and NO I have never died Howlite or any other rock) Heat does open the pores of the rock so as to allow the dye to penatrate. NEVER dunk the heated rock into cold dye (cracking or shattering is very possible). You want to polish after dying to remove that fake painted on appearence (the dye soaks into the rock so it should last a polish stage).