Remove Water-soluble Dye

It happens to everybody. On your sample, the color was perfect, but on your piece, it doesn’t look right. Don’t despair. There’s an easy way to remove water-soluble dye color so you can try again. Sponge the surface liberally with regular household chlorine bleach. Almost instantly the color will lighten and begin to disappear. Two coats of bleach may be necessary, and the process may slightly change the color of the raw wood. Rinse everything with water, sand the raised grain, and you’ve got a second chance. — Tim Johnson and

Dave Munkittrick