Once you’ve waxed in the green areas, you are done with waxing.  It’s time to dye the egg orange, but which orange should you use?

UGS Orange dye is made without vinegar, and If your spot-dyeing was a bit messy, and some dye strayed outside the lines, you should start with this dye. 

It will remove the green, and dye the egg a nice orange. Usually.  But not always–UGS Orange can be a weak, light dye, and sometimes you want a deeper orange. 

There is another UGS dye, “Pumpkin,” which is a deeper, redder orange.  It is vinegar based, so it will not remove green, but it will give a nice deep, final color. (UEC and other pysanka dye suppliers also have vinegar-based orange dyes you can use.)  You can use it as a primary final color if you have no stray green, or dye it over orange if you do. You’ll get a color something like this:

(The stripes are due to a damaged egg shell.)

Because the final color is relatively light (compared to black), you need to be very careful removing the wax.  Unless you are quite experienced removing wax with a candle, you might be better off using solvents or a warm oven to remove the wax; if working on empty eggs, a wax melting tool would be ideal. NOTE: If you are using a candle for wax removal, try to use a beeswax one (as they produce less soot). A second of inattention, or a small slip of your hand, and you can end up with scorching or soot marks, which are particularly visible on an orange egg.

After initial wax removal, it is helpful to use an organic (i.e. not water based) solvent of some sort to wipe down the egg and remove any residual soot, wax and pencil.  I use odorless mineral spirits, but Goof Off, Goo Gone and lighter fluid also work.  Pour some on a soft cloth/paper towel/tissue and gently rub the surface of the egg.  You’ll be surprised to see how much dirt was there!

Once you’ve remove the wax, you’ll have something like this:

Finish the egg as you normally do, with varnish or a finish of your choice.

Back to MAIN My Pysanky page.

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