Frequently asked questions

No – you have to use a mixture of red and blue food dyes such as E129 Allura Red AC Granular and E133 Brilliant Blue FCF. A starting ratio of the two dyes would be 4 parts red to 1 part blue. The full range of red and blue food dyes are shown here: Food Dyes

The food dye is the water-soluble version of the colorant (normally the Sodium Salt) whereas the food lake is the insoluble pigment form (the Aluminium Salt). The lakes are used where the presence of water would cause a problem such as an oil-based product.

You choose one of solvent dyes that are soluble in fuel shown here: Fuel Dyes. The best way to use them is to make a solution of the dye by dissolving 5g in 500ml of fuel. This will give you a liquid concentrate. If you add 10 ml of this concentrate to 1 litre of fuel, you will get a solution of 100 ppm. You can vary the amount to suit your needs. You can also mix the dyes to produce many different colours.

You use the same dyes and method for colouring diesel – shown above.

Depending on the water supply, you choose an appropriate dye. For example, if it is drinking water then you should use a food dye such as E133 Brilliant Blue FCF. If it is in a sewer pipe, Ebest Fluorescein LTC and Ebest Rhodamine B are recommended. If it is in a heating system, Bestoil Pyranine 01 is recommended. These dyes can be seen at 10ppm. The best way to use them is to make a solution of the dye by dissolving 5g in 500 ml of water. This will give you a liquid concentrate. If you add 1ml of this concentrate to 1 litre of water, you will get a solution of 10ppm.

Our ranges of suitable dyes are shown here: Candle Dyes. How to use these dyes in candles is shown here: How To Colour Candle Wax.

It is dependent on which solvent you are using. Dyes vary considerably in their solubility within different solvents.