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Stains and dyesDye

CLT23

CLT23 Kromolux dye concentrate, wenge

Highly concentrated transparent dye (binder-free stain) from MILESI's Kromolux range in wenge — a deep, near-black brown. Very clear and even; at higher strength it goes dark without muddying the grain. Cuts with water or solvent, with or without a binder, and mixes with any dye in the range.

  • Staining all kinds of timber, veneer and solid
  • Wenge look on cheaper/paler species (oak, ash, beech, birch) under PE, PU, NC and UV lacquers
  • Base for mixing your own dark shades with other Kromolux dyes

Mix calculator

g
Thinner750.0 %

When: Listed as a thinner on the official Kromolux series pages (CLT23 has no page of its own, and the dealer does not list LZC97). The Milesi TDS uses LZC97 as a small-share co-solvent with the main thinner.

Additive

Ratio 100 : 750.0

ComponentWeigh out
CLT23part A58.8 g
LZC97Thinner441 g
Total500 g

Covers roughly 5.56 m² at 90 g/m².

Pot life of the mix: n/a — single component, no reaction; keep diluted mix closed and use within the shift.

Ask about CLT23

Answers are based on the CLT23 data and the products it mixes with.

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Mixing matrix

  • S10Thinner
    % by weight: 500–1000 %dealer% by volume: 500–1000 %dealer

    Fast, strong thinner — fine-pored timber (beech, birch, maple, alder), short flash before the sealer.

    Thinner choice by timber per the Technocolor 2025–2026 catalog thinner table (which also lists S10 for PE primers and patinas; the dealer labels it 'thinner for PE'). The species examples are ours.

  • S12Thinner
    % by weight: 500–1000 %dealer% by volume: 500–1000 %dealer

    Medium evaporation — medium-pored timber (cherry, walnut); the default for a solvent-borne wenge stain.

    The dealer bundles S12 with CLT23, and S12 is the dye-step thinner in the official schedules. The dealer labels S12 'thinner for NC'.

  • S90Thinner
    % by weight: 500–1000 %dealer% by volume: 500–1000 %dealer

    Slow — open-pored timber (oak, ash), big panels, hot shop. Matters most with a dark wenge: stays wet longer, fewer blotches and lap marks.

    Dealer: 'slow dye thinner', bundled with CLT23.

  • WATERThinner
    % by weight: 500–1000 %dealer% by volume: 500–1000 %dealer

    Water dilution — less odour, but raises the grain more and dries slower (Milesi TDS: 8 h at 20 °C).

    Deionised (distilled) water only — otherwise the dye flocculates and loses colour stability (dealer note). Before a water stain, raise the grain with a damp sponge, dry and denib at P180–P220.

  • LZC97Thinner
    % by weight: 500–1000 %official% by volume: 500–1000 %official

    Listed as a thinner on the official Kromolux series pages (CLT23 has no page of its own, and the dealer does not list LZC97). The Milesi TDS uses LZC97 as a small-share co-solvent with the main thinner.

    LZC97's exact function is not documented by Technocolor.

  • CFS1Additive
    % by weight: 0–200 %dealer% by volume: 0–200 %dealer

    Binder for the solvent-borne stain (S10/S12/S90): locks the dye in, less lifting and bleeding under the sealer, more even colour on end grain.

    CFS1 = solvent and CFH1 = water follows from the schedules (CFS1 with S12, CFH1 with water); the dealer's ОР/ВР labels are in the opposite order.

  • CFH1Additive
    % by weight: 0–200 %dealer% by volume: 0–200 %dealer

    Binder for the water-diluted stain.

    0 % = plain binder-free stain; with binder the colour holds better under the sealer.

  • LZC97 / LZC1000Thinner
    % by weight: CLT 1 : LZC97 0.5 : LZC1000 9.5 (≈ LZC97 50 % + LZC1000 950 %)datasheet

    Milesi's suggested solvent dilution. LZC1000 is a Milesi code; in the Technocolor line S10/S12/S90 take its place.

  • LZC97 / WATERThinner
    % by weight: CLT 1 : LZC97 1 : water 14 (≈ LZC97 100 % + water 1400 %)datasheet

    Milesi's suggested water dilution.

  • LZC1000 / LZC1024 / LZC97 / LTC5 / WATERThinner
    % by weight: 500–800 %datasheet

    Milesi TDS: hand spray, fixed automatic airmix/airless, swinging arm — 500–800 %; automatic rotating spray gun (carousel) — 700–1500 %.

  • CFS1 / S12Additive
    % by weight: CFS1 200 % + S12 500 %schedule

    Raised-panel doors (PU): stain 80–100 g/m², 5 min at 20–25 °C, then PTS20 + C25 + S50 sealer.

    The schedule names the generic code 'CTU' (universal transparent dye), not CLT23. Kromolux is likewise a binder-free transparent dye thinned with S12 and bound with CFS1, so the recipe is carried over as a guide; that mapping is our interpretation, not an explicit Technocolor instruction for CLT23.

  • CFS1 / S12Additive
    % by weight: CFS1 150 % + S12 500 %schedule

    Mouldings and frames (UV): stain 80 g/m², 5 min at 25–30 °C, then VTS40041 UV sealer.

    The schedule names the generic code 'CTU' (universal transparent dye), not CLT23. Kromolux is likewise a binder-free transparent dye thinned with S12 and bound with CFS1, so the recipe is carried over as a guide; that mapping is our interpretation, not an explicit Technocolor instruction for CLT23.

Percentages are per 100 parts of component A.

Characteristics

Viscosity
24 ± 2 s, 24 ± 2 s
Density
0.965 ± 0.05 g/cm³ at 20 °Cdatasheet
Drying · Conditions
20 °C (TDS)
Drying · Room temp (solvent)
30" as printed (LZC1000 thinner)datasheet
Drying · Room temp (water)
8 h (water thinner)datasheet
Drying · IR drying 60 °C (solvent)
10 mindatasheet
Drying · IR drying 60 °C (water)
20 mindatasheet
Pot life
n/a — single component, no reaction; keep diluted mix closed and use within the shiftrecommended
Thixotropy
norecommended

Colours

  • CLT23 · wenge

Application

HVLP

Nozzle
1–1.3 mmrecommended
Pressure · fluid
gravity cup, no fluid pressurerecommended
Pressure · air
1.5–2 bar inlet with trigger pulled (≈0.5–0.7 bar at the cap)recommended
Spray viscosity
as diluted (500–1000 %), roughly water-thin — don't thin to a cup timerecommended
Consumption
80–100 g/m² ready mixdealer
Coats
1 even full wet pass (2 light crossing passes on big panels); deepen colour with a second pass, never by floodingrecommended
Flash-off · Solvent
5 min at 20–25 °C (CFS1 + S12 mix)schedule
Flash-off · Water
≥ 8 h at 20 °C, or 20 min IR tunnel + 60 °C warm airdatasheet
Recoat · Sealer (solvent)
after 1 min (thinned with LZC1000)datasheet
Recoat · Sealer (waterborne)
after 8 h (thinned with water) at 20 °Cdatasheet
Sanding between coats
don't sand the stain itself; denib the first sealer coat at P240–P320recommended

Gun square to the work at 15–20 cm, 50 % overlap. On profiles do edges and recesses first, then the field. Stir before filling. Check the shade on an offcut of the same timber — wenge reads very differently on pale and dark wood.

Conventional spray

Nozzle
1–1.2 mmrecommended
Pressure · air
2–3 bar at the gunrecommended
Consumption
80–100 g/m² ready mixdealer

Classic air spray — the most common method per the methods page (transfer up to ~40 %).

Airmix (air-assisted airless)

Nozzle
0.18–0.23 mm (07–09 thou), narrow 20–40° fanrecommended
Pressure · fluid
4–8 barrecommended
Pressure · air
0.8–1.5 barrecommended
Consumption
10–20 g/m² (TDS figure — reads as concentrate)datasheet

Milesi TDS: 10–20 g/m² for fixed automatic airmix at 500–800 % dilution. If that is concentrate, it works out to ~60–180 g/m² of ready mix, consistent with the dealer's 80–100 g/m²; the TDS does not say which.

Airless

Nozzle
0.18–0.23 mm (07–09 thou)recommended
Pressure · fluid
30–60 barrecommended
Consumption
10–20 g/m² (TDS figure, likely concentrate)datasheet

By hand prefer airmix/HVLP — airless has a coarser fan and more blotch risk.

Automatic rotating spray

Consumption
5–20 g/m² (automatic rotating spray gun / carousel; dilution 700–1500 %)datasheet

Milesi TDS: automatic rotating spray gun (carousel) — 5–20 g/m² at 700–1500 % dilution. That is a carousel automatic line, not electrostatic; the TDS does not list electrostatic application for the series.

Process and compatibility

Substrate preparation
Sand flats P150 → P180 → P220; profiles with sanding sponges/matsschedule
Goes over
bare sanded wood
Sanding
Never sand the dyed surface; sand the first sealer coat P240–P320recommended
Temperature and humidity
15–25 °C, RH ≤ 75 %; stain and sealer at shop temperaturerecommended
Don'ts
  • Don't dilute with tap water — deionised only
  • Don't exceed 200 % CFS1/CFH1 binder
  • Don't flood — make a second light pass instead
  • Don't sand the dye coat — sand the sealer
  • Don't seal a water stain before it's fully dry (~8 h at 20 °C or 20 min at 60 °C)
  • Don't judge the shade from the can — spray a sample on the same timber under the same lacquer

Storage

Shelf life
8 months from delivery (series TDS)datasheet
Storage temperature
18–25 °C, tightly closed, protected from moisturedatasheet
Packaging
1 L,5 Ldealer

Safety: Composition and hazard class not published (no CLT23 SDS found). Treat the concentrate and S10/S12/S90 mixes as flammable: spray in an extracted booth, no ignition sources, A2P2 respirator and nitrile gloves (the dye stains skin hard); solvent rags into a closed metal bin.

Used in finishing systems

Sources

Value tags: “official”, “dealer”, “catalog”, “schedule” are Technocolor data; “workshop” is from our own datasheets; “recommended” is our engineering estimate (hover to see the reasoning).

Not covered by the sources
  • no official t-color.ru page for CLT23 (series data from sibling CLT5 page and dealer)
  • solids_pct (blank in Milesi TDS, not on dealer page)
  • density for CLT23 specifically — TDS lists wenge as CLT19; CLT23 not in the 2006 TDS
  • lightfastness rating
  • hardness/elasticity/chemical resistance — n/a for a binder-free dye
  • LZC97 function (no product page); not listed by dealer for CLT23
  • CFS1/CFH1 own data sheets
  • TDS solvent drying printed as 30" — unit ambiguous
  • consumption: dealer 80–100 g/m² (ready mix) vs TDS 5–20 g/m² (apparently concentrate)
  • SDS / hazard classification
  • no Technocolor TDS for CLT23; only Milesi CLT series TDS rev. I, Oct 2006
  • CLT not in Technocolor 2025–2026 catalog; no schedule names CLT directly
  • web search for a CLT23-specific TDS not possible (search budget exhausted in verify pass too)
  • TDS 'in weight / in volume' thinner columns are blank; dealer 500–1000 % by weight and by volume are identical as printed