Coloring a bow

[snowplow]

So I am getting close on my son's new vine maple bow. I want to color the back brownish and have the rest the natural white. Can you guys give me a rundown on how the various techniques work and what to look our for?

Dye vs stain etc.

Also, my decision to dye just the back (simulating bark basically) is based on the assumption I can get a smooth line. So would I in fact get a smooth line either by a steady hand or by finish sanding after application? If not maybe I wont bother.

Thank you for the help! This is the first 'real' wood bow I've made.

[PatM]

It's pretty hard to get clean lines because dye tends to bleed under tape if you try that. Cleaning up edges with sandpaper won't give the sharpest results either since dye will wick up the tiny holes in the grain and leave a stippled appearance

  Depends how distinct you want the edges.

[TrevorM]

You could do a brown paper/linen/silk etc. backing.

[bubby]

Tape off the back with good painters tape and rub the edges down good then spray two coats of shellac on the exposed wood, when dry remove tape and stain/dye back carefully and when it is dry scrape the edges where it ran the shellac will scrape off and leave a clean line, try it on a scrap pc of sanded wood i have done this before and it worked well