Interestingly enough, it comes out of the potassium permanganate a deep purple. When it dries it turns brown.
You can see the purple color on the paper towel.
I bought a food dehydrator quite some time ago. It was actually a great purchase that I have used in a lot of different ways for knifemaking. I set it at a low setting and put the scales inside, and it helps speed up the drying process. This step could easily be done without a dehydrator, but this makes it all go a little quicker.
This dehydrator has several "shelves". I put the scales on one, slide them in and then let them sit for a few hours. I will probably still not put any of them on a knife for a day or two (at least). I do have some completed scales in the shop, so I can keep this going right away.
