> When I was a kid, in science class, we used to soak a chicken bone in
> vinegar for about a week as an "experiment". The bone would
> become flexible like rubber. I wonder if wood properties might be affected
> adversely with certain solvents. I liked the alcohol Idea, especially
> since it'd dry out faster. Interesting topic, this dye thing.

FWIW, alcohol is the last step in making tissue paper like klenex soft as opposed to hard like tissue paper used for packing.