I got my bloodwood body blank today and it is not near as dark as my Warmoth bloodwood neck. I was going to put a thin poly finish on it to retain the "woody" feel but now I'm wondering if there was anything else I could finish with that would slightly darken it. I'll post some pics tomorrow to show the difference.
darkening my bloodwood
- Thread starter shanejw
- Start date
If bringing out the tannins in the wood is what you are talking about, then I hear this works:
http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4635
Remember that ammonia is REALLY nasty stuff, and the vapors should never be breathed in even in the slightest. Always do something like this in a fully enclosed ventilated area.
http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4635
Remember that ammonia is REALLY nasty stuff, and the vapors should never be breathed in even in the slightest. Always do something like this in a fully enclosed ventilated area.
bagman67
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There's a whole passel of approaches to changing the color of your wood here:
http://www.woodworking.org/WC/Garchive01/3_27colorants.html
Always remember, SAFETY FIRST. Whatever you do, it might not be a bad idea to head down to the home improvement/hardware store and pick up a respirator (about US$30). NB: I dunno whether the activated charcoal carbon respirator works against ammonia. Best research it - a little forethought could save you a trip to the hospital - or the morgue.
Bagman
http://www.woodworking.org/WC/Garchive01/3_27colorants.html
Always remember, SAFETY FIRST. Whatever you do, it might not be a bad idea to head down to the home improvement/hardware store and pick up a respirator (about US$30). NB: I dunno whether the activated charcoal carbon respirator works against ammonia. Best research it - a little forethought could save you a trip to the hospital - or the morgue.
Bagman
Tonar8352
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The guys I know that do "fumed oak" built a frame in their shop and then wrapped the entire thing with heavy poly sheeting, and then they place the piece in the "fuming tent" and pour the ammonia in trays on the floor. It produces the most beautiful oak finishes I have ever seen.
I was so interested in the process I did research and found out that the way it came about was someone noticed oak boards turning dark quickly in horse stalls and figured it was the ammonia in their urine. So the made fuming rooms to place oak furniture in along with amonia in trays to get the tannins to come up to the surface and they avoided having to stain the wood. It was the method Stickely used to do all its oak furniture back in the day.
I thought I had stumbled into the relic secret of the century to make maple turn dark real fast and get the aged look. The only problem is there is not much tannin in maple so it won't work. I'm not sure if it will work on bloodwood but it would be worth a try.
jackthehack
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This can be very frustrating; mahogany has been my bane; sometimes even if you pick 2 pieces out of the Showcase that look almost exactly the same in the pictures, upon their arrival there can be a noticeable differentiation.
I've never worked with bloodwood, but as Warmoth does not require a finish for warranty purposes, but may be too dense/oily to take dyes very well/evenly. A couple of suggestions:
1.) If you have access to a spray rig, you could try using dye/tints in lacquer to mix up something you could spray the whole body with to even the two pieces up.
2.) If you don't have access to a spray rig, you could trying mixing the same color up with dyes/tints suitable for mixing with lacquer and instead mix them with lacquer thinner and applying them as you would dye.
In either case it will probably take a LOT of trial and error to get the color right and you'll need to mask off and test in pickup routes/control cavities to check color/see how the wood will take the dye. Good Luck!
I've never worked with bloodwood, but as Warmoth does not require a finish for warranty purposes, but may be too dense/oily to take dyes very well/evenly. A couple of suggestions:
1.) If you have access to a spray rig, you could try using dye/tints in lacquer to mix up something you could spray the whole body with to even the two pieces up.
2.) If you don't have access to a spray rig, you could trying mixing the same color up with dyes/tints suitable for mixing with lacquer and instead mix them with lacquer thinner and applying them as you would dye.
In either case it will probably take a LOT of trial and error to get the color right and you'll need to mask off and test in pickup routes/control cavities to check color/see how the wood will take the dye. Good Luck!
DangerousR6
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Blood wood naturally darkens, but takes decades for it to happen...
Scientific name: Brosimum, rubesces
Family: Moraceae
Home: Brazil
Specific gravity: 0.64
Bending strength: 15,583 psi
Shearing strength: 1,495 psi
Hardness, Janka: 2,900 lbs
Other names: Satinae, Cardnalwood, Pau Brazil
Description: Bloodwood is a vary dense wood. It is a reddish orange when freshly cut turning a deep red. It will hold a deep red color for a long time, getting darker as decades go past.
:dontknow:
Scientific name: Brosimum, rubesces
Family: Moraceae
Home: Brazil
Specific gravity: 0.64
Bending strength: 15,583 psi
Shearing strength: 1,495 psi
Hardness, Janka: 2,900 lbs
Other names: Satinae, Cardnalwood, Pau Brazil
Description: Bloodwood is a vary dense wood. It is a reddish orange when freshly cut turning a deep red. It will hold a deep red color for a long time, getting darker as decades go past.
:dontknow:
NonsenseTele
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DangerousR6 said:
Very very little darkening, specially comparing to Padouk, who gets darker in a year and go on
I wouldn't finish bloodwood. I had to send back a neck with a bloodwood fingerboard a while back because it started lifting from the neck. According to W this happens on rare occasions because bloodwood is extremely difficult to glue, and if the mixture isn't perfect it can delaminate. My new one is fine, but i still wouldn't try finishing bloodwood.
DangerousR6
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I'd let it naturally age, with no finish... :dontknow:
DangerousR6
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Not to be confused with the "Dutch Rudeder".... :icon_biggrin:Interstate Joe said:
Super Turbo Deluxe Custom
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....or a Cleveland Steamer or a Mississippi Steam Shovel.
Rickgrxbass
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What I did on a bloodwood fingerboard I've got is dilute some tung oil (5:1 with turpentine, "citrus solvent" is more traditional in this regard) and applied about 4 or 5 coats. It soaks into the wood and brings out the natural iridescence, not to mention brought down the shade a bit. With that little finish, it'll still have the "raw" feel to it, but it'll buff out beautifully if desired.
