[phinds]

I would appreciate feedback on this new article that I've added to my site. It's a discussion of what kinds of natural color changes occur in woods, what causes them, and what (if anything) can be done to prevent them. I'll probably work on it a bit more, but it's close to finished.

http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_color change/index.htm

I'd particularly like to hear if you think I have anything wrong or if there's something significant that I've left out in this discussion.

Thanks.

 

[mdntrdr]

Very informative article...

I have nothing to add. :thumbsup: :smile:

 

[Dave Paine]

Good idea for an article.

Where would you put cherry in this article, also how about purpleheart?.

Both cherry and purpleheart come up in threads. The former because people want to attempt to match existing cherry colours, which we know is not going to work.

The latter is perhaps more common since people do not appreciate the purple goes brown when sanded/cut then they ask how to get the purple colour back.

 

[phinds]

Good idea for an article.

Where would you put cherry in this article, also how about purpleheart?.

Both cherry and purpleheart come up in threads. The former because people want to attempt to match existing cherry colours, which we know is not going to work.

The latter is perhaps more common since people do not appreciate the purple goes brown when sanded/cut then they ask how to get the purple colour back.

Cherry is mentioned as being a "good" color change, and I'd put it at very moderate. I'm very aware of purpleheart, but there are MANY woods that I don't include in the discussion.

 

[ed_h]

Phinds--

Very nice article and a great topic I don't remember seeing anywhere else.

I'll offer a few more ideas:

In my experience, black walnut goes lighter with UV exposure. I have a white oak strip floor with a black walnut accent boirder stripe. When new, the contrast was striking. Now, 27 years later, the contrast is much less, and in front of some of the windows. there is almost no contrast at all. The white oak has gotten darker, the walnut lighter.

I underscore your comment on true mahogany. I salvaged some 100+ year old mahogany a few years ago, and it is a deep burgundy color all the way through. Modern mahogany is almost salmony by comparison.

As a side note on the mahogany, I had to try to match the old wood with new in a large project, and experimented with the well known use of a weak lye solution on the new wood to simulate (or accelerate?) the aging. I was able to come up with a process that gave a very close match, such that today, I can't tell which is which. I've used this process to a smaller extent with cherry.

I've had padouk keep it's reddish color for years if it is kept out of the sun. It has gotten browner, but still definitely a reddish brown.

Great topic!

Ed