Here's a little about the process I am using for fuming. I have not fumed woods earlier because I was continually reading that you needed aqua ammonia and the special precautions were nerve wracking. Everyone kept saying YOU CAN ONLY USE the 28% solution.
There were a couple of places that said that regular household ammonia would do just fine. It will take longer and you have to make sure that the gases do not escape. It made sense. The principle is that the ammonia reacts with chemicals in the wood. So given enough time, the lower concentrate ammonia will react and as long as the ammonia fumes remain in the air within the container.
I used extra strength ammonia and placed it in two cafeteria trays. The more surface area covered the better results you will get. I have a couple of boards with some nails hammered in so that the wood does not overlap (if it overlaps there will be whiter areas - its like tan lines for wood). I also placed a strip of wood propped on blocks down the center so the tarp will not come in contact with the wood being fumed. I also have side supports to keep the tarp off the sides. I lay a thick, clear plastic tarp over the whole structure (Its clear so I can keep an eye on the process). I then place weights on the sides so that it keeps the fumes from escaping from under the tarp. I will wait 24 hours and then look at the process to decide if more time is required.
Here are some initial pictures I have taken. The first is the unprepared wood. The second is the setup before stacking the wood. The third is the wood stacked up and the fourth is everything covered and waiting to be transformed.
:thumbsup:
