avengers63 Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 A few months ago I bought a small block of holly for use in inlays. A few days ago I ran the sides through the jointer to flatten them out. Almost the whole thing turned a powdery blue. I sanded a spot with no difference. It's sat for a few days, hoping it would oxidize white, but nothing. 1) Any ideas why this happened? 2) What can I do about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 That is VERY weird. Cause I've now worked with two different billets of holly and have never experienced anything like that. Maybe you have a weird piece (or the two pieces I've had were? ) or it's getting into contact with something somewhere that you're not noticing? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 This sounds like a good candidate for bleach. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpcrash Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 Or at least some diluted oxalic acid - almost seems like something in the wood reacted with the metal - or something was on the blade itself that reacted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 (edited) Its a very common reaction with fresh cut holly. My last GOTM entry featured a one-piece tele style neck cut from a solid block of holly. The wood was cut from a log I found in a client's yard. There were blue/green streaks in the grain afterwards. After quartersawing I had to let the wood sit for over 2 years before it could be used. I heard its some sort of oxidization effect when exposed to iron and air. I've also heard that its a fungus. Either way the discoloration is inherent with this species. http://www.woodturns.com/articles/wood/holly.htm http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Holly_Staining_Fungus_or_Pigment.html There are other woods that can "weird-off" on you like that. Fresh cut purpleheart will go dull grey if not protected from sunlight. Edited January 27, 2012 by Southpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 I've usually heard that the blue comes from a fungus that is common with holly if not dried quickly and properly. I got a few logs from my neighbor when he cut his down and cut them into strips that afternoon and put them right into a home-made solar kiln. The off-cut went on the firewood pile and all turned mostly bluish-green. The stuff in the kiln ended up with a few minor streaks of color but stayed mostly white. I left them to finish air-drying and are finally ready to use. From most of my research it seems the key is to get the majority of the moisture out of the wood quickly, so I am guessing your piece may not have been dried properly. Though I could be wrong on this, I never found any 100% definitive answers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.