Is There A Faster Way To Oxadize Wood?

[Daniel Sorbera]

ok so I have some wenge and after you sand down through the sruface it gets lighter in color because the top oxidizes and turns darker. So is there a way to make it go faster so I dont have to wait for it too darken?

[mledbetter]

Maybe you could rub some oxy clean on it I have no idea dude.. anything that accellerates oxygen to the wood.. i'm sure there is some Mr Wizard concoction that would work.

[erikbojerik]

I planed down some cocobolo a week ago; it went from a nice rich dark red/orange to Barney purple. I've been letting it sit in my garage in the sun since then and I can already see the difference.

BTW, I've also heard that coco at least will continue to oxidize and darken even underneath the clear coat.

[Devon Headen]

Direct sunlight. That's what moves cherry and purpleheart along anyway. I think it's UV that does it.

[Daniel Sorbera]

alright I'll try the sunlight idea.

[westhemann]

yes it is usually uv...and unless your clearcoat is uv resistant,it will continue to darken after finishing.

my cherry guitar neck has gone from an almost white maple color(when i cleared it)to a deep reddish brown in just about a year.

but don't set it out in the sun.it will cup

[thedoctor]

I am only half-way kidding. The furniture antique folk use a propane or oxy-fuel torch to accellerate oxidation (blacken) wood. I think wenge will darken all by itself with the exposure to air and bodily fluids.

Edited April 26, 2005 by thedoctor

[KTLguitars]

I've heard that the guys "making" anitques of new furniture are washing the wood with strong tea - never tried it myself...

[Doc]

I'm one of those "antique guys".

Tea is good for darkening light woods a little. Not wengie.

Darker woods like cherry and mahogany respond to a saturated solution of potassium di-chromate. It burns them much darker overnight.

You can get this stuff at any chemical supply house. It's relatively safe to work with.

I've never tried it on wengie, don't see too many pieces of wengie furniture. I'll look around the shop and see if I have any and I'll try it out and post my results.

Ammonia fumes will darken oak and related high tannin content wood.

Rusty water will turn the oak family black.

[ooten2]

Darker woods like cherry and mahogany respond to a saturated solution of potassium di-chromate. It burns them much darker overnight.

You can get this stuff at any chemical supply house. It's relatively safe to work with.

Rusty water will turn the oak family black.

←

I've read that potassium di-chromate is nasty, nasty stuff. Serious carcinogen. It's the chromate part that makes it nasty. If you use this stuff, use serious protection; respirator mask, goggles, gloves, apron, etc. I've stayed away from it for that reason. Read up on the hazards before using. It's supposed to make mahogany look really fantastic, though.

On mimf, there's some good info about a steel wool and vinegar solution, probably similar to the rusty water thing. It's supposed to work well on figured maple, too. Do some research over there, it might help.

I've never used any of these methods yet, but seriously considering the steel wool and vinegar thing. It seems a little less toxic than some of the other stuff. These mixtures darken the wood through chemical reactions rather than dyes or stains.

Good luck!!