Replies

1. 
   jonsherryl | Jul 17, 2002 06:04pm | #1

   Sycamore doesn't experience a particularly noteworthy shift in color as it ages. Exposure to weather will cause it to turn gray, but it's decay resistance is so poor, it's not a wood that should be used in exterior applications. In interior applications, it tends to oxidize, causing it to lose its pink highlights, and it turns sort of yellowish amber in color. With long exposure, the background tissue darkens somewhat and, on quartersawn surfaces, this causes the ray bands to become more prominent due to greater contrast. It's an attractive wood, but definitely toward the blond end of the spectrum...and it stays that way. If you want it a little darker, it is better to use a dye than an oil stain, or alter it's color by using a touch of pigment in the top coat.

   I use sycamore occasionally in dulcimer making and I never stain it.  My favorite finish for this purpose is shellac, because it allows me to control or modify the color somewhat by using a French polishing technique. Personally, I think sycamore looks best if you use one of the darker, less refined shellacs with a more reddish or brown hue. Refined white shellac leaves it too blond and the typical canned orange shellac leaves it too yellow.

   This is not a species that reacts well when pushed to finishes that are extremely dark. You can doctor it a little, but if you want to achieve a tone that is much darker than, say; butternut, fruitwood or pecan, I think it's better to go with a different species.

1. 
   gj13 | Jul 17, 2002 08:35pm | #2

   Thanks for the info.