Replies

1. 
   Mike_Hadley | Feb 20, 2002 03:58am | #1

   *
   Gretchen:

   I could be all wet here, but I believe there is a product used by commercial roofers to "instantly" age cedar shakes - giving them that gray weathered look you are referring to. Perhaps it would work with pine too.

   Just a thought...Mike.

1. 
   Gretchen_ | Feb 20, 2002 01:50pm | #2

   *Thanks--will check into it.

1. 
   Steve_Schefer | Feb 21, 2002 12:27am | #3

   *Gretchen, think nature,(sun, wind, rain). Ultraviolet light (sun lamp), fan and saltwater spray. The fan just helps to accelerate the water dry off so you spray more often. You can also buy artifical aging solutions at most of the big hardware or paint stores. Sorry, I don't have a brand name.

1. 
   Jon_Weisenbach | Feb 27, 2002 08:01pm | #4

   *Mike...You might want to try a product called OLD GROWTH. I have used it on both pine as well as cedar and it really works great. It's a 2 part process with the first a coat of a clear liquid which immediately starts to turn the wood to a grayish color and when dry you apply a second coat with a "fixer" that stops the process. It's handled by Woodworkers Supply. Here's a url that has a few users opinions of the product. It does work as advertised.http://www.woodworking.org/WC/GArchive99/6_3oldgrowth.htmlJon

1. 
   Steve_Conroy | Feb 28, 2002 06:39pm | #5

   *Gretchen, Mike, Steve, et al,My experience with Old Growth has yield aged coloring but always too subtle compared to the naturally aged wood I was trying to match. I have moved away from using stains to produce these colors as they stained wood looks different than natural sunned and oxidized colors. If you look closely stained/pigmented wood, the coloring is a bit different in tones. It looks colored, to me at least. I find in soft woods blotchiness to be inconsistent with aged wood as well. Another problem I've run into with soft woods is that stains will often invert the contrast of the growth rings. The dark winter rings accept less stain than the fatty summer rings, and voila the coloring is reversed. This is subtle, but to my eye a detail that adds to a look that does not match the way it should. I realized that an aged look is best reproduced by something that mimics the aging process, rather than coloring. I've taken to using chemical agents like nitric acid or lye to produce an aged look, since these in a sense do what time and exposure do to wood, only quicker. This is one reason I liked the idea of Old Growth, even though I didn't like it in practice.I have not yet tried to match weathered grey hue, only tans, browns and orange tones. I'd love to hear what works for you. One method that has worked for me occasionally is to start with a chemical produced color and then test various stains over that base. These can give subtle changes, especially aniline dyes etc, where you can control the amount of color by diluting.Happy experimenting, Steve

2. 
   Gretchen_ | Feb 28, 2002 07:42pm | #6

   *Thanks to all--I am taking these in. Actually asking the question for friends of our daughter who are making outdoor furniture.

3. 
   AJinNZ_ | Mar 06, 2002 03:27am | #7

   *GretchenA little while ago I asked the exact question you have. I got some good info, most of which I tried.I tried scorching and then a wire brush. This had the effect of highlighting the harder bits of grain and leaving pleasant darker areas. I did however look like I had done what I had done. So, whilst good, not good enough.The bottom line is, you cant duplicate the real thing, at least not in a hurry.I decided that the effort involved just didnt add up financially. Best I could see for speeding things up was to scorch and wire brush, then leave the wood out to weather over summer.I make outdoor furniture and just leave them 'raw'. The wood darkens in UV very quickly and if left in a sheltered spot keeps this colour. Leave them outside for 12 months in all weather and it will be silver/grey.I would advise leaving it, make them and put them outside. It is a whole lot less work that way too.

4. 
   Sam_Culp | Mar 07, 2002 04:37am | #8

   *GretchenHave you tried Iron Acetate? It is supposed to do excactly what you are describing I have never tried it so you will need to do some experimentingI 'think' you want to wet some steel wool for a couple of days and then soak it in vinegar for several more. Check homesteadfinishing.com. I believe Mr Jewit calls it Iron buff.Good luck

5. 
   Gretchen_ | Mar 07, 2002 03:54pm | #9

   *Thanks, I did get that idea from somewhere else--someone asking the same question. And thanks for the tip on Homestead. I'll look there too.

6. 
   John_Krist | Mar 07, 2002 06:29pm | #10

   *In "Complete Woodfinishing" Ian Hosker says on pg. 38: "By steeping iron nails in white vinager overnight and decanting off the liquid, you will have a stock solution of iron acetate." No suggestions on methods of use.He also mentions on same page that Bichromate of Potash in a solution of 2 oz (56.7g) in a pint of warm water "will turn oak a warm, mellow brown" Its worth asking if one would need to coat the pine with a solution of tannic acid for the idea to work.JK

7. 
   Norm_in_Fujino | Mar 10, 2002 06:30pm | #11

   *Someone mentioned burning with a torch. Burning will give you an aged effect, though probably not the gray one you want. In cedar, at least, it causes darkening and sinking of the softer pulp between the rings in the wood, giving the wood a weathered 3-dimensional quality. Here's a frame made using burned Japanese cedar:View Image

8. 
   Gretchen_ | Mar 10, 2002 07:55pm | #12

   *Interesting! Thanks.

9. 
   Bob_The_Boardman | Mar 15, 2002 08:55pm | #13

   *GretchenFor aging to look realistic it has to accomplish 2 things...have the right color, AND have the right texture.The method I use is as follows. Go to a hardware store and get muriatic acid. While there get some acid proof Gloves and eye protection. Put the eye stuff and gloves on and brush the boards with the acid ...It will turn them a yellowish color, but don't worry about this. Every couple hours come back and repeat this. After 3 or 4 brushings, let the boards sit for an hour and take an old wire brush and brush in the direction of the grain. Make a couple passes on all boards. This isn't going to give you the final texture you want, but it the starting point. The acid will break down the fibers & the brush will take some (but not much) of the very soft fibers away. Let the piece dry overnight.In the morning make a solution of 1 qt of water with a 1/2 cup of lye or Drano. Wear the protective stuff and do the same drill as you did the previous day with the acid & brush. This will accomplish a couple things: 1) neutralize the acid, 2) dissolve some of the softer wood grain that is now "exposed" due to the acid & brush opening up the fibers.When done, rinse all boards with a solution of 1 gallon of water mixed with 1 cup of cider vinegar.Let the boards dry for 48 hours. When dry they will look beaten up and a little discolored. Next get a bucket and make a mix of 1 part of the cheapest waterbase grey paint you can find, that's close to the finished shade you want (it's better to be lighter than darker) and 5 parts water. Take a sponge and dip it in water and wipe all the boards down with the damp sponge. Then dip the sponge into the paint mix and wipe a LITTLE on the boards. You don't want to put it on thick...just enough to start the shading. Let it sit for 20 minutes and repeat. Let the boards dry overnight, and light sand with a 220 grit paper. Then repeat the paint step. Let that for 48 hours, and apply the finish of your choice.Good Luck,Bob