Here’s a test piece of white oak, ‘stained’ with iron buff, made according to Jeff Jewitt’s recipe (about half-a-bag of 0000 steel wool stuffed into a gallon of vinegar for a week, then strained and filtered). Tung oil is on both sections, for comparison’s sake.
I was anticipating a more flat black surface, and my intent was to try a light colored grain filler, to highlight the pores, and thus the grain.
But, I think the effect as shown here (just doused with the iron/vinegar, any surface color/residue rubbed off, and a couple coats of tung oil) is close enough. Iron buff on oak is supposed to be very lightfast, and I assume that this degree of grain visibility should not change over time … anyone used this method, or have any comments or suggestions?
Clay
Edited 3/30/2005 12:46 am ET by miami
Replies
Do you have any pictures of this before the tung oil went on?
I don't, but I can do another bit today and take one - it looked pretty much the same, just a shade lighter and 'dustier' looking.
It does seem like it leaves some oxide at the surface (despite filtering the nasty-smelling stuff 2X through coffee filters), and wiping it down before oiling did clear it up a good bit.
Why?
Clay
I asked because I have never used this technique and wanted to see what it's supposed to look like after the various steps.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
By "dousing" do you mean pretty much painting it on, wiping it off? No leaving it on for awhile, anything like that? Wow! Gotta try it.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
FG -
Yep, I just slopped it on with a brush - I even intentionally let part of that piece dry, then went back over and extended it some more, to see if I'd get a (witness?) mark from the first dry line - none. I understand it's a chemical reaction with the tannin, just a different reaction than ammonia / fuming. But as a result, like fuming, it is supposed to be very permanent.
It does the same to cherry and mahogany - but they have less pronounced grain, of course, and in pictures I've seen, the black is more uniform too. If you just let the steel wool soak for a day or so, instead of a week, the mixture at that strength gives what I thought was a good pure gray (not what I wanted for this, I just tested a bit after a day for knowledge sake). Incidentally, all this info came from Jeff Jewitt's new(er) book on finishing - 'Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Finishing' - which I recommend highly.
I saw a similar coloration in another finishing book, an older one by George Frank, and I think I remember seeing this black-oak white-grain finish on furniture from the early 1960s.
I'm putting it on a set of three 'waterfall' bookcases that will get too much sun at the beach, so colorfastness is important.
Clay
Hi Clay, thanks for the details. Yes, Jeff's new book is definitely on my list. I find his presentations very helpful!
I hope you can post pictures of the bookcases when they're done. By "waterfall" do you mean a stepped design, or the classic 1930's rounded design?? Or something totally different?forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Yes, a 'stepped' design, I'll take pics when (if) they get done ... Summer seems to have arrived here, and it makes for sweaty shop time ...
The sides are are more or less (less, rather than more) like this -
Clay
A friend of mine used this on some thrones that saw a good deal of outdoors use, and I think the color held up quite well. There won't be much if any change over time, unless it gets enough UV to bleach out the surface of the wood.
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." A. Einstein
http://www.albionworks.net
Hi Tim,
Looks like I'll be up your way for the summer around June 15, and stay till about November 1, so this year we'll definitely catch up. Also, David W. squeezed me into an 'extra' slot in the College of the Redwoods' class in metal casting this summer, so I may pester you for some metalworking help too!
Finally, keep your ears open for any juicy rentals available in Mendo-Ft. Bragg area for that time for me? I accumulated some furniture last summer which is in storage in FB, so unfurnished would be preferable ... Last summer, I got an incredible place on Albion St. in Mendo, 2 doors down from the Kwan Tai temple - white water views and wireless broadband, so I was a happy renter ...
Thanks!
Clay
Sounds great, Clay! I look forward to meeting you.It always amazes me, how tight the rental market is up here. I'll keep my ears open. If you get that place again, I'll be coming over often to use that broadband... ;-) (Actually, the Cookie Company has a public-access WiFi now, so we go into town once a week or so to download.)Do you have any interest in a chair-making workshop (a la Drew Langsner, John Alexander)? Dan Stalzer does 6-day workshops and I'd like to try to schedule one sometime this summer. He usually takes 4-6 people at a time."Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." A. Einstein
http://www.albionworks.net
Hi Tim,
Yeah, I know Dan - and I've considered doing his chair-from-a-tree class. I'm signed up for the Idea To Object and Metal Casting classes at CofR, so if we were to do a Dan-class, it would probably have to be after those. I don't have the class chedule here, but I'm thinking that it'd have to be mid-late August at the earliest ...
He might have more luck filling a class if it abutted one of the CofR classes fairly closely, so folks could do both in one stay. Do you know what Dan charges for the weeklong class?
Summer before last, I did a 1-week turning class with Kevin Drake (of Glen-Drake, Tite-mark, etc.) - that was a lot of fun.
Clay
I think Dan charges about $500 for the six-day class. I'm really hoping to do it this year, but already have a lot on my plate, so we'll see.I haven't met Kevin Drake; he teaches a lot at the Santa Rosa Woodcraft, where I have also taught a few times, but we've never intersected. Metal casting is a hoot. Are they going to do the casting at the MAC facility, or does CR have its own foundry now? Cheers,
Tim"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." A. Einsteinhttp://www.albionworks.net
Edited 4/1/2005 2:59 pm ET by AlbionWood
Tim,
Next time you're in FB, go by and introduce yourself! His office (and the Glen-Drake 'manufacturing' facility) are right next to where the local opera company's prop shop used to be on the W side of N. Franklin (I give you this as a referent only because their large sign was still up last I remember) - IIRC, it's just N of the Skunk Train tracks, more or less across the street from those big pastel LP gas storage tanks shaped like silos.
He's a great guy. He was a session drummer for most of his adult life - he said it was all those years holding drumsticks that got him thinking about ergonomics, and that ultimately resulted in his right- and left-handed chisel, plane, and (new, 'unhanded') carving hammers.
Also, keep him in mind if you ever need any really challenging turned pieces as part of a project - I know several WWers in the area who sub out difficult turning to Kevin. (He also has a full lineup of LN bench planes - almost worth the trip just to see those!)
Clay
OK, I know where you are talking about, and I guess I will stick my head in when I'm in town. Thanks!"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." A. Einstein
http://www.albionworks.net
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