Is there a product or process that might be used/accomplished to even out the tone of ash boards? I’ve got prospective aprons and a top for a table, good rift for the legs and a bit more swirly grain closer to the heart for the aprons. But it would be great if I could lighten the tone of the slightly darker apron pieces and the top. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Tom
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Replies
You could try oxalic acid.
Peroxide and lye. 12 percent peroxide only because 35 percent might require a license to obtain. Maybe a 1 to 1 solution to start. I think peroxide from the pharmacy is only 3 percent. Applying in bright sunlight will give you better results and outdoors is a good idea anyway. Ammonia will help neutralize the lye. You can do successive applications to obtain the result you want.
Back when I was in grad school, I had a bottle of 70% hydrogen peroxide. I needed it for my organic chemistry research. I got it from a rocket company. There was a lot of water in it from a mole perspective and I considered distilling it to 90% but didn’t as it was more dangerous to do than I felt comfortable performing.
Oxalic acid will need to be thoroughly washed off with water before sanding. Hydrogen peroxide, 2 wet coats and then tent with a pan of ammonia will work better and deeper. Cleanup will not be as risky as with using oxalic or lye. Always use eye protection and gloves whatever you decided.
Light sanding after oxalic acid is all that's necessary. It doesn't go very deep, and it's a very mild acid that's found in some foods. If doing something small, I don't even need gloves.
Wouldn't tenting with ammonia tend to darken the wood? That is what happens when I do it?
Apparently not. I asked the question last year when I used Ash to build a bed. A number of people said it doesn't have the tannins that white oak does and that's what causes the darkening. Nobody suggested it might actually lighten it, though.
Nothing bad ever happens from people using hydrogen... the Martian. 70% hydrogen peroxide might have some bomb like qualities.
Machine sanding oxalic acid treated wood most definitely you want to mask up!
It was/is dangerous stuff. I do recall reading an scientific article from the 1940s or 50s on concentrated hydrogen peroxide and yes, it can cause explosions. As such, should be avoided. I was glad when I stopped using it.
Then again, as an organic chemist, I did all kinds of things that were quite dangerous. That part of working in a lab I don't miss. I had the nickname of Captain Caution as I tended to worry or consider what could go wrong and took more safety precautions than most. It's probably why I tend to be so fussy about what I will and won't do as a woodworker.
They use H2O2 as an oxidizer for rocket fuel, so yeah... might not be a great choice in a wood shop.
I have ,and it works, cleaned up water stained wood with a paste of baking soda ,vinegar and blue dawn. Stiff brushed on and rubbed vigorously with white terrycloth. No idea if it would work for what your trying to do , try it on a scrap.
The lye and hydrogen peroxide formula came to me by way of Judy Kelsey McKie .As in " How you do dat?" When I was looking at one of her sculptured pieces made with mahogany turned porcelain white at a show years ago.
Some relish these sorts of challenges, but in the long run it's better to buy enough stock at the beginning of a project to have a reasonable chance of achieving the grain and color match you require.
In the meantime, don't poison yourself or blow up your shop.
Thanks for all the ideas, fellas. What I settled with is something a bit different... see the picture. Applied the wax/polish to the tabletop after planing, scraping and finally sanding to 2000 grit. Worked beautifully, lightening the darker grain just enough. A very subtle but effect that buffed out wonderfully. (This stuff ain't cheap, but it works.) Probably would have been more dramatic had I stopped sanding at 800 grit, but I wanted the top to be flawless and gleaming in the sunshine and it does. Delivering the item (after the build by D. Welter, FWW May/Jun '20) this afternoon as a wedding present. Your thoughts, comments and critiques, good or bad, are welcome.
/VR/
Tom
Hartford WI