Barnwood Pen Question

[kenmic]

I recently acquired some 100 year old pine barn siding and would like to turn some pens for the farm owner and his posterity. If possible, duplicating the aged, gray, exterior wood appearance. The possible choices to date are a brushed solution of steel wool soaked overnight in white vinegar and strained, followed by an application of boiled Earl Grey Tea to add tannin. The other choice is an application of Eco Wood Treatment which is suppose to add a silvery patina. I'm not sure about a finish since it is meant to be more of a keepsake item. Any thoughts or suggestion would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you
kenmic

 

[Ed McDonnell]

I don't think I would use the eco wood treatment. It talks about "eventually" getting the silvery patina. Eventually isn't defined and leaves me believing that the finish will continue to change over time (maybe in ways you won't like for a pen). It also talks about the finish migrating over time as the wood cracks and splits. Sounds like a lot of potential problems with that for a pen.

Micro-mark sells a solvent based quick aging solution:

Age-It Easy Gray, 3-1/2 Fl. oz.

If you want a high gloss finish on the pen, you could consider casting it in clear resin after your aging treatment has dried. If you are content with a flat finish, you could use satin or matte acrylic spray as a barrier coat on the aged wood.

Just some thoughts.

You might also consider not aging the wood and instead doing a treatment that would highlight the grain in the wood. Depends on what the wood looks like I guess.

Ed

 

[D.Oliver]

Ed, I think your link is wrong. It should be Age-It Easy Gray, 3-1/2 Fl. oz.

 

[Smitty37]

I recently acquired some 100 year old pine barn siding and would like to turn some pens for the farm owner and his posterity. If possible, duplicating the aged, gray, exterior wood appearance. The possible choices to date are a brushed solution of steel wool soaked overnight in white vinegar and strained, followed by an application of boiled Earl Grey Tea to add tannin. The other choice is an application of Eco Wood Treatment which is suppose to add a silvery patina. I'm not sure about a finish since it is meant to be more of a keepsake item. Any thoughts or suggestion would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you
kenmic

This works...does not need to be strained and if you leave it sit longer before using it it works better. I use it for weathered lumber look in lots of applications....2nd choice would be to turn the blanks then let them sit outside for a couple of months exposed to the elements before you finish them...need patience for that.

 

[1080Wayne]

The last choice would be to drill the hole so that the existing weathered surface will be retained on a small portion of the pen , in contrast to the unweathered wood underneath . Easiest done on a single barrel pen where there is no grain match to worry about , although a pen with a bit of the cap unweathered and the barrel totally unweathered could look good .

 

[Smitty37]

The last choice would be to drill the hole so that the existing weathered surface will be retained on a small portion of the pen , in contrast to the unweathered wood underneath . Easiest done on a single barrel pen where there is no grain match to worry about , although a pen with a bit of the cap unweathered and the barrel totally unweathered could look good .

I tried to think of a way to do this but didn't really think of anything that I thought would work....

 

[1080Wayne]

The last choice would be to drill the hole so that the existing weathered surface will be retained on a small portion of the pen , in contrast to the unweathered wood underneath . Easiest done on a single barrel pen where there is no grain match to worry about , although a pen with a bit of the cap unweathered and the barrel totally unweathered could look good .

I tried to think of a way to do this but didn't really think of anything that I thought would work....

The deeper the weathering , the better it will look . I choose pieces which require a lot of CA or even overcasting with Alumilite before turning .