vick
Member
What would be a good choice of finish for a pen that you wanted to continue to oxidize for color (Padauk, Cherry, ect.) I usually use friction polish, or ca-blo then friction polish.
finishes that allow wood to oxidize
- Thread starter vick
- Start date
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
- Status
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
tipusnr
Member
Most, if not all, finishes seal the pores and give you a barrier against air so I can't see how you would let oxidation continue.
You might try just burnishing the wood which would give you a finish look but not seal the wood at all. The downside is that dirt, oils, and other fluids would have a free shot and getting in the pores of the wood and creating their own type of "finish".
You might try just burnishing the wood which would give you a finish look but not seal the wood at all. The downside is that dirt, oils, and other fluids would have a free shot and getting in the pores of the wood and creating their own type of "finish".
KKingery
Member
I had the same sort of question. I have some Teak blanks coming, and teak (if I remember right), also weathers, turning grey over time. I'm going to try 3 different approaches and see how long, or what difference it makes using Poly, Finishing Wax, and leaving one natural.
From a chemistry point of view, almost any finish that does not contain man-made chemicals will oxidize, albeit at different rates. Waxes will oxidize the quickest, followed by shellac. FYI, CA iand poly's are other oxidation inhibitors. You best bet to increase oxidation is to turn the pen and leave it in indirect sunlight until it gets to the coloring you want, then finish it. Direct sunlight will cause the wood to fade and deteriorate from the UV rays.
KKingery
Member
Good info - Is there anything that Lou does'nt know?!?!?! -
Mac In Oak Ridge
Member
I think the changing of color and oxidizing are being mixed up. Cherry changes color by a photo reactive process not from oxygen. Purpleheart does the same. I think you will find most woods to be the same. All you need to do is don't use a finish that has ultra violet protective additives and they will turn.
As far as teak weathering gray, it is weathering and the only way that will happen is if you put your pen out in the weather for a year or so. It is a process of leaching out the color on the surface of the wood by sunlight and rain.
As far as teak weathering gray, it is weathering and the only way that will happen is if you put your pen out in the weather for a year or so. It is a process of leaching out the color on the surface of the wood by sunlight and rain.
The only thing I'm absolutely sure of, Ken, is that I sure don't know everything. I'm fortunate in that I have a photographic-like memory. Unfortunately my 24 hour processing is not what it use to be. [
] But I will tell you, my knowledge of how to make a beautiful pen is growing with every post that you and the other nearly 800 members make. That's the beauty of this forum...the give and take. Any little I'm able to give back doesn't nearly compensate for what you good folks give me. [8D]
] But I will tell you, my knowledge of how to make a beautiful pen is growing with every post that you and the other nearly 800 members make. That's the beauty of this forum...the give and take. Any little I'm able to give back doesn't nearly compensate for what you good folks give me. [8D]KKingery
Member
I have to agree with you 100% Lou. In the short time I've been here, I have learned something new every day. It's astounding the amount of information that people have and are willing to share.
RESPONSE FOR GEEKS ONLY
You're at the very least partially correct, Fred. Many woods are photo-reactive, although most are also oxy-kinetically reactive. There's an excellent paper, co-authored by Ni-Bin Chang*,a, Kuen-Song Lin, b, Y.P. Sun, a, and H.Paul Wang, a, that describes many of these properties in <u>painful</u> detail. It was published in the late 90's as I recall.
a Dep. of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung Univ., Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of China
b Dep. of Chemical Engineering, Wu-feng Institute of Technology, Chia-yi, Taiwan, Republic of China
As I recall, the study was focused on oxidation kinetics of construction and demolition wastes and was considered for a Nobel Prize due to the potential impact on landfills.
You're at the very least partially correct, Fred. Many woods are photo-reactive, although most are also oxy-kinetically reactive. There's an excellent paper, co-authored by Ni-Bin Chang*,a, Kuen-Song Lin, b, Y.P. Sun, a, and H.Paul Wang, a, that describes many of these properties in <u>painful</u> detail. It was published in the late 90's as I recall.
a Dep. of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung Univ., Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of China
b Dep. of Chemical Engineering, Wu-feng Institute of Technology, Chia-yi, Taiwan, Republic of China
As I recall, the study was focused on oxidation kinetics of construction and demolition wastes and was considered for a Nobel Prize due to the potential impact on landfills.
vick
Member
I was actually wondering for some Walnut I got. I did not mention it because I thought it might cause confusion. My understanding is that Oxidizing causes it to dark but prolonged exposure to light actually causes it to lighten.
G
Guest
Guest
The first puple heart pen I made turned an ugly brown.
It had a CA finish.
One hour in sunlight turned it purple again.
It had a CA finish.
One hour in sunlight turned it purple again.
Gary
Member
In the latest issue of Woodcraft Magazine in the Ask The Experts column, a reader submitted a picture of a brown Slimline pen he had made along with piece of freshly cut purple in color purpleheart and asked about the color change in purpleheart with time. The answer was from Bob Flexner, finishing guru and author of "Understanding Wood Finishing." Here is his answer...
"The color change you refer to is caused by oxidation, accelerated by light. I'm sure you don't want to leave the wood in the dark all the time, but that's the only way to significantly slow the color change over a period of time. The best thing you can put on the wood so that you can enjoy it in the light and have it retain it's color for a while is a marine varnish that you can purchase at a marina. These varnishes contain a lot of UV absorbers (to protect the wood on boats out in the sun all day), and they will slow the color change for a while, but the absorbers wear out, like sunscreen. The problem is that you would have to build a thickness with several brushed-on coats to do any good, and the varnish is very glossy. My guess is that you want a verythin, non-glossy finish. You will probably just have to live with the color change."
I might add that I tried the spar varnish on my first pen, and it looks just awful...like a thick glossy layer of plastic.
"The color change you refer to is caused by oxidation, accelerated by light. I'm sure you don't want to leave the wood in the dark all the time, but that's the only way to significantly slow the color change over a period of time. The best thing you can put on the wood so that you can enjoy it in the light and have it retain it's color for a while is a marine varnish that you can purchase at a marina. These varnishes contain a lot of UV absorbers (to protect the wood on boats out in the sun all day), and they will slow the color change for a while, but the absorbers wear out, like sunscreen. The problem is that you would have to build a thickness with several brushed-on coats to do any good, and the varnish is very glossy. My guess is that you want a verythin, non-glossy finish. You will probably just have to live with the color change."
I might add that I tried the spar varnish on my first pen, and it looks just awful...like a thick glossy layer of plastic.
- Status