Blue Red Oak

[THarvey]

One of the members on LumberJocks forum found this interesting piece of Red Oak in his firewood pile. He mailed me these two pieces.

I found this pen hidden inside a piece of the mineral stained Red Oak.

Vail rollerball in Gold hardware. I wouldn't normally turn red oak on a pen, but this color was too interesting to pass up. Finish is one coat of BLO during before initial sanding, the five layers of thin CA. Then, wet sanded to 12000 MM and Plastix polish.

Thanks for looking.

 

[EarlD]

That's nice. Now I have to go digging around the wood pile. lol
Earl

 

[LandfillLumber]

Sorry to tell you it is metal stained,I thinks its the tannins in oak that cause such a reaction and it will migrate up/down the tree.I have my buddy at his saw mill save me all the nail stained stuff he cuts,I call it fake bog oak,it can have a very neat blue to it.Nice pen sir,very nice.Victor

 

[THarvey]

Sorry to tell you it is metal stained,I thinks its the tannins in oak that cause such a reaction and it will migrate up/down the tree.I have my buddy at his saw mill save me all the nail stained stuff he cuts,I call it fake bog oak,it can have a very neat blue to it.Nice pen sir,very nice.Victor

Thanks Victor.

We had speculated about metal. Found one nail (piece) deep in the wood.

Also, thought about lead. Did find a piece of lead shot about the same depth as the nail.

The color at the heart, near the pith, is nearly a consistant cobalt blue.

 

[Jgrden]

Absolutely amazing. Why would you not turn Red Oak? I have allot of it and turn it. I have a suspicion as to why, but want you to confirm it.

Please, please, please.

 

[THarvey]

Absolutely amazing. Why would you not turn Red Oak? I have allot of it and turn it. I have a suspicion as to why, but want you to confirm it.

Please, please, please.

It is more a personal preference than anything else. I seem to have trouble turning it to the shape I want. A sharp skew wants to follow the grain too much.

 

[StephenM]

There (was) is a technique used in marquetry from the 17th century forward where they would pour a ferrous sulfate solution around a tree and allow the roots to absorb it. They would harvest the tree a few years later and the inside of the tree would have turned a greyish blue from absorbing the solution. (Now they just dye the finished veneer). Perhaps the tree grew in an iron rich area?

 

[LandfillLumber]

It stinks really bad as well,is this the reason you thought?I think its the steel and not the lead i have found lead in trees and it will have a little coloration but not much.The steel is the same in most trees it will not color the wood much,but with oak it can run several feet in the log(makes my buddy mad when he finds it but I'm happy,lol).Again very nice pen,Victor

 

[THarvey]

Did not notice a smell. I have enough for a few more pens or other projects, so we will see more of this.

 

[Jgrden]

Absolutely amazing. Why would you not turn Red Oak? I have allot of it and turn it. I have a suspicion as to why, but want you to confirm it.

Please, please, please.

It is more a personal preference than anything else. I seem to have trouble turning it to the shape I want. A sharp skew wants to follow the grain too much.

Yuppers. The ends seems to fray. On the ends I use Ca with a wax coat and then turn and finish with CA/BLO. Interesting stuff about how to turn the wood greyish/blue.

 

[THarvey]

Absolutely amazing. Why would you not turn Red Oak? I have allot of it and turn it. I have a suspicion as to why, but want you to confirm it.

Please, please, please.

It is more a personal preference than anything else. I seem to have trouble turning it to the shape I want. A sharp skew wants to follow the grain too much.

Yuppers. The ends seems to fray. On the ends I use Ca with a wax coat and then turn and finish with CA/BLO. Interesting stuff about how to turn the wood greyish/blue.

I don't mind turning larger pieces in red oak. This is the first pen I have made in oak that I actually liked.

I have some more of this wood, so I am going to have to make another. :biggrin:

 

[JohnU]

Yep. Red oak has a reaction to iron. I've has some with nail holes and metal bands that put a blue streak in the wood. Smells like nasty feet when wet too.

 

[LandfillLumber]

Green Red Oak stinks to me,but many trees do when very wet.Victor

 

[THarvey]

I have some more of this blue oak on its way to me. If you would like some, send me a PM.

I will do first PM, first served - depending on how much I receive. Price will depend on my cost.