how do i keep lighter colored wood from looking dirty on the finish side of it? i clean with dna, but thes burls have so much stuff in and around them, that the lighter parts sometimes look "dirty".any thoughts on clean up?[?]
Another possibility is use this problem to your advantage. Sand a wood with color (say bloodwood, ebony, etc) and rub that dust into the cracks and crevices of your pen. It enhances the grain in many cases. You could use one of the fine powdered stones as well.
I use yellow sand paper for the course grits, then with 320 I usually do a slurry with the dust and ca, then sand with darker colored finer grits and mm.
FRW,
Don't feel bad. I did a pen out of some beautiful black striped padauk, with a curly maple center band and when I hit it with DNA, it turned the CB orange. It's a lighter orange than the padauk, but not by too much. Our tenant liked it, so she got it for Christmas. I hope to do a lot with bloodwood and maple in the future, so I'll try Fangar's method.
Merry Christmas,
Rob