Advice on a problem blank

[PenAddict]

This blank is just giving me nightmares. It's a orange dyed, stabilized buckeye burl. I love the color of the finished blank but there is areas of gray color that detracts from the pen.
Attached are photos of both sanded and finished blank that I hope you'll see my problem. Not sure if it's in the grain or an issue of the dyes not impregnating. If it's the latter, I'd be very reluctant in buying any more of these blanks.
Anybody Know of a workaround or do I just toss it in the bone pile.

 

[dtswebb]

There appears to be nothing wrong with the blank. A burl is going to have areas of wood that will accept the dye more readily than other areas. No matter the dye used or the length of time the wood is kept in the dye.

I sure as heck wouldn't be tossing the blank in a "bone pile" - that's the beauty of a burl. I'm not much of a fan of dyed wood (probably because I haven't turned that much dyed wood), but do love the surprises that wait when a burl blank is turned.

If you're looking for a dyed wood with a more equal coloring throughout, I'd stay away from the burls and look at something like dyed poplar or curly maple.

 

[chrisk]

Maybe I'm wrong but seemingly you're confronted with wood density. As the colleague wrote above, some parts of the wood won't accept the dye as easily as some other parts.
I've seen the same phenomenon with some curly poplar blanks I've dying while stabilising them (see attached pic).

 

[robutacion]

Maybe I'm wrong but seemingly you're confronted with wood density. As the colleague wrote above, some parts of the wood won't accept the dye as easily as some other parts.
I've seen the same phenomenon with some curly poplar blanks I've dying while stabilising them (see attached pic).

I agree, and certainly don't think that, what you have there is not good, by the contrary, you can see in the unfinished barrel the intricacy of what's going on in that wood, a dye (any dye) is only able to do so much, sometimes is not because it didn't soak through or reached the centre of the blanks, sometimes is what is in that wood that make the dye to look different as if wasn't dyed, no, it was but the colouration changed due to the material it come in contact with.

Many woods, even after double or triple dyed, still shows some of the natural colour, I have a couple of goo examples of this, just attached...!

[/ATTACH]

Cheers
George

 

[chrisk]

Yes George, of course I'm very pleased with the final result. And your blanks illustrate the same phenomenon which IMHO give such nice pens.

 

[JohnU]

No flaw there, That's just a trait of buckeye burl. The gray area in that wood seldom takes dye enough to hide it and adds to the character of the blank. It's just part of what makes buckeye so desirable and beautiful.

 

[edstreet]

This looks like it is residue that is inside the wood causing the dye not to take.

 

[mikespenturningz]

I really love stabilizing and dying woods. You never know what you are going to get in this process. George you have some really beautiful blanks...

 

[Ambidex]

I think it looks great in the finished picture..

 

[sbwertz]

It could possibly be sawdust in the open pores of the wood. Did you wipe the blank with DNA before finishing?

 

[PenAddict]

Thanks for all the comments. I'm still not convinced that it's not a issue with the blank. Plan on turning a non dyed and dyed blank and compare the results.

 

[edstreet]

Thanks for all the comments. I'm still not convinced that it's not a issue with the blank. Plan on turning a non dyed and dyed blank and compare the results.

Question.

WHO dyed/stabilized the wood, what type of wood is it. If it was not professionally stabilized then I would urge you to get some that is and compare to that.