Advice on 2 tone wood

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tack

tack

Member
Joined
May 2, 2008
Messages
27
Location
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.
Hello All,

I wonder if I can get some advice on what I might be doing wrong working with 2 tone wood. I just turned an African Blackwood pen and I thought I had it sanded OK but when I polished it up I got a lot of smearing of the darker wood on to the lighter wood. See the image. Anyone have a thought on what I should do to mitigate this? I didn't assemble it yet in hopes that I can refinish it. I sanded the blank to 400 and then used HUT PPP. I was thinking I should have maybe cleaned the blank beforehand but I wasn't sure what I should use to clean. Anyway thoughts?

Thanks

Shawn


200851514622_africanblackwood.jpg
 
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Originally posted by tack

Hello All,

I wonder if I can get some advice on what I might be doing wrong working with 2 tone wood. I just turned an African Blackwood pen and I thought I had it sanded OK but when I polished it up I got a lot of smearing of the darker wood on to the lighter wood. See the image. Anyone have a thought on what I should do to mitigate this? I didn't assemble it yet in hopes that I can refinish it. I sanded the blank to 400 and then used HUT PPP. I was thinking I should have maybe cleaned the blank beforehand but I wasn't sure what I should use to clean. Anyway thoughts?

Thanks

Shawn
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Shawn; Use Denatured Alcohol to clean the blank. Before doing the final sanding, apply a sanding sealer to the blank. This will keep the dark out of the light and vice-versa.

Many people don't have a high regard for PPP. It is a poor finish at best and will not last. Even a Mylands Friction Polish or Behlen finish is better. CA or Polyurethane are probably the most durable finishes.
 
Originally posted by randyrls



Shawn; Use Denatured Alcohol to clean the blank. Before doing the final sanding, apply a sanding sealer to the blank. This will keep the dark out of the light and vice-versa.

Many people don't have a high regard for PPP. It is a poor finish at best and will not last. Even a Mylands Friction Polish or Behlen finish is better. CA or Polyurethane are probably the most durable finishes.
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Thanks for the advice Randy, I'll give that a try. I started using hut recently and I thought it had a decent shine but I wasn't sure about the durability. I have done a few CA finishes and have been pretty satisfied as well. I started with Shellawax but again I was unsure of the longevity of the finish.
 
My African Blackwood did that too, but its hardly noticeable since its an almost pure black with only faint brown streaks. I think it has to do with the oilyness of the wood. I would also recomend saturating it with sealer, and then letting the sealer dry completely before doing any sanding. My twopence
 
Originally posted by RMB

My African Blackwood did that too, but its hardly noticeable since its an almost pure black with only faint brown streaks. I think it has to do with the oilyness of the wood. I would also recomend saturating it with sealer, and then letting the sealer dry completely before doing any sanding. My twopence
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Well it's nice to know it's not just me. I went out today to try and find some sanding sealer and denatured alcohol to give it another try. Do you think I could find either of those things in Canada? I don't know if they might go under a different name over here but I'm going to Michigan tomorrow and I'll get my supplies then.
 
If your going to us CA as your finish, I'd stay away from denatured alcohol (DNA) because it contains minute amounts of water which can cloud the CA finish. Acetone or CA accelerator works better foe this in IMHO.
 
Originally posted by DCBluesman

Debatured alcohol is referred to as methylated spirits in Canada and most of the UK.
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Thank you, thank you Lou :D It is also called methylated spirits in southern Africa. It is normally colored with a purple dye there to prevent people from drinking it. Thanks for informing me they are one and the same.
 
Shawn,
When you wipe down the blank with acetone (preferred) or other solvent, wipe lengthwise with the lathe off and use a clean portion of the paper towel with each wipe. This way you will pick up the dust and oils without redepositing them. It is probably best to clean the dark area first until there is little or no residue before moving on to the light areas. Wait until thoroughly dry and apply a sanding sealer, I use thin CA, until the pores are filled. Then you can finish sand and polish without transferring the colors.
 
Thanks all for the replies. I actually picked up some DNA in Michigan today so I have it if I need it. Customs had to look twice at the receipt to make sure it wasn't something they wanted to charge me duty on. I told them it makes a good cocktail if I wanted to walk around blind. :) As far as the sanding sealer is concerned, many of you have offered up this as a solution but I'm still a little sketchy on the details. For example. I know there is sanding sealer available on the markets but it comes in both oil based and water based. Also, I'm kind of getting that sanding sealer is a generic term not necessarily referring to a product. Is using thin CA a common method for sealing the wood? That actually sounds like a good idea.
 
tack--have you got an air compressor. blow the blank off w/air a few times while sanding, and just before sealing. The dark sanding dust fills the minute pores [lines] in the lighter wood. Sometimes using a liquid to wipe it, even acetone, will cause the dark wood to 'dye' the lighter wood.
 
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