Holly Help Please

[THarvey]

I turned my first peices of Holly today. Turned like butter, sanded to 6000 MM, beautiful white wood...No Problem.

Then came the finishes.

One I used friction polish, the other I used a CA finish. The problem is my beautiful white wood now looks a dingy yellow. At least the color is consistant, so only I know the true difference.

Any ideas on what went wrong?

Should I have done something else to the wood, before the final coats?

I would like to keep the Holly as white as possible.

Thank you.

Tim

 

[Rifleman1776]

Very few finishes are water clear. Most will add some coloring, like "dingy" yellow. Your friction polish probably is the culprit. I have had success with bleaching holly. I use a 25% solution, at least, overnight. Of course, after that soaking and drying, you need to go through the sanding process again. Try just straight CA.

 

[jthompson1995]

I've had my best luck with a straight CA finish, no BLO.

BLO and friction polish will both yellow woods.

 

[mick]

I use straight CA finish on all my Holly pens and normally it's fairly clear. I haven't noticed a lot of visible difference in the unfinished holly and the holly with Ca applied. A lot of the difference you see with light colored woods is when you "wet" the wood with whatever finish you are using and can be expected. As Jason says BLO is a no no when it comes to holly.

 

[THarvey]

Thanks guys.

So the lesson here is "no BLO." I will try straight CA next time around. I still have a few blanks left, so it should not be long.

Frank's bleaching method sounds interesting. I may give that a try.

I should have known better than the FP. Guess I had a "DOH!!!" moment.

I love this site. Less than 30 minutes and we have answers.

 

[Rifleman1776]

As far as my bleaching "method" is concerned, understand, there is no science involved in what I do and the 25% figure is very much just aproximate. I splosh some Clorox into a mason jar, put in enough water to cover the wood and leave it alone for a day, or week, whatever. When you take out, rinse in clear water and let air dry for a day or two the sand and finish normally.

 

[leehljp]

I don't know if you have a pressure pot but I stabilized several pieces of holly in a plexi/acetone mix and pulled a vac for an hour; then under pressure for a couple of hours. The "current" stripped baron pen on the home page as of this posting, was done that way.

I am glad someone mentioned the BLO as it was not in your post. BLO will turn it yellow-ish as will stabilizing with most amber tinted polyurethanes. WATER clear and some whitish finishes will dry clear without tinting the holly. I love working with holly myself.

One note on working with holly: Holly cut in the late fall and winter is usually whiter than than that cut in the spring. The very juicy sap of the spring will turn it gray within a few weeks unless it is immediately put into a kiln and dried under the heat of a kiln.