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stonepecker

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Looking for a little information and help.

BLOODWOOD was how the blank was marked. Where can I get more?
I love the color of the blank, but having a devil of a time getting a shiny finish.......any Advice?

Thanks everyone for the help.
 
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stonepecker said:
Looking for a lillte information and help.

BLOODWOOD was how the blank was marked. Where can I get more?
I love the color of the blank, but having a devil of a time getting a shiny finish.......any Advice?

Thanks everyone for the help.
Click to expand...

what finish are you trying?
 
Wayne, I think I have some bloodwood on the shelf - if I do it's a 1 1/2" piece about 10 or 11" long. If I can find it, I'd be happy to cut off 5" of it for you, cut it into pen blanks, and bring it along with me tomorrow. I also have a bunch of bloodwood thins if you'd like a few pieces for segmenting. Just let me know and I'll get it to you when I see you tomorrow.

I've done very little work with Bloodwood, but it's an oilier wood. What finish are you using? Are you wiping it down with lacquer thinner or acetone after sanding and prior to finishing to remove surface oils?
 
Thank you Matt. Yes to everything. AND I am so looking forward to tomorrow.

Trying a CA finish on this one. Yes, I wiped it down with DA and allowed it to dry.
I am going to have to get some thin CA as my bottle seems to be AWOL. Trying this with Medium CA. I have built up 6 coats and sanded the last two with 600 then put a final coat on and left it for the night. Haven't see it yet this morning.

First attempt at CA. Before this all my other finishes have been friction.
 
I'll bring some bloodwood along with me!

Well, I'll be happy to talk CA finishing with you tomorrow. I always start out with thin - it soaks into the wood and seals it better than medium. I usually do at least 3 or 4 applications of thin before moving on to medium.
 
A source for Bloodwoood try Keim Lumber.

Consider lacquer as a finish, grain stands out and shows good depth. Reminds me of the finish that you see on the backs of a guitar.
 
Is it my imagination or do I remember reading somewhere that after a while, Bloodwood tends to losing the darker red-brown coloration and turn more brownish, especially when exposed to sunlight?

Jim Smith
 
Jim Smith said:
Is it my imagination or do I remember reading somewhere that after a while, Bloodwood tends to losing the darker red-brown coloration and turn more brownish, especially when exposed to sunlight?
Click to expand...

Bloodwood does brown with age, faster with UV exposure -- as does padauk; flame boxelder loses its flame over time, and cherry darkens (very quickly sometimes!)

(But you might be imagining having read about this before :biggrin:)
 
Not all bloodwood turns brown or even darkens to the point it is no longer red. It depends on the species of bloodwood and where it is harvested. Bloodwood is an oily wood but again not all. best to wipe down with acetone to strip oils and then seal the wood with THIN CA not med or thick. Will not penetrate the wood. After 3 or 4 coats of thin then proceed with med CA. What they sell as bloodwood today looks more like mahagony to me. Buy from a true exotic wood dealer and not Woodcraft or places like that. Always have to put this disclaimer in or people jump. :biggrin:My opinion. Have a nice day. :smile:
 
This is what true Bloodwood should look like. I have had these pieces for about 15 years and they have never darkened. I used a spray on clear lacquer made for furniture purchased from my local Fleet Farm. As John T said, there are a lot of woods out there being called Bloodwood. Go to a good exotic wood dealer, such a Griffin Exotic Woods, if you want the real deal. He will show you photos of the actual wood you are going to receive. Jim S
 

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Wayne

Are you sure it is bloodwood and not Redheart. Bloodwood is a deep red as Redheart is a bright red. Redheart will turn dark and some again will turn brown.

The wood works real well. But as mentioned is oily and needs to be cleaned with acetone and then sealed before finishing.

Jim shows a perfect example of the true wood.
 
jttheclockman said:
Wayne

Are you sure it is bloodwood and not Redheart. Bloodwood is a deep red as Redheart is a bright red. Redheart will turn dark and some again will turn brown.

The wood works real well. But as mentioned is oily and needs to be cleaned with acetone and then sealed before finishing.

Jim shows a perfect example of the true wood.
Click to expand...

Redheart is also a very dusty wood when worked that will stain your hands and anything it touches. Almost everything I have used it for has turned a dull red or brown shortly after being worked or finished, but it is a bright red when freshly tooled. Jim S
 
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I use all kinds of exotics as accent wood.

here is an example of Redheart. This piece is about 10 years old and as you see it it is still the same. But it was finished with a waterbased lacquer and does not sit in any sunlight.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/JTTHECLOCKMAN/CopyofIMGP0549.jpg

Also love Bloodwood as an accent wood and i can show tons of examples.

But here are 3 exotic woods. Bloodwood, Yellow heart, purpleheart. Again finished with waterbased lacquers. Now i have sold many of these so I have no way of knowing what they look like. But I believe they still look as well today. have no reason to believe otherwise. Again all exotics are not the same. I can show you purpleheart that stays purple and can also show ones that turn brown.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/JTTHECLOCKMAN/Copy_of_Guitar_Cd_Racks.jpg
 
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I have purpleheart........this is not purpleheart.

What I have is more red then brown. Maybe it's color came out after I turned it down just a little. I will post a picture later.......right now, running later.
 
Best way to get what you want is to buy a board from an importer/sales outlet. I bought a bloodwood board maybe 15 years ago: 1" X 6" X 48" and when I retired and sold everything, that board was still the deep red it was when I bought it. The only bad thing is that when you buy a board, it is green, so if you don't dry it, you will have cracks appear later. I don't remember the name of the company but I think it is in Oregon.
 
stonepecker said:
I have purpleheart........this is not purpleheart.

What I have is more red then brown. Maybe it's color came out after I turned it down just a little. I will post a picture later.......right now, running later.
Click to expand...

I said redheart not purpleheart. I just gave an example of some of the exotics I work with with the link. Redheart can mimic bloodwood when first cut. It is a reder red.

Here is a site that will give you a little glimpse of the woods. You can click on both redheart and bloodwood and see the subtleties

Redheart Exotic Wood & Redheart Lumber | Bell Forest Products
 
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