Osage Orange...yellow?

[wolf creek knives]

Hope I put this in the right forum, sorry if I didn't. I've got some Osage Orange that my late friend sent to me and it's really yellow. It hails from Texas and I'm wondering if it will fade over time and if so is there anything I can do to keep it from fading? This is "Frenches Classic Yellow Mustard" color and I'd really like to keep it that way. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Kenny Durrant]

All of it that I've dealt with started out yellow. As it ages it will darken and turn a bronze color. I think that's the nature of the wood. I'm not sure if there's a way to preserve the yellow color but then again I'm no expert. Yellow or Bronze I think it's a very pretty wood especially if the grain is nice.

 

[wolf creek knives]

All of it that I've dealt with started out yellow. As it ages it will darken and turn a bronze color. I think that's the nature of the wood. I'm not sure if there's a way to preserve the yellow color but then again I'm no expert. Yellow or Bronze I think it's a very pretty wood especially if the grain is nice.

Thanks Kenny. I'll post some pictures once I turn the pen. I'm using a "Western" pen kit from PSI hoping that it will stand out against the antique pewter metal. More to come and thanks for your answer and help.

 

[leehljp]

The wood is bright yellow, it can turn brownish over time. A good finish will delay it for a while. Sunlight will usually hasten the color change.

Intarsia is a form of scroll saw work that purists make with the natural color of different woods. Beautiful art! However, so far no one has been able to keep wood from fading somewhat, or changing color over time. Sometimes it is years and sometimes it is days or months. Some use dyes of the same or similar color to keep it closer to the same for a longer period of time.

But as one guy wrote, when you use or look at the object everyday, you never know that it changed colors!

 

[wolf creek knives]

The wood is bright yellow, it can turn brownish over time. A good finish will delay it for a while. Sunlight will usually hasten the color change.

Intarsia is a form of scroll saw work that purists make with the natural color of different woods. Beautiful art! However, so far no one has been able to keep wood from fading somewhat, or changing color over time. Sometimes it is years and sometimes it is days or months. Some use dyes of the same or similar color to keep it closer to the same for a longer period of time.

But as one guy wrote, when you use or look at the object everyday, you never know that it changed colors!

Well put Hank. I really hope it holds it's color as I have to admit it very nice and bright. I'm planning on doing some scrolling next year when I move into my new shop. My scroll saw has been idle for way too long. Thanks again.

 

[Kenny Durrant]

I think that kit will go well with the Osage at any stage of color change. I don't have any pictures but the pens I had looked just as nice in a dark state. It's a common tree in Texas and IMO it's not a good tree to have around. It has thorns and bears a softball size fruit that most animals won't eat. I would put it in the same category the Mesquite Tree. The Mesquite doesn't have the apples so I guess it's a little cleaner. I guess my point is it's not a good tree to have in your yard but one of the top woods to have in your shop! It's also called Bois d Arc and Horse Apple.

 

[jttheclockman]

If it is true Osage Orange wood then it will darken to a golden brown color with time and exposure to UV light. If you want a yellow wood that will not lose its yellow color then go with Yellowheart, Pau Amarello It will stay yellow and maybe a tinge darker with time but not like Osage.

 

[Dalecamino]

Tom, I made this pen for my barber. A couple months later, he showed it to me. The wood was an ugly brown, and CA had cracks all over it. I couldn't believe it was the same pen.

 

[keithbyrd]

Tom, I made this pen for my barber. A couple months later, he showed it to me. The wood was an ugly brown, and CA had cracks all over it. I couldn't believe it was the same pen.
View attachment 253553

Nice pen!! you have to wonder if there is some chemical - cleaner, hair product etc that the pen was exposed to causing the problem. I have made 3-4 osage pens with no problems at all. Question was the plating in good condition?

 

[Dalecamino]

Nice pen!! you have to wonder if there is some chemical - cleaner, hair product etc that the pen was exposed to causing the problem. I have made 3-4 osage pens with no problems at all. Question was the plating in good condition?

Thanks Keith. No cleaner, no hair products or other chemicals. Ends of both tubes were sealed with CA. Tubes were glued in with two part epoxy. Therefor I think we can also rule out Plating, which was indeed in good shape. I bought the blanks here on IAP from a member who advertised them to be Osage Orange. I had no reason to doubt it. As Kenny Durrant indicated in his first post, my pen did indeed turn brown. I just wanted to tell my friend Tom about my own experience with what I thought to be Osage Orange. You must have gotten the good stuff.

 

[wolf creek knives]

This piece of wood was very yellow and had a kind of oily feature to it when I drilled the tube holes. It was marked "Bodark" and when I looked up Bodark it said it was Osage Orange. I'll be sure to post some photo's of it after I turn it in a few days.

By the way Chuck, that's a nice looking pen. Too bad it didn't stay like it looked here. The late friend that sent it to me made high end furniture so I'm pretty sure it's what he said it was.

 

[Dalecamino]

This piece of wood was very yellow and had a kind of oily feature to it when I drilled the tube holes. It was marked "Bodark" and when I looked up Bodark it said it was Osage Orange. I'll be sure to post some photo's of it after I turn it in a few days.

By the way Chuck, that's a nice looking pen. Too bad it didn't stay like it looked here. The late friend that sent it to me made high end furniture so I'm pretty sure it's what he said it was.

Thanks Tom. It was oily. I wiped it down with Denatured alcohol before applying CA. Hope your works out for you.

 

[Kenny Durrant]

Not a 100% but remember the "Greener" the wood the more yellow it is. It might have had a lot of moisture in it causing it to crack or it's a very hard wood that cracks on its own at times.

 

[mmayo]

Padauk has a similar short color lifespan. The Padauk you love today will be ugly. Sigh