Wood Stains?

[jmbaker79]

Hey guys, just wanted to throw this out there so that I know how to respond to my customer. I am currently working on a custom Cherry pen for a customer online. "he loves the color of true cherry" he says. So I sent him a swatch style image of cherry. He says he is looking for a darker cherry. Im working with some cherry that we salvaged right here in NC. My question, I get long winded sometimes, is I am concerned that he is looking for that "furniture Cherry" Like what results, i assume, from a cherry stain. Similar to the cherry boxes available from pen state etc. If this is the case, can I stain it? That seems like a silly question, of course I can stain it. But I wonder about any issues that may result. It will receive a CA finish, and then be sent off to Ken for engraving. While I think the resulting engraving would look great against the cherry stain, I will work to convince him to go with a natural cherry. I turned, sanded, and ca finished some cherry today to photograph for him, just want to be prepared and cover all my instances. Thanks Guys, I will look forward to getting this up in SOYP in the next 21 days, deadline!

 

[monophoto]

My sense is that joe-sixpack rarely knows what cherry really looks like.

True cherry ranges from a reddish tan to a reddish brown, and it tends to darken as it ages. When you buy cherry furniture at a reputable furniture store, they explain that to you.

On the other hand, manufactures of pre-fabricated cabinetry apply a finish that is a dark brown color and that doesn't change with age. Many (perhaps most) people believe that is what real cherry looks like.

And of course the problem when you are doing a commission job is to make sure that you have 100% agreement about what the customer expects before you actually make something.

My suggestion is to show your customer an example or two of natural cherry, including some that has been aged for a while, to see if that is what it wants. If it turns out that he wants an Aristokraft kitchen cabinet cherry, you can always stain the wood.

 

[jmbaker79]

Thats what I Figure Louie, and thats the plan, to send him some photos and a nice explanation of the aging process. My concern really is ca over the stain, guess I should go stain something just in case and see whats up. I know I spilled finger nail polish remover on top of a penny sitting on my ironically cherry stained coffee table. It ate right through it and you can actually see the lincoln memorial building imprint in the table!

 

[StephenM]

Get a couple of blanks, boards, etc. and keep one in the dark and put one in the sunlight or better yet under a UV A or B reptile bulb (a few bucks at a pet store) and then show him the difference. Tell him that you can turn it and it will naturally darken over time or give him he choice of darkening it after you turn it under the UV bulb.

Another option is ammonia fuming. After it's turned, you can fume it in a tupperware container with a little ammonia and it will darken overnight. However, be aware that ammonia will loosen any CA glue so use epoxy when you glue your tubes in. Let it off gas for a while and then finish it as normal.

 

[mdm0829]

Google using lye to darken cherry. I have had good luck with this. IMHO, cherry doesn't take stain well

 

[plantman]

Have you ever thought of using red alder. Most cabinet shops will use alder if the customer wants the rich look of cherry, but not the cost. Also using Mahogany stain will give cherry a rich dark finish. Jim S

 

[jmbaker79]

Thanks guys, all good info, spent some time looking into each, and feel much better about the task ahead!