Accelerating cherry wood's color change

[Terry Brown]

I'm looking for information on using UV light to obtain the natural color change in fresh, pale cherry burl. Would the lights for UV curing finishes be strong enough to efficiently eliminate the pale look? Maybe 20-30 minutes vs hours. The idea is to turn the burl pens to the pre-finish stage, change the color, and then apply the finish. No stains, dyes, or water borne chemicals involved.

 

[Webb Willmott]

Have you tried baking soda in water? It’s about as safe as it gets and since water will raise the grain, a plus for sanding.

 

[Richard Coers]

There is a really big UV light that comes up every day. Why the big hurry? Besides, the cherry ages in color even with a clear coat on top.

 

[robo hippy]

Like Richard said, I would find a south facing window and sit it there. In mid summer, if you leave a business card on a piece of cherry for an hour and come back and pick it up, it will have sun burned.

robo hippy

 

[John K Jordan]

Perhaps some useful reading:

Thread 'Fuming With Ammonia'

May 21, 2009

This post copied from an earlier thread "Best finish" for sycamore to allow people to search on this method in the 'How To's, Tips, and Techniques' category:

Originally Posted by cwearing
What is the chemistry behind the amonia fuming. Also, please describe the procedure for the fyming process.

First, I am not a chemist; I only have some very limited knowledge about the chemistry of the ammonia fuming process. My assumption is that there is a differential deposition of tannins or other polyphenolics that are more concentrated in the darker 'fleck' areas, relative...

• Rob Wallace
• Replies: 4
• Forum: Tutorials and Tips

Some recommend using a UV lamp. I have a powerful UV bulbs made for sterilizing thing I'd try first. (caution, can damage eyes)
Potassium dichromate is sometimes used to darken the tannins in wood.
One person recommended using lye in water.

I think I'd do tests on scrap before committing to a method.

JKJ

 

[Brent@TurnRobust]

I've heard that using oven cleaner will help darken cherry. You could google that for ideas. The lye is what does the darkening. Used in restoration work to make new wood like like old.