Is there a way to keep the "red" in Padauk and similar woods after turning?? I saw a video of Gord Rock using suntan lotion.
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colour retention
- Thread starter John Ringuette
- Start date
I always use suntan lotion, but I'm fair skinned and burn easily...
From what I've read and experienced you can slow down the color fade but you can't prevent it. 
You only need suntan lotion if you turn outside. As for the wood, turning color is a fact of life. Cherry and purpleheart are notorious for this.
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I have used padauk for finials in lots of hollow ball Christmas ornaments.
I have never tried to keep the red because I find the color changes in padauk pleasing.
while many red hardwoods turn a disappointing brown color padauk turns a deep dark red.
padauk goes through color changes from the bright orange, to red, to black cherry red, to almost black - each color rich and vibrant.
At every color change the ornaments look terrific to my eye.
The ornament below shows the deep red of the padauk it will get darker.
And the fading red of the box elder in the ball it will eventually go brown.
I have never tried to keep the red because I find the color changes in padauk pleasing.
while many red hardwoods turn a disappointing brown color padauk turns a deep dark red.
padauk goes through color changes from the bright orange, to red, to black cherry red, to almost black - each color rich and vibrant.
At every color change the ornaments look terrific to my eye.
The ornament below shows the deep red of the padauk it will get darker.
And the fading red of the box elder in the ball it will eventually go brown.
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I think you'd only be able to do it with something with heavy duty uv blockers and probably end up with a thick plasticky coating. Embrace the evolution of the wood.
Im going to have to ask him how that color lasted when I see him at our next meeting.
Im going to have to ask him how that color lasted when I see him at our next meeting.
You can't fool Mother Nature. If you want that red, dye some poplar. Even that will change color over time.
I've seen comparisons of different species coated with up to 10 coats of UV blocking poly, slowed color change, but didn't prevent it. Of course, oxidation affects color just as much, or more depending on species.
No, you can slow it down some but nothing will stop it.
Thank you all . Good idea Russell Nugent.
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
I included Padauk, Osage Orange, Cherry, Box Elder in my tests of UV blockers. When subjected to harsh summer direct sunlight all of them changed dramatically in 48 hours. The only finish that slowed it down at all was Spar Varnish which is a horrible finish for our wood projects. Not a bad finish for Boats. I even tried things like Armoral and sunblock 50 neither one of which is actually a finish and they didn't work either. Kept out of direct sunlight and decent finish Box Elder will hold its color for a long time. Cherry and Padauk and Osage change pretty quickly (several years) even when kept out of the sun but all go to a really c