Can anybody tell me if it's possible to bleach 3/4" Maple, birch, or even poplar completely through the wood. If not then how deep will bleaching penetrate?
Asked by Sid Bright
Asked by Sid Bright
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Wood Bleaching
- Thread starter Sid Bright
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Impossible to bleach through thick wood. I don't know of anyone that bleaches wood and then continues to work it, it's more of a finish process. I've never measured the depth, but suspect something like .04" to .06" depending on wood density.
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Bleach does not penetrate very deeply. The bleached surface is easily removed with sanding.
I bleach as part of the finishing process and have never need deep penetration..
I bleach as part of the finishing process and have never need deep penetration..
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
I tried using a vacuum to get the bleach to.penetrate and it still.doesnt go far into thick wood.
Thank you for your comments and I to was thinking about vacuum to see if it would penetrate. You all are my favorites
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@Sid Bright, In order to get bleach or anything else to penetrate any significant distance under vacuum, the wood needs to be bone dry. However, even this won't help much when using wood bleach (a mixture of sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide) because the bleaching process is a chemical reaction in which the bleach is very quickly neutralized as it comes in contact with the extractives in wood. If you are bleaching an open-grained wood the bleach would penetrate slightly deeper than it would in closed-grain wood.