a better example of the lye effect

[jim carter]

this is a rootball i dug up yesterday and turned. its ceanothus. as you can see, the lye made a dramatic change in the coloring. when i first dipped it in the lye solution, i didnt submerge the whole thing and when i pulled it out, there was a perfect line around it from the yellow color to the red color. no bleeding over. has me thinking of the possibilities in future projects

[Bernie Weishapl]

That is pretty cool Jim. That does have a lot of possibilities.

[phil harold]

I like that!!!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Wow - that is intense! Pretty cool color variation!

[alex carey]

That is very cool. I had no idea it could have that effect. awesome. Thanks for showing that.

[Chris Rae]

What kind of lye solution are you using. I'd like to try this but have no idea how to mix it.

[jim carter]

its 100% lye you can get at hardware stores. i got mine at ace hardware. they are little white crystals. comes in a 1 pound canister. i just dump about 1/8 of a cup to around a gallon of cold water. wear rubber gloves an eye protection in case of splashes. this vase was in the solution for 10 seconds

[jim carter]

also, i have noticed that it works better on green wood. dry wood might need to sit in the solution for a while to get the effect.

[Eric Magruder]

its 100% lye you can get at hardware stores. i got mine at ace hardware. they are little white crystals. comes in a 1 pound canister. i just dump about 1/8 of a cup to around a gallon of cold water. wear rubber gloves an eye protection in case of splashes. this vase was in the solution for 10 seconds

That is a dramatic change in just ten seconds!!

I like both the original, and the bleached. I don't know I would have had the nerve to try the Lye - that is some beautiful wood! Do you find it often?

[jim carter]

the yellow is the natural color. the lye brings out the red thats in the wood. its a bush that grows wild around here . i have a few that need to be taken out but not all have a good rootball.

[Chris Rae]

Thanks Jim for your good explanation.

[charlie knighton]

very nice color and shape, thanks for the tips

[jim carter]

another possibility. i ended up submerging the whole thing after this picture.

[Dewey Torres]

this is a rootball i dug up yesterday and turned. its ceanothus. as you can see, the lye made a dramatic change in the coloring. when i first dipped it in the lye solution, i didnt submerge the whole thing and when i pulled it out, there was a perfect line around it from the yellow color to the red color. no bleeding over. has me thinking of the possibilities in future projects

Jim,
Next time you think if it take a pic of the partial submerged color. I would like to see that effect. Tie-die?
Dewey

[Brian McInturff]

Be careful using the lye solutions. First for your own protection as lye is a caustic and will burn the skin . And second, for the piece, make sure to thoroughly to rinse ALL the lye off. The effects of lye will continue on the wood if it's not all rinsed off and out. It can damage the fibers and on some woods can cause the wood to look burned. Jim, looks like you did a great job on yours but I felt I should say something for others who may not know of some of the adverse effects it can have.

[Dewey Torres]

another possibility. i ended up submerging the whole thing after this picture.


Funny...you posted that just as I asked for ti! Thanks!:cool::cool::cool:

[Dewey Torres]

Be careful using the lye solutions. First for your own protection as lye is a caustic and will burn the skin . And second, for the piece, make sure to thoroughly to rinse ALL the lye off. The effects of lye will continue on the wood if it's not all rinsed off and out. It can damage the fibers and on some woods can cause the wood to look burned. Jim, looks like you did a great job on yours but I felt I should say something for others who may not know of some of the adverse effects it can have.

You are right Brian,
Jim has cautioned in some of his other posts about lye and has also said not to use it on anything you will eat out of.

[jim carter]

Funny...you posted that just as I asked for ti! Thanks!:cool::cool::cool:
i knew you were going to ask.

[Maylon Harvey]

Do you have to rinse or neutralize?

[jim carter]

neutralize with a vinegar water mixture of 1 cup vinegar to 1 gallon water is what i use. stronger solution removes the red. rinse first under cold water.

[Toney Robertson]

Do you really need the vinegar solution if you rinse with water first? I would think that the water would remove/neutralize the lye.

I know when I used it on mahogany that I had to be careful when I sanded down the grain that was raised so that I did not sand through the color. Did you find that true?

Did you submerge it to treat the inside? Wiping it on worked great for me but I was doing a piece that was accessible.

It is cool to watch the color change. Also like magic.

Toney