Color change in Curly Cherry

[Bill Gilders]

I've completed a bedroom set of Curly cherry and am thinking I'd like to let it change color naturally, but would like to protect it from finger prints etc. Will putting a couple of thin coats of a wiping varnish inhibit or slow down the color change? :confused: Thanks

[Phil Phelps]

Were you not going to put a finish on it?

[Bill Gilders]

Hi Phil,
I want to finish it with probably a semi gloss varnish (spray) but a couple drawer fronts are much more blond than others and there is no way I can stain to match. The blond wood was freshly machined the other is aged.
Thanks
Bill

[Bill Arnold]

Anytime I work with cherry, I give it a nice suntan either before or after assembly depending on size. I start with a wipe of BLO/Naphtha to pop the grain, then let the sun work on it. The final step is a topcoat that varies depending on application.

[Mike McCann]

Yes cherry will continue to darken as long as it is exposed to light even with a clear finish on it.. if the draws are that much lighter I would pull them out and it them in direct light for a couple of hours.

[Bill Gilders]

Thanks guys. I live in northwest ohio so sun is scarce this time of year. I can borrow a sun lamp and I'll try that. Or maybe take the chest on chest to a tanning booth:)

[Phil Phelps]

Hi Phil,
I want to finish it with probably a semi gloss varnish (spray) but a couple drawer fronts are much more blond than others and there is no way I can stain to match. The blond wood was freshly machined the other is aged.
Thanks
Bill
Well, that's an interesting problem. Yes you can sunlight the new cherry and hope it will darken to match. I've never done that. I'm wondering if it ever will. You could then clear coat it, as it will darken even further, and compare. I'm thinking your best chance will be to tint the clear coat to match the existing cherry. However, will the new cherry darken and then be too dark? I don't know the answer. Please keep us informed.

[Matt Meiser]

I had some color mismatch on a vanity I built. I put it in the sunlight for several days and everything evened out. Even though the bathroom has no windows, its continued to darken some and the color mismatch isn't noticable anymore--maybe if you looked for it, but even to my critical eye, I don't see it every day.

On my parents' kitchen I actually had problems with color change causing shadow lines on the in-process work sitting in my shop, and I don't even have that many windows! It has darkened considerably in the 3 weeks since I installed it since I tried pretty hard to keep everything in the dark storage unit after final sanding and finishing.

If I'm not mistaken, its UV that causes the color change and I'm under the impression that UV is actually stronger in the winter on sunny days. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[Howard Acheson]

To answer your question, a clear interior finish will not impede the color deepening of cherry. Exterior finishes that contain a UV inhibitor will slow it down.

Be advised that many windows in newer homes contain UV reducing glass which will slow the darkening.

As already said, you can speed up the color change by putting the item out in the sun. Do it for a couple of hours a day checking the color change each day. You can produce some rapid color change this way.

[Bill Gilders]

Thanks for setting me on the path of uv light. I found this site on the subject which is very informative. I'm going to subject one of my blond drawer fronts to a Plant grow light, being careful of heat and see what happens.
http://www.merillat.com/products/woodcharacteristics/uveffects.aspx#cherry

[Bill Gilders]

Here's a couple of pictures of my linegerie chest with the offending drawer fronts. I subjected the top one to a 50 watt plant grow bulb about 2 inches away for 16 hours. Just above the center of the pull is the resulting spot after an additional 12 hours. It's a brown / not burnt as the wood never rose above slightly warm to the touch. The other full height picture shows it up more than to the eye. For my next experiment I'm going to remove the lower drawer and give the other a suntan from a couple of feet, but due to the inverse square rule for light intensity it'll be a lot longer time period.
My wife looked at the spot then me and left the room. I think she was overcome with joy.

[Phil Phelps]

Well, that is interesting. Are all the drawers the same size? If so, I'd move the lighest ones to the bottom when you finally get this solved. Do you have any of the light cherry for experimentation? I'd use the sun then go to the stain or clear coat tinting, testing.

[Bill Gilders]

I wanted to use full extension slides and given the tolerances required I used dovetailed drawer boxes with false fronts. I can easily move the fronts around as you suggest. Given my usual modus operandi I'll probably screw around until I ruin the blond fronts then make new ones.

[Phil Phelps]

I wanted to use full extension slides and given the tolerances required I used dovetailed drawer boxes with false fronts. I can easily move the fronts around as you suggest. Given my usual modus operandi I'll probably screw around until I ruin the blond fronts then make new ones.

That's why they invented black paint :eek:

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

If you want to "tan" your cherry, don't use artificial light. It's not the light that ages the wood but the UV rays. Even a somewhat cloudy day has it's share of UV. Take the drawer fronts out doors for as many days as it takes.

Having said that, there is a chance you will not get the drawers to all match. Then your only choices are a remake or wood dyes. You can dye the light colored wood to match the rest more closely but if you haven't much experience with dyes, perhaps a professional finisher can help you. Even a remake is not a guarantee since you may not find cherry to match the dark drawers.

There is no substitute for matching your colors when you pick wood for your project.
fmr

[Bill Arnold]

If you want to "tan" your cherry, don't use artificial light. It's not the light that ages the wood but the UV rays. ...
A UV light bulb supplies UV rays. Why wouldn't it work to tan cherry?

[Lee Schierer]

Not to be a wet blanket, but your drawer fronts may never match the color in your lifetime. I have some cherry that was harvested 60+ years ago and it is dark all the way through and no amount of sanding will lighten it, nor does it seem to get darker after finishing. I also have some newer cherry and it is dark on the surface and gets lighter when you finish sand it. If your drawer fronts have all been finish sanded and they are different colors, that difference will remain even as the cherry ages. It may be less noticeable over time but it will be different.

If you try staining or dying the pieces, they may match now and get out of balance as they age.

[Henry Ambrose]

snipped.......

There is no substitute for matching your colors when you pick wood for your project.

fmr

Especially cherry.

[Bill Gilders]

amen to picking matching wood. I put the plant lamp on the drawer face for almost 75 hours from 20 inches. It did change the color a very small amount. The spot shown in the previous pictures continues to darken. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon8.gif
I replaced the windows in our house several years ago - investigation revealed they do have a UV inhibiting glass. I must have thought it a good idea at the time.

[Bill Gilders]

I had a discussion with a gentleman who worked in the field of paints. His opinion was that although the UV segment of the spectrum caused the major amount of color change, the effective segment of the spectrum was quite broad and using any light source other than sunlight would not produce the same coloring effects.
Bottom line: Any light source other than direct sunlight may or maynot produce a change in color, but it will not be the same color produced by sunlight.

[Bill Gilders]

I was considering sending the drawer fronts to my sisterinlaw who lives in the desert outside of Palm Springs. Further investigation revealed that both northern Ohio and the CA Valley have a UV index of 1 this time of year. The plant "grow lights" have changed the color somewhat but painfully slow and more expensive than sunlight.

[Tony Bilello]

In addition to UV from the sun, the darkening color is also caused by oxidation. So......you could put it in an oxygen tent with a heart patient, wont cost anything.
Seriously though, I personally would just go ahead and stain it or use a toner and enjoy that beautiful piece today. It is really unique piece and it can be stained, toned or tinted to match.

[Bill Gilders]

Here is an update picture of the chest with blond drawer fronts. Every day with a UV index of 7 or better I put them (3) in the sun for about six hours (a total of 40 plus). The photo is after an additional two weeks inside. The color change is taking place nicely. The time in the sun resulted in the drawer fronts getting quite hot to the touch and consequently would not be advisable for large pieces of cherry and certainly not for assembled furniture.