How long does it take before Wenge darkens?

[Niels J. Larsen]

I'm building a coffee table from Wenge and as you probably know, it turns a creamy beige when machined and/or sanded and over time it turns to the darker brown associated with Wenge.

Does anyone know just how long it takes before it turns to the darker brown and more importantly - will I be able to apply finish (most likely danish oil or BLO) before it darkens and still have it darken properly?

Thanks!

[Darnell Hagen]

Oil will turn Wenge almost black, the brown lines will pretty much disappear. I like the stripes, so I'll lacquer wenge without oil or colour.

Are you sure you're working with wenge? I've never seen it beige.

[Aaron Wingert]

I've made dozens of turkey calls from wenge and it was never anything short of very, very, very dark brown. It never changed colors when sawing, sanding, or turning on the lathe.

Perhaps you're working with wenge sapwood???

[Mike Henderson]

I've only worked with wenge veneer, but it never changed color much when sanding the finished product.

It gets darker when an oil based finish is applied, but that's true of most woods.

Mike

[Peter Quinn]

I've handled a lot of Wenge in the flooring department at work. IME some wenge behaves exactly as you describe, turning an odd beige/yellow color each time its cut, and darkening within a few days. Other (most boards) are chocolate brown through and through and never experience that color anomaly. I seem to recall exposure to direct sunlight pushing the change back to brown a bit quicker. I don't know if it will change color after finishing and would probably either do a small test piece or simply wait until it regains the color you desire.

Best choice? Don't use those boards. But given the cost of wenge, that may not be a great option for stock you already own.

[Niels J. Larsen]

Well, the wenge I have definately changes colour, and exactly as the very knowledgeable salesperson at the yard where I bought it told me it would...

It also behaves exactly as described here:

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Wenge:+a+tough+act+to+follow-a014081450

Don't use the boards? Too late - the table is already glued up and almost ready to finish :D

Regarding exposure to sunlight I'm not so sure - in the link above it's described that wenge will turn almost grey when exposed to direct sunlight, although I assume that it'll take some time (hopefully!)

I think I'll just have to test a few different finishes to find out what to do - especially after the comment that oil will make the brown lines almost disappear.
Those are one of the reasons I like wenge in the first place! :)

Thanks for your help!

[Matt Zettl]

Niels,

I have used a lot of wenge in a number of furniture projects. There are a couple of points worth mentioning that have not been brought up by others. I agree that when freshly cut it has a lighter, grayish tan appearance than when it is finished, especially if you are applying oil. It darkens immediately when oil is applied. I think the problem that arises is that the contrast between the brown and black veining is much more evident on flat sawn surfaces than on quartersawn. The growth rings in wenge are very tight, at least in all the wenge I have worked with, and this results in an almost black appearance on the quartersawn faces. Thus, careful material selection is required to get the look that you are seeking.

For example, if you make square legs out of quartersawn boards, there will be two "black" faces, and two "variegated" faces where the width and contrast of the black and chocolate brown veining is quite striking. The solution to this problem is to use riftsawn material, which creates a compromise, but still results in four faces that look basically the same and are more or less black in appearance. The other solution is to create a leg with four quartersawn faces by one of any number of methods. It depends upon the look you are after. The brown veining will never turn as black as the black veining, no matter how long you wait.

Of course, you can always ebonize everything, but IMHO, that defeats the propose of using wenge in the first place.

Finally, as I'm sure you have found out, handling wenge when it is in its rough form is a hazardous proposition. I always wear gloves, as it will give up some nasty splinters. It is the worst wood in this regard that I have ever worked with. Even when it is sanded quite smooth, splinters can be lurking, and they are long, thin, and sharp as needles.

With all of that being said, I still love wenge. The finished product is worth all of the trouble. Good luck with your project, and I hope I have been helpful.

Matt

[Niels J. Larsen]

Niels,

I have used a lot of wenge in a number of furniture projects. There are a couple of points worth mentioning that have not been brought up by others. I agree that when freshly cut it has a lighter, grayish tan appearance than when it is finished, especially if you are applying oil. It darkens immediately when oil is applied. I think the problem that arises is that the contrast between the brown and black veining is much more evident on flat sawn surfaces than on quartersawn. The growth rings in wenge are very tight, at least in all the wenge I have worked with, and this results in an almost black appearance on the quartersawn faces. Thus, careful material selection is required to get the look that you are seeking.

For example, if you make square legs out of quartersawn boards, there will be two "black" faces, and two "variegated" faces where the width and contrast of the black and chocolate brown veining is quite striking. The solution to this problem is to use riftsawn material, which creates a compromise, but still results in four faces that look basically the same and are more or less black in appearance. The other solution is to create a leg with four quartersawn faces by one of any number of methods. It depends upon the look you are after. The brown veining will never turn as black as the black veining, no matter how long you wait.

Of course, you can always ebonize everything, but IMHO, that defeats the propose of using wenge in the first place.

Finally, as I'm sure you have found out, handling wenge when it is in its rough form is a hazardous proposition. I always wear gloves, as it will give up some nasty splinters. It is the worst wood in this regard that I have ever worked with. Even when it is sanded quite smooth, splinters can be lurking, and they are long, thin, and sharp as needles.

With all of that being said, I still love wenge. The finished product is worth all of the trouble. Good luck with your project, and I hope I have been helpful.

Matt

Matt, thanks for your reply!

My boards are flat sawn (or plain sawn as other s call it) and my design avoids the issues you mention with black faces - at least to some extent - as it's not a classic coffee table with four legs. When it's done I'll post pictures so you can see what I mean if you're interested.

I did a small test today, comparing BLO to Danish Oil.
The BLO gave an almost uniform dark brown surface with very weak contrast between the dark and light veining.
The Danish Oil on the other hand maintained the "original" contrast and so far is a winner in my book.
I'd like to avoid lacquer to ease future repairs and maintenance.

You're absolutely right about the splinters!
The guy at the lumberyard told me to wear gloves, but naturally I didn't listen, and my hands quickly looked like a hedgehog and I could spend the next few days prying the splinters from my hands.
Next time he gives advice I'll listen more carefully :D

Again thanks and yes you've been helpful!

Have a great weekend!

Niels

[Peter Quinn]

Well, the wenge I have definitely changes color, and exactly as the very knowledgeable salesperson at the yard where I bought it told me it would...


Regarding exposure to sunlight I'm not so sure - in the link above it's described that wenge will turn almost grey when exposed to direct sunlight, although I assume that it'll take some time (hopefully!)


Yeah, it will definitely take some time. A few species like cherry and poplar can change color as you watch, but wenge takes a bit longer. I suppose it can wash out to gray over years in a sunny window, but not in an afternoon, and not as quickly as walnut. We have left boards standing against the face of a warehouse to catch some rays and loose those yellow streaks, but it only seemed to take a few hours.

I made a door threshold for my house last spring using flat sawn wenge. I followed the same schedule as the cherry door which hangs in the opening; zinnser seal coat thinned 50% with denatured alcohol to give something like a 1# cut of shellac, followed by waterlox original satin, which is heavy in both BLO and tung oil. It did darken the wenge, but not so much as straight oil, and the contrast between brown and black in the grain pattern remained more distinct. I'd call the result more dark chocolate than ebony.

[Karl Card]

Oil will turn Wenge almost black, the brown lines will pretty much disappear. I like the stripes, so I'll lacquer wenge without oil or colour.

Are you sure you're working with wenge? I've never seen it beige.


+1 , i havent seen wenge turn beige either, but that dosnt make it so or not so..lol

[Steve Jenkins]

Over the past three years I have made about 100 table tops from wenge veneer with 8/4 wenge edgebanding. Almost without exception when I crosscut or ripped the solid stock the center was almost straw colored. You could see a line about 1/4" from both faces where the nice dark color ended. It almost looked like wood that had a deeply penetrating stain applied. Needless to say the first time that happened I just about fainted. Over a period of a few days the straw color deepened and went away. I was using a paste wood filler in my finishing which also helped to darken the edges so I'm not sure how long it would take to completey darken on it's own. I do know that the pieces of scrap I have laying around have reverted back to that nice deep dark color.

[Wade Lippman]

Well, I guess there are different kinds of wenge!
Mine is uniform (no difference between flat and qs) and neither lightens when cut nor darkens with age.
A website I checked actually says "Exposure lightens the dark color of the wood".

[Aaron Wingert]

Well, I guess there are different kinds of wenge!
Mine is uniform (no difference between flat and qs) and neither lightens when cut nor darkens with age.
A website I checked actually says "Exposure lightens the dark color of the wood".

x2. Sure is strange that different folks are having very different experiences with the same species. Perhaps it depends where the particular tree was grown. Fortunately I've never purchased any wenge that changed to light colored, as I'd have been very dissapointed.