Can i stop Ipe from turning grey???

[Brian Hale]

I want to make some drawer pulls for a desk from Ipe but i don't want them to turn grey. My plan, as of now, is to shape them and sand through 600 grit for a nice polished look but i'd rather not apply any finish if i can avoid it. They will see some sun through a window for a few hours each day.

Any thoughts?

Brian :)

[Steve Schoene]

I doubt in an interior situation as you describe that it will turn grey as it would on an exterior deck. But finishes serve a purpose. As drawer pulls they will get grimy pretty quick. Even clean hands have oil. You could use something like Watco, and expect to sand and renew from time to time. Shellac would look good, and it has a good feeling under hand, much nicer in my opinion than a varnish. Its also easier to repair.

[John Callahan]

I've used Waterlox Marine Finish on ipe .................might be worth a try.

[Ian Barley]

Given enough time it will go grey - probably in an interior setting many years. The only way to stop it is to shield it from ultraviolet light. That means some kind of finish or keeping it in the dark. I would gues that in this kind of situation "enough time" might be measured in 10's of years though - so you might wanna take a chance.

[Jamie Buxton]

I know that ipe on decks goes grey, but that is largely the effect of water. I think that ipe indoors might slowly become a lighter brown, but I'd doubt it will ever get to grey.

In general, dark woods indoors slowly become lighter. Think of the antiques you've seen made from walnut or other dark wood. Over the course of a couple hundred years, they get lighter, but not by a lot.

There are exceptions to the above rule. Cherry generally gets darker with time, as does mahogany. I don't have long-term indoor experience with ipe, so I'm just guessing it is in the goes-lighter group instead of the goes-darker.

[Brian Hale]

Good stuff guys!

I've got some Ipe that's been in my basement for 8+ years and it hasn't changed any but there's no sun light in "The Cave" where some cherry has definitely gone darker.

Jamie, it's the water that makes it go grey? I didn't know that as i just assumed it was the sun. Our Ipe deck-in-progress has grey'd in the past 2 years. Interesting.

If it's several years before it turns it'll be fine and if i don't put a finish on it it'll be simple enough to re-polish again in a few years. (the desk is for a family member)

Steve, i didn't even think about shellac! Good idea. Think it'll "stick" to something oily like Ipe?

Brian :)

[Steve Schoene]

Unfinished in a deck with full sun, mahogany and walnut will also weather to grey, but indoors with any sort of finish, no need for special UV protection, you would not expect these to turn grey, not over a couple of centuries under a few coats of shellac, for example, and I don't think IPE would be any different in that way.

[Charlie Plesums]

Brian, my ipe cutoffs are stacked near the shop air conditioner, which is also known as the garage door, and in Texas it is open most of the time. No noticeable graying in the couple years they have been kicking around there.

For outside furniture, I recommend Cabot's Australian Timber Oil - it is formulated for hardwoods where most oils don't soak in (can you say ipe?). Cabots lasts far longer that other finishes I have tried, but still is an annual ritual if you want to keep the "mahogany furniture look" on ipe outdoor furniture or decks.

I have made some small ipe bowls, and a little wax seems ample. Finger oil may just be the amount of "ongoing oiling" that you need on an indoor handle.

[Mark Pruitt]

Brian,
Not sure about Ipe, but this much I know: Nothing will stop me from turning grey!:eek:

Sorry......couldn't resist.:)

[Charlie Plesums]

Brian,
Not sure about Ipe, but this much I know: Nothing will stop me from turning grey!:eek:

Sorry......couldn't resist.:)
On my driver's license, where it says hair color, I wanted to put "Clairol"

Sorry......couldn't resist either.:)