Fuming wood

[Brian Brown]

I didn't want to hijack Russ Peters thread http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=800263#post800263 on purple heart, so I'll start a new one. Does anyone have experience fuming wood to change the color? I am always looking for more colors for segmented turning without having to stock more wood. What woods change to a new color with fuming, and which ones don't? Also, how is the fuming proceedure done, and is it safe?

[Scott Lux]

Wish I could help you. I only know how to change wood to a charcoal-gray color with a powdery texture. :p

[Michael Armstrong]

Using ammonia to fume oak gives it a darker brown aged look.

Michael

[Jason Clark2]

I've used household ammonia to fume mulberry, it changes the color from a fairly bright yellow to a medium brown. I think with a stronger concentration (household is only 4 or 5% if I remember correctly) the color would end up quite a bit darker.


Jason

[Robert McGowen]

Hi Brian,

Having done a little segmented work, I would have to question if this would work or not for segmenting, even if you could change the color with the fuming process. The reason is that you would have to change the color of the wood completely through, not just on the surface. If you just changed the surface, then cut segments and glued, obviously the changed color would be turned off and new uncolored wood would be underneath. The same thing would happen even if you cut all of the segments, fumed them, glued them together, and then turned them. The only thing to do would be to try to get a consistent color change all of the way through, which doesn't seem likely, or just fume an entire finished piece and see what happens.

Of course, I could be missing your point entirely....... :):):):):):):)

[Alan Trout]

I have some 75% ammonia that I purchased from a scientific supply. It is pretty dangerous stuff. But I got the stronger stuff because I found in a very old book that said when they fumed oak they did so with very strong concentrations of ammonia. However I have not used it yet.

I also found another not so safe way to effect the tannin in white oak. I found a furniture builder that used a mixture of Draino and cornstarch and water and would coat the wood with the mixture and let is sit for a while. Then wipe off the wood and neutralize it with vinegar and water. I did try this on white oak and it did turn the wood a very nice golden brown color but not quite as dark as true fumed oak. This was supposed to be a fuming alternative.

Anyway you look at it fuming wood it is not the safest practice so if you try to do it please be cautious.

Good Luck

Alan

[Brian Brown]

Hi Brian,

Having done a little segmented work, I would have to question if this would work or not for segmenting, even if you could change the color with the fuming process. The reason is that you would have to change the color of the wood completely through, not just on the surface. If you just changed the surface, then cut segments and glued, obviously the changed color would be turned off and new uncolored wood would be underneath. The same thing would happen even if you cut all of the segments, fumed them, glued them together, and then turned them. The only thing to do would be to try to get a consistent color change all of the way through, which doesn't seem likely, or just fume an entire finished piece and see what happens.

Of course, I could be missing your point entirely....... :):):):):):):)

This is part of the reason for my question. I think that I would need to finish a project including finish sanding, fume the finished piece, and apply a finish. I was hoping someone had information on woods that change color and some that don't. Then fuming the entire piece would only change part of the color. It takes me so long to finish a segmented turning that I don't want to experiment and have a failure. I had kind of hoped to cheat by using somone elses experience. Maybe fuming is is not practical for this application. I have a way of making things overly difficult.

[Robert McGowen]

Just fume the entire piece with a face plate, glue block, whatever you are using, still attached. If you don't like what happens, just sand it again.

[Russ Peters]

Try fuming before assembly? that way you will know each piece will look like after turning and fuming probably but then again maybe after turning the newly exposed wood being a different grain density would show different. ????

[robert hainstock]

Brian,
There is an excellant article on fuming on google. It was used to hilight the rays on oak furniture. It says the solution used was a less than thirty percent solution of ammonia.
Depending on the wood, ferric nitrare or a solution of vineger and disolved nails will lightly brown to totaly blacken woods depending on the tannon in them.
Bob