how to do ammonia treatment on 1/4 sawn oak

[Dave Cohen]

Does anyone have pointers or URLs on how to do the ammonia treatment on 1/4 sawn oak?

Will this work on 1/4 sawn red oak (I bought the red oak from a supplier, he said its red oak but it looks white)

[Chris Kennedy]

Dave,

This was done in Popular Woodworking in the last few years. I can't remember exactly when, but I'll look when I get home from work.

Chris

[Maurice Ungaro]

Dave,
Fuming white oak with ammonia is not difficult, but you need to follow some absolute safety precautions: protect yourself with a good mask rated for vapor/chemicals http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=6072, and some gloves.

You will need to procure the right ammonia, which is sometimes called 20% aquious ammonia. It is also the same stuff used in large format blueprint copiers, such as those made by Diazit, so you can pick up a 1 gallon jug at a commercial blue print supply house. No, regular household ammonia won't cut it.

A WORD OF CAUTION: The reason you need the vapor rated mask is because one slight wiff of this stuff will put you on the floor. Yes, I've done it, since I made copies in my Dad's design studio on Saturdays as a kid.

Having said all of that, construct a tent of plastic sheeting, like Viz Queen. You cane make a simple frame out of 1 X material, the dimensions of which depend upon the item to be fumed. Place the item in the tent, and slide a NON-CORROSIVE pan (glass works great) of the ammonia into the bottom of the tent. Let it sit there for a few hours and check the effect. Longer tme in the tent will get you a darker color.

It is helpful to check it first with a test piece of wood, from the stock that you are using.. As for you "red oak"....I'm not so sure that fuming will work so good on it, as white oak has a high tannic acid content, and the ammonia reacts with that to darken the wood. But, I've been wrong almost every day of my life.

Good luck!

[Brent Grooms]

Dave, you CAN fume with common household ammonia. It takes longer, you need to increase the surface area of ammonia exposed for maximum vaporization (use paint trays, cookie sheets etc.) You can fume red oak and get a similar effect as with white oak. It takes longer but it does work.

[Michael Weber]

Dave, you CAN fume with common household ammonia. It takes longer, you need to increase the surface area of ammonia exposed for maximum vaporization (use paint trays, cookie sheets etc.) You can fume red oak and get a similar effect as with white oak. It takes longer but it does work.
What Brent said.
I fumed some red oak with household ammonia. Built a box from a piece of insulation board coated with aluminum. I expected to get a better color then I did. I got kind of a muddy brown but someone told me (maybe here) that that was normal and I should have used a different finishing method to get what I was after. BTW if you leave the oak in long enough it will color completely through to the middle. Good Luck

[Maurice Ungaro]

Dave, I found a great site for Craftsman related items http://www.craftsman-style.info/. Here's what Gustav wrote about the subject:


Fuming Oak

¶ The fuming is not an especially difficult process, but it requires a good deal of care, for the piece must be put into an air-tight box or closet, on the floor of which has been placed shallow dishes containing aqua ammonia (26 per cent). The length of time required to fume oak to a good color depends largely upon the tightness of the compartment, but as a rule forty eight hours is enough. When fuming is not practicable, as in the case of a piece too large for any available compartment or one that is built into the room, a fairly good result may be obtained by applying the strong ammonia directly to the wood with a sponge or brush. In either case the wood must be in its natural condition when treated, as any previous application of oil or stain would keep the ammonia from taking effect. After the wood so treated is thoroughly dry from the first application it should be sandpapered carefully with fine sandpaper, then a second coat of ammonia applied, followed by a second careful sandpapering.

¶ Some pieces fume much darker than others, according to the amount of tannin left free to attract the ammonia after the wood has been kiln dried. Where any sap wood has been left on, that part will be found unaffected by the fumes. There is apt also to be a slight difference in tone when the piece is not all made from the same log, because some trees contain more tannic acid than others. To meet these conditions it is necessary to make a "touch-up" to even the color. This is done by mixing a brown aniline dye (that will dissolve in alcohol) with German lacquer, commonly known as "banana liquid". The mixture may be thinned with wood alcohol to the right consistency before using. In touching up the lighter portions of the wood the stain may be smoothly blended with the darker tint of the perfectly fumed parts, by rubbing along the line where they join with a piece of soft dry cheese cloth, closely following the brush. If the stain should dry too fast and the color is left uneven, dampen the cloth very slightly with alcohol. After fuming, sandpapering and touching up a piece of furniture, apply a coat of lacquer, made of one third white shellac and two thirds German lacquer. If the fuming process has resulted in a shade dark enough to be satisfactory, this lacquer may be applied clear; if not, it may be darkened by the addition of a small quantity of the stain used in touching up. Care must be taken, however, to carry on the color so lightly that it will not grow muddy under the brush of an inexperienced worker. The danger of this makes it often more advisable to apply two coats of lacquer, each containing a very little color. If this is done, sandpaper each coat with very fine sandpaper after it is thoroughly dried and then apply one or more coats of prepared floor wax. These directions, if carefully followed, should give the same effects that characterize the Craftsman furniture.