Will a uv light darken cherry?

[Curt Harms]

There absolutely are chemical ways to darken the wood.

I don't know about baking soda but a fairly weak solution of lye will turn cherry red instantly. Maybe follow up with baking soda to neutralize the lye? Not a chemist.

[Bradley Gray]

I have used lye on cherry for a long time(the music stands above were treated this way). 1-2 TBS Red Devil Lye in 1/2 gallon water.

Start with 1TBS and do trials to get the shade you want.

Be sure and wait until the samples dry to evaluate the color.

Wear rubber gloves and goggles as the mix is caustic.

Not super dangerous - I have kept the same metal coffee can full of the mix for over 30 years.

[Richard Coers]

I have used lye on cherry for a long time(the music stands above were treated this way). 1-2 TBS Red Devil Lye in 1/2 gallon water.

Start with 1TBS and do trials to get the shade you want.

Be sure and wait until the samples dry to evaluate the color.

Wear rubber gloves and goggles as the mix is caustic.

Not super dangerous - I have kept the same metal coffee can full of the mix for over 30 years.

When a hazard list of using a product includes death in it, I kind of put it in the super dangerous category. You might want to add a respirator to your PPE list. I know, it says high concentrations, but with the human factor anything is possible. "Contact with very high concentrations of sodium hydroxide can cause severe burns to the eyes, skin, digestive system or lungs, resulting in permanent damage or death. Prolonged or repeated skin contact may cause dermatitis. Repeated inhalation of sodium hydroxide vapor can lead to permanent lung damage."

[Rob Luter]

The intensity of UV in direct sunlight is much stronger than say the UV lightbulbs you can get in the hardware store. Those can cause certain compounds to fluoresce, but aren't really that strong. If you're going to darken cherry at an accelerated rate, you need sunburn strong.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I'm pretty sure glass blocks UV.
I know as a stupid kid, 60 years ago, when we went on vacation, my older brother and sister got to ride in the back seat and play cards.
My dad drove and would hang his left arm out the window.
My mom read the maps and hung her right arm out the window.

I was regulated to sitting in the middle of the front seat - with no air and just the blazing sun coming through the windshield.
Dad's left arm had a nice gold tan. Mom's right arm had a nice gold tan.

I looked like a fish belly.

[Stan Calow]

Plain glass blocks UV-B but not UV-A. Dont know about UV-C. There's whole spectrum of UV light that effects things at different wavelengths.