Aging "African Mahogany"

Thanks, I knew you would say that. Probably by the time I get done
planing they will all be about the same hue. I have used this stuff
before and like the ribbon grain but sometimes the color is a problem.
Leo

[email protected] wrote:
> I am building a fireplace surround out of tile and african mahogany.
> The mahogany boards are of varing degrees of aging and therefore of
> varying degrees of color. I need to age them to a consistant color. I
> know they will eventually turn color but in the meantime I have to live
> with some light tan areas and some deep brown. Any suggestions? Leo

Mahogany can be darkened with a dilute lye solution. Experiment with
strength, but just a few percent worked well for me. The effect is
instantaneous. Some will say you need to neutralize the lye with a
weak acid, but I haven't found this necessary. I believe exposure to
the air for a time will do it.

Australopithecus scobis wrote:
> On Fri, 16 Sep 2005 14:08:01 -0700, bridger wrote:
>
> > then what do you do to neutralize the vinegar?
> >
> >
> > <hint> most species of wood are mildly acidic as they come off of the
> > tree.
>
> The vinegar and the lye neutralize each other. Didn't know about the
> acidity of trees; thanks for the tidbit.
>
> --
> "Keep your ass behind you"
> vladimir a t mad {dot} scientist {dot} com

I've never neutralized the lye, and haven't seen problems with finishes
(the main concern, I think). Lye is a strong base, and I wouldn't be
surprised if it would mess up the chemistry of a finish material. Lye
loses strength when exposed, though. I suspect that the NaOH reacts
slowly with atmospheric CO2, leaving sodium carbonate--a much more
benign material.

[email protected] wrote:
> I am building a fireplace surround out of tile and african mahogany.
> The mahogany boards are of varing degrees of aging and therefore of
> varying degrees of color. I need to age them to a consistant color. I
> know they will eventually turn color but in the meantime I have to live
> with some light tan areas and some deep brown. Any suggestions? Leo

A potassium dichromate solution will help the color along. A good
photo supply shop should have it.

John Martin

Yep...put them in the sun light...of course that will cause
other problems... You will need to tint,dye or stain that
wood to get a constant color(which is what factories do).


[email protected] wrote:

> I am building a fireplace surround out of tile and african mahogany.
> The mahogany boards are of varing degrees of aging and therefore of
> varying degrees of color. I need to age them to a consistant color. I
> know they will eventually turn color but in the meantime I have to live
> with some light tan areas and some deep brown. Any suggestions? Leo
>

On Fri, 16 Sep 2005 15:11:53 -0500, Australopithecus scobis
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Fri, 16 Sep 2005 09:55:56 -0700, ed_h wrote:
>
>> Some will say you need to neutralize the lye with a
>> weak acid, but I haven't found this necessary. I believe exposure to
>> the air for a time will do it.
>
>Acids and bases don't just go away. It's possible that wood has some
>slight buffering capacity, but a splash of vinegar is easy and quick.


then what do you do to neutralize the vinegar?


<hint> most species of wood are mildly acidic as they come off of the
tree.

On Fri, 16 Sep 2005 09:55:56 -0700, ed_h wrote:

> Some will say you need to neutralize the lye with a
> weak acid, but I haven't found this necessary. I believe exposure to
> the air for a time will do it.

Acids and bases don't just go away. It's possible that wood has some
slight buffering capacity, but a splash of vinegar is easy and quick.

--
"Keep your ass behind you"
vladimir a t mad {dot} scientist {dot} com

On Fri, 16 Sep 2005 14:08:01 -0700, bridger wrote:

> then what do you do to neutralize the vinegar?
>
>
> <hint> most species of wood are mildly acidic as they come off of the
> tree.

The vinegar and the lye neutralize each other. Didn't know about the
acidity of trees; thanks for the tidbit.

--
"Keep your ass behind you"
vladimir a t mad {dot} scientist {dot} com