I am working mahogany for the first time, beautiful wood, works nicely, I
can see why it has been a preferred furniture wood for several hundred
years... anyway:
Now that it is sanded (60,80,120,150,220,320), there are white marks
showing up. They look vaguely like scuff marks but I cannot sand them out,
nor can I feel them with my fingers, but I can see them. When I wipe the
wood with mineral spirits the white 'scuffs' disappear. They are not
uniform but most of them are in one board (the center board of my
tabletop). Is this similiar to the rays that appear in quartersawn oak or
something else?
thanks,
--
McQualude
Frank McVey <[email protected]> schreef
> Hi Mac,
> Some of the "mahoganies" have quite a high silica content in their pores,
so it's quite probable that's what is showing on the surface of your boards.
You can't get rid of it by sanding, as you observe, because when you get rid
of one layer, it exposes another.
+ + +
Yes, except it is not silica, and it occurs only in the real thing.
PvR
> > Frank McVey <[email protected]> schreef
> >> Some of the "mahoganies" have quite a high silica content in their
> >> pores,
> > P van Rijckevorsel spaketh...
> > Yes, except it is not silica, and it occurs only in the real thing.
> > PvR
> McQualude <[email protected]> schreef
> Ok, I give up... what is it
> http://www.jeopardy.com/
> --
> McQualude
+ + +
Well, silica is sand, and I don't know any wood where it is directly visible
with less than a microscope. It usually shows in the wear on tools. That
answer it?
PvR
P van Rijckevorsel spaketh...
> Frank McVey <[email protected]> schreef
>> Some of the "mahoganies" have quite a high silica content in their
>> pores,
> Yes, except it is not silica, and it occurs only in the real thing.
> PvR
Ok, I give up... what is it
http://www.jeopardy.com/
--
McQualude
P van Rijckevorsel spaketh...
>> > Frank McVey <[email protected]> schreef
>> >> Some of the "mahoganies" have quite a high silica content in their
>> >> pores,
>
>> > P van Rijckevorsel spaketh...
>> > Yes, except it is not silica, and it occurs only in the real thing.
>> > PvR
>> McQualude <[email protected]> schreef
>> Ok, I give up... what is it
> Well, silica is sand, and I don't know any wood where it is directly
> visible with less than a microscope. It usually shows in the wear on
> tools. That answer it?
> PvR
It clarifies your previous post.
I asked this question to quite a few other woodworkers (what were the white
'scuff' looking things in the mahogany) and a lumber dealer... no one knew,
but several suspected they would only appear in quartersawn mahogany.
--
McQualude
> >> > Frank McVey <[email protected]> schreef
> >> >> Some of the "mahoganies" have quite a high silica content in their
pores,
> >> > P van Rijckevorsel spaketh...
> >> > Yes, except it is not silica, and it occurs only in the real thing.
> >> > PvR
> >> McQualude <[email protected]> schreef
> >> Ok, I give up... what is it
> >> > P van Rijckevorsel spaketh...
> > Well, silica is sand, and I don't know any wood where it is directly
visible with less than a microscope. It usually shows in the wear on tools.
That answer it?
> > PvR
McQualude <[email protected]> schreef
> It clarifies your previous post.
> I asked this question to quite a few other woodworkers (what were the
white 'scuff' looking things in the mahogany) and a lumber dealer... no one
knew, but several suspected they would only appear in quartersawn mahogany.
--
> McQualude
+ + +
If we are talking about the same thing it occurs in the vessels (pores), and
shows on all three surfaces, but only in certain qualities of genuine
mahogany.
There is all sorts of white stuff that can occur in wood. In Shorea, ao
meranti, seraya, etc (aka Philippine mahogany) there is a white resin which
occurs in rings parallel to the growth rings. This will show up particularly
well on the flatsawn surfaces.
PvR
Hi Mac,
Some of the "mahoganies" have quite a high silica content in their pores, so
its quite probable that's what is showing on the surface of your boards.
You can't get rid of it by sanding, as you observe, because when you get rid
of one layer, it exposes another. You'll probably find that your finish
will permanently kill the whiteness (as the white spirit does while it's
still wet), so experiment with a couple of offcuts.
Regards
Frank
"McQualude" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> I am working mahogany for the first time, beautiful wood, works nicely, I
> can see why it has been a preferred furniture wood for several hundred
> years... anyway:
>
> Now that it is sanded (60,80,120,150,220,320), there are white marks
> showing up. They look vaguely like scuff marks but I cannot sand them out,
> nor can I feel them with my fingers, but I can see them. When I wipe the
> wood with mineral spirits the white 'scuffs' disappear. They are not
> uniform but most of them are in one board (the center board of my
> tabletop). Is this similiar to the rays that appear in quartersawn oak or
> something else?
> thanks,
> --
> McQualude