I'm having this moral dilema...
Cherry darkens with age but some folks just aren't patient enough to
wait and pursue means to hasten said darkening.
Alternatives include:
* exposure to sunlight
* lye solution
* stain (dye or pigment?).
My question is, why is it considered OK to darken with lye but not
stain? Philosophically, practically, or otherwise.
'Cause, ya see...
Horror of horrors, I'm, ever so slightly, considering, dare I say it,
Staining Cherry (ducking..., peering..., no lightning bolt yet...).
Seems like lye is nasty stuff and it also seems that lye and stain are
both artificial means of darkening the wood. Yet, one seems to be
"approved", the other greatly frowned upon.
I love the look of natural cherry, even before it darkens. I never,
never use stain ('ceptin' on decks and fences). But, the devil is
tempting me...
Unfortunately, for the project I'm undertaking, there are 2 issues.
1) The darker cherry is a better match to the rest of the kitchen
elements. 2) I'm impatient.
BTW, it's the UV in sunlight that hastens the darkening, correct?
So, I set a couple of pieces of cherry in a windowsill to test the
process (how long, how dark, etc.). Doesn't seem very effective.
Musta gotten a defective piece of cherry wood, right? ;--)
It finally dawned on me that these lovely new windows I had installed
have UV blocking as a feature.
Thanx
Renata
"Renata" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Snip
>
> My question is, why is it considered OK to darken with lye but not
> stain? Philosophically, practically, or otherwise.
Stain is more like paint as compared to a process that darkens the wood but
leaves no residue behind. Naturally the stain covers up much of the woods
color and grain.
Leon wrote:
>
> "Renata" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> Snip
>
>
>>
>> My question is, why is it considered OK to darken with lye but not
>> stain? Philosophically, practically, or otherwise.
>
>
> Stain is more like paint as compared to a process that darkens the
> wood but
> leaves no residue behind. Naturally the stain covers up much of the
> woods color and grain.
>
So use dye.
--
It's turtles, all the way down
The Mike Marlow entity posted thusly:
>
>"Renata" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> I'm having this moral dilema...
> ...snippage...
>I've heard that black latex paint works well on cherry.
Is that you, Norm?
On Fri, 17 Mar 2006 07:52:17 -0500, Renata <[email protected]> wrote:
Get a used tanning booth and become a professional cherry darkening service?
*lol*
>I'm having this moral dilema...
>
>Cherry darkens with age but some folks just aren't patient enough to
>wait and pursue means to hasten said darkening.
>
>Alternatives include:
> * exposure to sunlight
> * lye solution
> * stain (dye or pigment?).
>
>My question is, why is it considered OK to darken with lye but not
>stain? Philosophically, practically, or otherwise.
>
>'Cause, ya see...
>
>Horror of horrors, I'm, ever so slightly, considering, dare I say it,
>Staining Cherry (ducking..., peering..., no lightning bolt yet...).
>
>Seems like lye is nasty stuff and it also seems that lye and stain are
>both artificial means of darkening the wood. Yet, one seems to be
>"approved", the other greatly frowned upon.
>
>I love the look of natural cherry, even before it darkens. I never,
>never use stain ('ceptin' on decks and fences). But, the devil is
>tempting me...
>
> Unfortunately, for the project I'm undertaking, there are 2 issues.
>1) The darker cherry is a better match to the rest of the kitchen
>elements. 2) I'm impatient.
>
>BTW, it's the UV in sunlight that hastens the darkening, correct?
>So, I set a couple of pieces of cherry in a windowsill to test the
>process (how long, how dark, etc.). Doesn't seem very effective.
>Musta gotten a defective piece of cherry wood, right? ;--)
>It finally dawned on me that these lovely new windows I had installed
>have UV blocking as a feature.
>
>Thanx
>Renata
Mac
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm
"Doug Miller" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, Renata
> <[email protected]> >>My question is, why is it considered OK to darken
> with lye but not
>>stain? Philosophically, practically, or otherwise.
>
> Lye treatment simply accelerates the changes that take place naturally
> through
> exposure to air and light, compressing years into minutes. Stain obscures
> the
> grain of the wood.
>
To me the color change imparted by lye isn't as pleasing as the natural
aging color. Sort of like leaving a piece unfinished for a while, you can't
get the same brilliance you can if you finish before surface oxidation has
grayed the whole.
"Renata" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm having this moral dilema...
>
> Cherry darkens with age but some folks just aren't patient enough to
> wait and pursue means to hasten said darkening.
>
> Alternatives include:
> * exposure to sunlight
> * lye solution
> * stain (dye or pigment?).
>
> My question is, why is it considered OK to darken with lye but not
> stain? Philosophically, practically, or otherwise.
>
If you dye/stain, it will continue to darken. If you lye, it will not,
since you are advancing the normal process.
I had a customer who wanted to match an Ethan Allen "painted" dark cherry
piece. I tried lye and found it was much too irregular to work.
Neither dye nor stain gave the right look; but I found medium dye and medium
stain together looked good.
For myself, I leave it uncolored. It is so much prettier that way.
In article <[email protected]>, Renata <[email protected]> wrote:
>I'm having this moral dilema...
>
>Cherry darkens with age but some folks just aren't patient enough to
>wait and pursue means to hasten said darkening.
>
>Alternatives include:
> * exposure to sunlight
> * lye solution
> * stain (dye or pigment?).
>
>My question is, why is it considered OK to darken with lye but not
>stain? Philosophically, practically, or otherwise.
Lye treatment simply accelerates the changes that take place naturally through
exposure to air and light, compressing years into minutes. Stain obscures the
grain of the wood.
The lye solutions that are used to color cherry are fairly dilute (on the
order of one tablespoon per pint of water), and you need not fear them. Just
the same, wear rubber gloves and eye protection. Even dilute lye in the eyes
is Major Bad News.
Other alternatives include a tanning bed (if the piece is small), and ammonia
fuming. There have been a few posts here in the last couple years regarding
fuming cherry; Google is your friend. Haven't tried it myself yet, but one of
the people who posted about it (David Eisan, IIRC) also posted a few pics at
abpw that looked absolutely beautiful.
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.
"Renata" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm having this moral dilema...
>
> Cherry darkens with age but some folks just aren't patient enough to
> wait and pursue means to hasten said darkening.
>
> Alternatives include:
> * exposure to sunlight
> * lye solution
> * stain (dye or pigment?).
>
> My question is, why is it considered OK to darken with lye but not
> stain? Philosophically, practically, or otherwise.
>
I've heard that black latex paint works well on cherry.
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 12:27:38 -0500, Robatoy <[email protected]> wrote:
>In article <[email protected]>,
> Oleg Lego <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> The Mike Marlow entity posted thusly:
>>
>> >
>> >"Renata" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> >news:[email protected]...
>> >> I'm having this moral dilema...
>>
>> > ...snippage...
>>
>> >I've heard that black latex paint works well on cherry.
>>
>> Is that you, Norm?
>
><LOL>
>
>ONLY if you scuff it up with a 36 grit beltsander, to give it some
>'tooth'.
but you'd tear up the sanding belt on all the "temporary" brads..
Mac
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm
Thanx for all the advice and information. Something(s) in the thread
seems to have swayed me as I may have repented and now am leaning
toward leaving it natural. Not naked though - gonna experiment w/BLO
followed by Deft varnish (which I hope to spray w/my nifty new Apollo
bought from the "savings" of doing this myself, seasoned with the
lesson learned from brushing the finish last time around)..
BTW, this is for kitchen cabinets.
Thanx again
Renata
--
NewsGuy.Com 30Gb $9.95 Carry Forward and On Demand Bandwidth
In article <[email protected]>,
Oleg Lego <[email protected]> wrote:
> The Mike Marlow entity posted thusly:
>
> >
> >"Renata" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >news:[email protected]...
> >> I'm having this moral dilema...
>
> > ...snippage...
>
> >I've heard that black latex paint works well on cherry.
>
> Is that you, Norm?
<LOL>
ONLY if you scuff it up with a 36 grit beltsander, to give it some
'tooth'.
In article <[email protected]>,
Renata <[email protected]> wrote:
> I'm having this moral dilema...
Therein lies the answer.
I am going to take the rest of this day to re-gather my composure before
I suggest any punishment.
> Alternatives include:
> * exposure to sunlight
Probably not too practical unless you can leave the piece out in the midday
sun in the summer for a week. That doesn't fit well with the "I'm impatient"
thing.
> * lye solution
I think this is for the most part going to simply accellerate the
same/similar chemical process that the Oxygen+UV+time gives you. I would
expect that further natural darkening would be less after the lye treatment.
> * stain (dye or pigment?).
Pigment accludes grain ... I vote no.
Dye will make it darker, it can give you a different tone, and the wood will
continue to darken naturally. That may or may not be desirable to you.
-Steve
On Fri, 17 Mar 2006 07:52:17 -0500, Renata <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I'm having this moral dilema...
<<<<<<<<<<<<<< SNIP >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I'm one of the folks who has "fumed" cherry with ammonia. I posted
some pics a while ago. May still have them and the method I used if
you're interested. Much easier and much more controllable than lye - I
tried that too.
Regards.
Tom
Renata wrote:
> I'm having this moral dilema...
>
> Cherry darkens with age but some folks just aren't patient enough to
> wait and pursue means to hasten said darkening.
>
> Alternatives include:
> * exposure to sunlight
> * lye solution
> * stain (dye or pigment?).
>
> My question is, why is it considered OK to darken with lye but not
> stain? Philosophically, practically, or otherwise.
>
> 'Cause, ya see...
>
> Horror of horrors, I'm, ever so slightly, considering, dare I say it,
> Staining Cherry (ducking..., peering..., no lightning bolt yet...).
>
> Seems like lye is nasty stuff and it also seems that lye and stain are
> both artificial means of darkening the wood. Yet, one seems to be
> "approved", the other greatly frowned upon.
>
> I love the look of natural cherry, even before it darkens. I never,
> never use stain ('ceptin' on decks and fences). But, the devil is
> tempting me...
>
> Unfortunately, for the project I'm undertaking, there are 2 issues.
> 1) The darker cherry is a better match to the rest of the kitchen
> elements. 2) I'm impatient.
>
> BTW, it's the UV in sunlight that hastens the darkening, correct?
> So, I set a couple of pieces of cherry in a windowsill to test the
> process (how long, how dark, etc.). Doesn't seem very effective.
> Musta gotten a defective piece of cherry wood, right? ;--)
> It finally dawned on me that these lovely new windows I had installed
> have UV blocking as a feature.
>
> Thanx
> Renata
The cherry trim I made for my floors darkened in
about 3-5 days when set outside in the summer.
Would probably have been faster if I had put them
where the sun hit all day but I just put them on
the south in the sun and moved them as needed, but
they still were in the shaded several hours.
All glass reduces UV, especially UVA, but the
amount of reduction depends on the type of glass
and other factors. The more layers, the more
thickness, the more reduction. The color change
that occurs in a short time is just a very thin
surface film.
I almost always use Watco cherry danish oil on my cherry wood.
It looks perfectly natural and it gives the cherry a nice rich look
immediately. Looks great. Over top of that you can put whatever you want
(if you want anything). For pieces that won't be getting a lot of ware,
I'll use a high quality wax. Pieces that will get a good amount of ware,
I'll use a good wipe on polly.
Looks great and I sure don't think of it as cheating.
Brian
"Renata" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm having this moral dilema...
>
> Cherry darkens with age but some folks just aren't patient enough to
> wait and pursue means to hasten said darkening.
>
> Alternatives include:
> * exposure to sunlight
> * lye solution
> * stain (dye or pigment?).
>
> My question is, why is it considered OK to darken with lye but not
> stain? Philosophically, practically, or otherwise.
>
> 'Cause, ya see...
>
> Horror of horrors, I'm, ever so slightly, considering, dare I say it,
> Staining Cherry (ducking..., peering..., no lightning bolt yet...).
>
> Seems like lye is nasty stuff and it also seems that lye and stain are
> both artificial means of darkening the wood. Yet, one seems to be
> "approved", the other greatly frowned upon.
>
> I love the look of natural cherry, even before it darkens. I never,
> never use stain ('ceptin' on decks and fences). But, the devil is
> tempting me...
>
> Unfortunately, for the project I'm undertaking, there are 2 issues.
> 1) The darker cherry is a better match to the rest of the kitchen
> elements. 2) I'm impatient.
>
> BTW, it's the UV in sunlight that hastens the darkening, correct?
> So, I set a couple of pieces of cherry in a windowsill to test the
> process (how long, how dark, etc.). Doesn't seem very effective.
> Musta gotten a defective piece of cherry wood, right? ;--)
> It finally dawned on me that these lovely new windows I had installed
> have UV blocking as a feature.
>
> Thanx
> Renata
On 17 Mar 2006 08:10:37 -0800, "brianlanning" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>Get a used tanning booth and become a professional cherry darkening service? *lol*
>
>You'd make more moeny darkening people. :-)
>
>brian
but cherry isn't going to sue you if it gets skin cancer...
Mac
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm