Shopsmith Forums

Serendipity is defined as "the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way". Not sure the following actually conforms to the definition, but I found it sorta neat.

In order to neutralize some acid, I mixed up a couple tablespoons of baking soda in about 12 ounces of water. I used a short piece of 3/4X3/4 red oak as a stirrer (it was handy). I laid it aside for a few hours and it dried to a pleasing dark (aged?) brown.
Don't know if this was a reaction to the tannins, or what. Gonna try it on some maple, poplar and walnut. If it does the same with the poplar, might have a solution to the green streaks that relegates poplar to a secondary wood status.

Gene,
The old method of "fuming" oak, especially white oak, for the dark brownish, varying on time exposed as in the "Arts and Craft" era, and B4 was in fact reaction to the tannins, more tannins, more reaction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonia_fuming

Gene another site. pics of it on wood. I could not copy the site, goggle, "fuming oak" and go to pics of fumed wood.

Gene,
I do A LOT with wood dyes and stains, you dye to get the color, you stain to give it depth after dying. I just made "box" for my mothers new Microwave oven to raise it up 6" from the Tea cart it sits on, She is 94, and the controls were near the bottom, and with age and eye sight needed it higher. The Tea Cart was walnut, I used Poplar, and it did have that greenish tint/cast to it, it has the same grain pattern as walnut, but not as open pored. I used TransTint Medium Brown dye,, then a 50/50 mix of Boiled Linseed Oil and Mineral Spirits to give it depth/contrast the grain pattern, it covered the green cast/tint and looks just like walnut. I will get a pic in a couple days when I go over there to cut the grass.
Poplar is a very hard, dense, and inexpensive wood, and most stay away from it because of the green tint, you can also bleach it out. A lot of commercial furniture is made with it, but they bleach it all, then dye and/or stain to get the color they want. Usually they "glaze" it, proper term, when the color agent is put in the finish, dyes in a finish, when dry are transparent and will not cloud the wood grain.

I did a little experiment. The results were somewhat illuminating.

Dipped a stick each of walnut, maple and poplar in a solution of 1/2 cup of water and two tablespoons of baking soda. That darkened the poplar somewhat, the maple not at all and the walnut quite a bit.

Then, I made some tea. A one quart sized bag in 2 cups of boiling water. Let it steep for 1/2 hour. Washed a stick of each wood with the tea. Let it get pretty dry and then dipped it in the baking soda solution.
The maple took on a really golden honey color, quite nice. The light part of poplar got pretty dark and the green part turned brown. The difference between the light and dark became quite muted. Still discernible but not nearly as stark as before. The walnut got a shade darker than the piece just dipped in the baking soda solution.

With all but the poplar, I think the same effect could be had with stain. But, my experience with staining poplar leads me to think that a pre-treatment with the tea and baking soda would at least produce a more even color after staining.

Next time don't forget the before and after photos!

I'll get some taken tomorrow.

!hat was your thought process behind the tea?

My thought was that the oak darkened because of the tannins in oak. Tea contains tannins.
A base chemical, such as that formed by mixing baking soda with water, will cause color changes in some substances. Tannin being among them.

rbursek wrote:!hat was your thought process behind the tea?

Gene,
that was what I was thinking, it contained tannins, but not being a tea totterer, I was not sure.
Sounds like you are on to something!!!
There are a lot of natural dye/stains, tobacco leafs, soaked in water or alcohol makes a nice reddish brown one. Frank Lloyd Wrights favorite color!!