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Does anyone have a way to artificially oxidize wood?

Here is what I would like to do:

I would like to build a guitar that has wood that naturally oxidizes to a different color after sanding, but after sanding the guitar and right before finishing, I would like to oxidize the wood (in this case, the whole guitar) and then put a finish on it.

anybody tried this? How did you do it?

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Reguards,

Ken H

Thanks for the info.

Are these liquids that are applied to the woods or is this a vapor coming off of the chemicals that does the work? I wouldnt be keen on the idea of placing some sort of liquid on the body of an unfinished guitar, but some sort of vaporization method would really interest me.

I have even thought about putting the finished box inside of a plastic bag filled with pure oxygen. If it helps, the woods I am wanting to oxidize are cherry, mahogany, and osage orange.

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Reguards,

Ken H

I've used lye (real lye, made with hardwood ashes from the stove) to make the figure pop out, mostly on maple, a trick I got from violinmaker Robert Beacham.
It reacts differently depending on the wood and the tanins in it. It darkens spruce and maple and makes whatever figure "deeper". However mahogany becomes red, cherry dark brown, red oak and purpleheart green (like a lime green). The rosewoods don't seem to be affected much, although it tends to bring out the reds in cocobolo. Here are a couple of pics of a guitar where I used the process, Englemann top and cocobolo B&S. I used the lye to raise the grain, instead of water, before finishing.
Definitely run some tests on scrap… And wear gloves, although it didn't affect me, it can irritate the skin.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Mucho beautiful Laurent! Would you be able to take time to describe how you make the lye and if you neutralize it afterwards?

Careful with thinking pure oxygen is a good idea. 100% O2 and a wooden object, won't blow up, but would really support combustion.

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Ken

WOW great info Lex!

I should have thought to google it..

I really want to do this right before putting the finish on and I dont want to raise the grain of the wood. I realize this will only be a surface treatment. What I dont want to have to do is to get the colors I am looking for and then have to sand the guitar again, removing the desired color.

Thanks for the link!

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Reguards,

Ken H

I made a blacklight box to help with Nitro Curing (from Lance mccullom, who got it from someone else I believe). Anyway one of the side effects is if you left it exposed a little longer than normal it would oxidize tops noticeably.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

I have plenty of black lights! (left over from my hippie days).. thanks for the tip, I'll give this a try first!

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Reguards,

Ken H

I poured ashes in a pot, added double the water and heated on a hot plate (outside) until it gently boiled. When all the ashes fell on the bottom I poured the liquid in Mason jars.
Interestingly when the lye is applied to the wood it can look flat and muddy, but under finish it really has a terrific effect (or a swipe of naphtha can reveal what it will look like).

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

I have always thought that the darkening of woods such as spruce and mahogany had more to do with exposure to light (UV) than oxidation. A spruce top will darken under finish if exposed to light, even though the finish limits its exposure to the oxygen in the air.

Do I have this wrong??
Mark

Thanks, I will try it.

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Ken

A few caveats here: mixing water with ashes produces heat (even without heating), true lye is a corrosive alkaline solution (sodium hydroxide). So work outside and wear gloves, eye protection and whatnot…
After coming to a boil let the solution cool off and the ashes fall to the bottom before pouring into a sealed container, Mason jars are perfect.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Just don't mix them up with the "Homebrew" Mason Jars!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Line a cupbaord with silver foil, and hang an old sunbed off the door. Hang the guitar in it and give it an hour or so depending on the strength of the tubes. Oxidised 2.8mm Spruce becomes around 10% stiffer, if you also oxidise the top on the inside prior to fitting.

http://www.nkforsterguitars.com