Janel Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 This rosey, very hard wood is one that the surface changes color after exposure to air. Is there a surface treatment that will prevent the discoloration? What else might be interesting to know about this wood? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sergey_osipov Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 I just know that this wood is often used of manufacturer of the knifes. The question to him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toscano Posted December 1, 2005 Report Share Posted December 1, 2005 Janel, I was thinking of the same thing a month or so after a discussion with Doug at the convention. I haven't been able to find a decent answer to that question so far and any insights would be appreciated. I noticed that the pick ivory leaf you posted a few days ago retains its deep red colour. Did you apply any tricks or is it just a newly-exposed surface that we're looking at? Nice little carving, by the way. Seems very pleasantly tactile. -tassos ("out of it" for the last few weeks but back again smiley) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ford hallam Posted December 1, 2005 Report Share Posted December 1, 2005 Hi Janel, don`t know if you were aware, but pink ivory comes from Southern Africa. It`s not particularly common but was held in high regard by indiginous people as a fine carving material. Here`s a little more info on it. You know what to do. http://african-hardwoods.com/pinkivory/ Ford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Palm Posted December 1, 2005 Report Share Posted December 1, 2005 I checked it out once for a knife and I thought it was like white pine, soft and light. Rockweller had some finished boards but it seem expensive too. Maybe if it was stabilized. I bought the parts to start stabilizing my own wood but haven't tried it yet. Rik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toscano Posted December 1, 2005 Report Share Posted December 1, 2005 Rik, I thought about the idea of stabilising (mostly 'cause it seems to be the way knife handles are treated) but haven't pursued it so far, as I don't exactly know what that process entails... Any thoughts? -t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted December 1, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2005 Tassos, hello! The color is fresh, I am actively working on it these weeks. I've got a surface test going with a couple of the treatments available in my studio, but I don't think that I have one that has a UV deflector in it. I do not know how long it takes for the wood to turn brown. What I will be waiting for is to see what the different treatments settle into after some time passes, as in, when I am ready to use it. One will dry out over time (Watco), the other is a surface oil and urethane rubbing (Minwax-Wood Sheen) treatment. I don't want a high polish, I like what occurs during the carving, the planes are dry, the ridges of the veins and cupped cuts get burnished by handling. The Watco might be the one...though it has darkened the wood for now. When I used Watco on Macassar Ebony, it darkened the wood, but over the past few months, it has returned to a dryer, less dark appearance. That is OK with me, as long as the product offers a degree of protection from moistures of the hands... Ford, thanks for the link to the information page. Yes, I knew the wood comes from South Africa, is rare and regarded with esteem. I have, by coincidence listened to a book on tape, fiction, the story based in the 1700's, colonial times, while carving this wood. Curious to have both share hours in my days. TCP has had some discussion about wood stabilizing, it might be in the Nelsonite topic. The liquid agent impregnates the wood under vacuum pressure. There are several informational sites on the web about the topic also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toscano Posted December 1, 2005 Report Share Posted December 1, 2005 Janel, thanks for all the info. Looking forward to hearing more about the results of your experiments. Does anyone have something to say about how Nelsonite or other stabilising agents affect the carving qualities of wood? How about the texture? Should one carve and THEN stabilise or vice versa? The pool cues i have used don't feel particularly 'woody'. Pardon the pun... Is that a result of their finish or the stabilising process? I know, I know... to the workshop to test all this out. I wonder if anyone has any experience with this, though. -t (loquacious it seems today ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Sanders Posted December 2, 2005 Report Share Posted December 2, 2005 Janel- I've put the question of pink ivory wood oxidizing to some colleagues of mine- there are undoubtedly UV-inhibiting coatings out there, but will they be aesthetically pleasing? Also, is the relatively quick darkening due to UV exposure, or oxygen in the air? It may be the latter. Pieces I've worked with have darkened noticeably in just a month or two. Rik- sounds like you may have seen a poor piece of pink ivory wood at Rockler? I wouldn't've used "white pine, soft and light" to describe pink ivory. In some ways, it is denser than boxwood... I guess I thought the process of wood stabilizing was for woods that are variable in density or prone to chipping and crumbling, such as some of the burls. If this is the case, I don't think pink ivory needs such a treatment. The pieces I've seen and used are dense and uniform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toscano Posted December 2, 2005 Report Share Posted December 2, 2005 My experience with pink ivory thus far is that the surface colour 'washes out' with time. This results in a faded, dull pink-ish colour of which I am not fond (to paraphrase Churchill). It seems to me that it's the result of UV waves, rather than oxygen, but then again I believe Doug and I are referring to different changes in colour. Doug, from what I can understand you are saying that the colour of PI darkens by getting closer to grey/black (change in 'contrast'), rather than by getting 'more red' (change in saturation). That would seem to indicate interactions with something in the air, but then again I am no chemist... As for the need to stabilise the wood, I agree with Doug. The grain and density of PI is such that it doesn't seem to merit from stabilising. Its colour though is a different matter. Where are my crayons? With regards to PI appearing like pine, it seems a little strange to me too, both in terms of colour and density/grain, but it IS possible that what Rik saw was sapwood (which is creamy/yellowish) or VERY washed out heartwood? Seems to be another one of those prolific days -t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted December 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2005 The PI I am using had turned towards brown, I've retained only a little of the brown - having removed most of it to see what the wood was like under the surface. I'll see if I can get a decent image of it to post here. Oil treatments deepen or enhance the (red) color as it might with many woods. I'll give a for example with that as well if it is photogenic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Sanders Posted December 2, 2005 Report Share Posted December 2, 2005 Toscano- sorry if I've confused. I think we're all speaking about the same color change. We all need to start quoting Pantone color standards I see . I my mind, freshly cut PI is a rich pink color, tending towards a reddish pink. In a relatively short time, it deeperns and darkens slightly to a dirty, dull brownish red. Whether thats a change in contrast or saturation, I'm not sure Initially, linseed oil application with the pieces I've carved out of PI darkens it as Janel mentions, just like any wood. In this case, it is saturation we are talking about.. I'm pretty sure the darkening is what is termed oxidation. I guess the question is the source: photo-oxidation (from UV wavelengths especially, but visible light as well) or just bog-standard oxygen in the air. Maybe (likely) a combination of the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toscano Posted December 2, 2005 Report Share Posted December 2, 2005 Doug, Well-explained, mate. So, my interest is in retaining that beautiful rich pink-red colour that PI has. Damn sunlight and oxygen, I knew there was a catch... -t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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