Tips and tricks for cherry

[hortonstn]

Carving and staining (I've read everything in the search menu) anything new ?

[J Henry]

    Expose cheery to sunlight will cause it to darken

[hortonstn]

Is this done before sealing?

[Bart]

You can use oven cleaner to darken and age cherry, this works really well an it is easy to do. It must be applied to the raw wood surface.

Bart

[Ron Scott]

The sunlight exposure can be done after the finish is applied. The result is a more natural look than chemical aging. My son used a flourescent light for48 hrs to darken the cherrywood cradle he made. This particular lamp is sold for use in Reptile herbariums.

[rich pierce]

You can use oven cleaner to darken and age cherry, this works really well an it is easy to do. It must be applied to the raw wood surface.

Bart

Some “safe” oven cleaners have no lye. So, it’s important to figure that out or be confused and disappointed.  Also it’s not just spray on and go. It’s a chemical reaction accelerated by heat, like most are.

[Jim Kibler]

Potassium dichromate will accelerate the natural oxidation of cherry.  I've not tried it, but did purchase some with the intent of using it.  I've heard from some super cabinet makers that it's great stuff, but is kind of a nasty chemical.  I guess it also does great things to walnut.  If you do a little online research, you can find more information.

Jim

[Jim Kibler]

I also recall reading that generally most of the darkening (oxidation) of cherry will occur within the first year.  Sometimes it just takes a little patience.

[T*O*F]

Potassium dichromate will accelerate the natural oxidation of cherry.

It works well on both cherry and walnut, but can turn maple green.  It brings out the little swirls and whorls and other little tidbits hidden in the wood.  Douse the wood with a heavy coat and let it set overnite.  It will turn black.  Wet sand it with vinegar until you get the color you want.  Let it dry and buff with a coarse cloth.  This will fill some of the grain in walnut.

If you want that black aged look that many walnut, southern guns have, just leave it black and burnish it with a fine ScotchBrite pad.

[Dave Marsh]

Potassium dichromate will accelerate the natural oxidation of cherry.

It works well on both cherry and walnut, but can turn maple green.  It brings out the little swirls and whorls and other little tidbits hidden in the wood.  Douse the wood with a heavy coat and let it set overnite.  It will turn black.  Wet sand it with vinegar until you get the color you want.  Let it dry and buff with a coarse cloth.  This will fill some of the grain in walnut.

Do you use the powder. the crystals or the already mixed Potassium dichromate?  I have a cherry Woodsrunner coming and may try using it Thanks. 

[RichG]

Just pick up some drain cleaner, 100% Lye, and mix a table spoon or two into a pint jar of water. Test on scraps of your stock until you get the darkness you want. Easy

[T*O*F]

Do you use the powder. the crystals or the already mixed Potassium dichromate?  I have a cherry Woodsrunner coming and may try using it Thanks.

I use the crystals that Dixie sold or used to sell.  I've got bottles mixed with water that are still viable after many years.

[WKevinD]

I use lye (sodium hydroxide) to stain cherry and neutralize with white vinegar and ammonia.
I make soap so I buy 50 lb sacks of it.
Lye is very caustic, eye protection and latex gloves are a must.
A strong solution is 1Tbs. dissolved in a pint jar of distilled water. This will heat up as the ly dissolves. Add lye to water NEVER water to lye.
Both cherry, different boards and strength solutions.
Kevin

[Dennis Glazener]

I have a can of Red Devil lye and started with a weak solution and keep adding until I get the color I wanted. Before that I leeches lye out of oak/hickory wood ashes but never got the lye water strong enough to suite me. With the Red Devil lye you won't have that problem.
Dennis
 

[HighUintas]

I use lye (sodium hydroxide) to stain cherry and neutralize with white vinegar and ammonia.
I make soap so I buy 50 lb sacks of it.
Lye is very caustic, eye protection and latex gloves are a must.
A strong solution is 1Tbs. dissolved in a pint jar of distilled water. This will heat up as the ly dissolves. Add lye to water NEVER water to lye.
Both cherry, different boards and strength solutions.
Kevin

Those are very nice. Is the only difference in the color of those two due to the wood and solution concentration? The contrast is surprising.

[Panzerschwein]

Stained over cherry is an awful waste of good wood.

A nice figured piece of cherry molested with fruit punch colored stain like some like to do is just nasty.

That’s a hill I’ll die on!

[hortonstn]

What finish shows the tru color? Tru oil,clear lacquer, I suppose the cherry will still darken

[alacran]

Cherry will keep darkening even if a UV retarding finish is used. The most beautiful cherry finish is acquired with time. Any of the aforementioned darkening agents will eventually turn the stock close to black. Cherry is very photoreactive, like Osage Orange.

[silky]

I'm a big fan of cherry and like it best unstained, but when an immediate slight darkening is desired I use Easy-Off oven cleaner.  As Rich mentioned, not all oven cleaner has lye in it; the Easy-Off that comes in a yellow can does and the label says "DANGER: CORROSIVE. CONTAINS SODIUM HYDROXIDE (LYE)."

My technique is to spray some in a plastic dish then add water to make it ~10:1 ratio -- very diluted, allowing me to control the darkening with repeated wiped on applications.

Here's a pic showing the extremes of concentration.  The rifle is cherry hit with full-strength Easy-Off sprayed directly on the stock.  The picture frame is three wiped-on applications of the 10:1 diluted solution... darkened it just a bit without "disrespecting" the natural beauty of cherry. Both are finished with tung oil.

Hope this helps.

- Tom

[hortonstn]

After easy-off what do I do to stop the reaction?

[rich pierce]

With any lye treatment the wood is allowed to dry a few hours, then blushed with heat. At that point the reaction should be done and the lye exhausted. Some like to neutralize with vinegar. Some wash with water. Dry overnight or longer before adding sealer.

[Dutch Blacky]

ATTENTION

POTASSIUM DICHROMATE IS HIGHLY  CANCEROGENIC !

Do avoid contact with skin and do not inhalate. So think of wearing  at least chemical resistant gloves, a FFP2 mask, (best would be a ABC protection equipment)
 
  


and try to remove ALL oft the dicromate from the stock.