coloring bamboo

[TomW]

Hello gentlemen
A trip this weekend to a flooring distributors warehouse sale
got me a bundle of cherry and assorted other woods but what interested me a lot was bamboo.
The salesman showed me some nice samples of bamboo flooring that he said was colored by flame.
I just put a bamboo handle on kitchen knife in the traditional style but would like to do some experimenting with the flame technique.
I'm sure some of you have experience.
Any tips will be appreciated

 

[Mark Williams]

I know you can get some cool effects by spraying on water and flameing. It will discolor with uncolored spots from the water droplets.

mark

 

[RHINOKNIVES]

i use the lamenite bamboo flooring on my some of my asian style culinary knives. was this flame treatment done before the lamenite process? because i don't think the polymer wood do well being brushed with a torch? HHHMMMM this may be some thing to try?

 

[RARanney]

Well... If you mean green (as in fresh) bamboo here is one way. Use a propane torch to "paint" with the flame. It will turn multi-toned tan/brown before your eyes. This process dries and colors in one step. The natural resins come to the surface to act as a natural varnish of sorts. Be careful of the steam that comes out of the bamboo as you work. I'm told that this drying method is superior to slow curing because of the resin thing.