Curly Birch

Shaughnessy

Shaughnessy

Joined
Apr 11, 2007
Messages
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In the redwood / maple sale thread I had, I might have thrown in some of this curly birch for free in your boxes.

Heres a pic of some of that same curly birch using the acid recipe, and a little transtint. On the butt there is a piece of african blackwood.

This will be an ice cream scoop (when finished), which could end up being a very important tool this summer..... :D

Larry
 

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Ice cream scoop. That would come in handy. Which acid recipe are you referring to? I've got some nitric acid that I though I heard could be used for making the dye but can't find any information. Do you just keep adding steel wool till it won't accept anymore?
 
Ray heres the recipe. I got it from Stuart Willis. Says curly maple and leather dye, but I used curly birch and transtint dye. Seemed to work fairly well. Larry
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Curly maple recipe:

3 parts water (About Pint Size Parts)
1 part muratic acid
ALWAYS ADD ACID TO WATER just remember 3A's DO ALL THIS OUTSIDE AND DON'T INHALE THE FUMES!!!!!!! WEAR EYE PROTECTION!!!!!
I then pull a pad of 0000 steel wool apart and add to the mixture. Let mixture dissolve the steel wool usually takes about 2 days. It is then ready for use.
The finer and slicker you get the wood the better the stripes will pop out. I apply sparingly. It will turn the wood a yellowish color. you will think you have ruin it. Apply heat with a heat gun or torch till blackened. Don't burn it just turn it black. Again you will think you ruined it and by this time you be hating me. Rinse with baking soda and water mix almost a paste but still a liquid as you wash it will turn brown. Steel wool again after drying and add you favorite finish.
Every piece of maple will be different try a small scrap piece before doing the actual piece. if it doesn't suit you you can always add a little leather dye to get more reds or browns
 
Why go to the trouble of making the ferric choride? You should already have some of that.
You could dissolve some red rust (ferrous oxide) in vinegar and make ferric acetate, which is good to make the woods high in tannin, like oak, black.
 
Never tried that Howie....this was easy and I had the muriatic acid already so I just used that. Thanks for the tip.

Larry
 
Raymond Richard said:
Ice cream scoop. That would come in handy. Which acid recipe are you referring to? I've got some nitric acid that I though I heard could be used for making the dye but can't find any information. Do you just keep adding steel wool till it won't accept anymore?
Click to expand...
I would avoid using nitric acid on cellulose based materials. Although there is little risk because of the short exposure time and low concentration you should try to replace the nitric with a different acid. Nitric combines with the cellulose to form tri-nitrocellulose which is extremely flammable(explosive when confined) and a high explosive (similiar to tri-nitroglycerin) when properly detonated; also it gives off DEADLY thick red colored fumes if it overheats while its making the chemical reaction. Which is not hard to do since the reaction is exothermic.

Larry that is B-E-A-utiful. I'm gonna have to try this for the saya of a tanto.
 
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Dan, you must be a chemist. I am a pharmaceutical chemist and I agree with your comments. Nitric acid is very dangerous. I would avoid it like the plague.
 
Dan Seaver said:
I would avoid using nitric acid on cellulose based materials. Although there is little risk because of the short exposure time and low concentration you should try to replace the nitric with a different acid. Nitric combines with the cellulose to form tri-nitrocellulose which is extremely flammable and a high explosive when properly detonated; also it gives off DEADLY thick red colored fumes if it overheats while its making the chemical reaction. Which is not hard to do since the reaction is exothermic.

Larry that is B-E-A-utiful. I'm gonna have to try this for the saya of a tanto.
Click to expand...

Dan, Thank for the advise!

Larry, Thanks for the recipe!

Howie, Good to see you around.
 
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