Do Box Elder Burl inlays darken with age?

[Microbe hunter]

Here comes a dumb question: Will these inlays darken with age? The wood is stabilized so I would think they would not change color, but I have no idea. Thanks

 

[TRfromMT]

It shouldnt. Stabilized wood, depending on how well it was stabilized and if there is any sort of open porosity may change color with use. Some woods will turn lighter in UV light, but it could also be the oils and dirt from your hands turning it darker. Probably take many many years of regular use, if ever. By then it will still look just like it's supposed to with the knife and maybe your grandson will appreciate "granddad's old knife."

 

[Officer's Match]

I don't know what this looked like back in 2002, but I doubt it has darkened.

 

[kidcongo]

In my experience they do not darken as much as you might expect them to, if at all, even with being so light coloured in most examples. There must be some sort of UV stabilizer in the stabilizer resin as even leaving the knife in the sun (which typically oxidizes maple, darkening it) does nothing, nor does rubbing the scales with oil etc. I know this because I tried to force my box elder scales to darken through natural processes, but could not. It's more akin to plastic than wood. I believe over many years, they do darken a fraction, as the very old examples are typically more honey-coloured, like an older maple guitar neck, but I think you may grow very old waiting for it to happen.

 

[Cory Hess]

All wood darkens with age. Some darken quickly, like purpleheart, and others darken much more slowly. I agree with Cody in that I believe that most times woods that have stabilized behave more like plastic than wood. I think that theoretically the wood will eventually age and darken, but that in practice you will age much more quickly and will lose your eyesight before it becomes much of an issue.

 

[AR-Trvlr]

I had a small sebenza with box elder that I carried in the same pocket as a small copper flashlight. Over time the box elder acquired a greenish tint, but I'm 99.9% that was due to something other than age...

(I later lost that knife down at AFRC HQ at Robins AFB when I was there for a meeting. Sucks.)