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- Dec 7, 2008
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I just saw this thread started in 2004 but I can't help but add my 2 cents worth.
The hardness of Koa is usually similar to western maple. You can dent the surface with your fingernail.
The only place I have used to have Koa stabilized is K&G. The colors stay vivid, the wood takes the stabilizing agent well and the figure becomes more pronounced. I have sent them pieces as thin as 1/4 inch with no movement when stabilized. Not positive but I believe Chuck from Alpha uses K&G as well.
If you stop sanding at anything under 1000 grit with Koa you are not seeing it's full potential. Think of it like polishing a gemstone because that is what it can look like.
Ringed Gidgee is in the Acacia family so the grain and figure can look similar to Koa. It grows slowly in desert areas of Australia so the wood is hard and dense like desert ironwood.
The hardness of Koa is usually similar to western maple. You can dent the surface with your fingernail.
The only place I have used to have Koa stabilized is K&G. The colors stay vivid, the wood takes the stabilizing agent well and the figure becomes more pronounced. I have sent them pieces as thin as 1/4 inch with no movement when stabilized. Not positive but I believe Chuck from Alpha uses K&G as well.
If you stop sanding at anything under 1000 grit with Koa you are not seeing it's full potential. Think of it like polishing a gemstone because that is what it can look like.
Ringed Gidgee is in the Acacia family so the grain and figure can look similar to Koa. It grows slowly in desert areas of Australia so the wood is hard and dense like desert ironwood.