# Bois D'Arc / Horse Apple / Osage Orange experiment



## CAS14 (Dec 28, 2012)

My kiln dried stave arrived today. It was rejected for bow making purposes, and so was discounted but still expensive. I will use the draw knife to remove the corners, but the price forces me to take my time and be very thoughtful about the detailed shaping.


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## littleknife (Jun 30, 2013)

Looks like a nice material for a hiking staff.

Do you plan to finish it with a UV-resistant coating to preserve the color?


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## CAS14 (Dec 28, 2012)

littleknife said:


> Looks like a nice material for a hiking staff.
> Do you plan to finish it with a UV-resistant coating to preserve the color?


You are way above my level of expertise. I've ben using just 100% Tung oil on sticks. I have much to learn, and I welcome suggestions.


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## littleknife (Jun 30, 2013)

CAS said:


> littleknife said:
> 
> 
> > Looks like a nice material for a hiking staff.
> ...


CAS, I am embarrassed. I am no expert in any way when it comes to pretty much anything, including stickmaking.

I met a woodworker craftsman at a local fair a couple of years ago and he had some pretty osage orange wares. He told me, that the vibrant yellow color of the freshly worked osage orange wood surface will darken considerably with exposure to light, and he actually had on hand some older pieces which were indeed darker.

He also told me, that the only way to delay the darkening was to apply some UV-resistant coating and keep the wood out of direct sunlight or strong artificial light when possible.

Unfortunately I don't have any experience with the different finishes regarding their UV-protecting potential, so I cannot give you a specific suggestion for a product, but hopefully someone here can.


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## CAS14 (Dec 28, 2012)

Ok, I'm researching this now, thanks to your heads up. I have been extremely lucky all my life. Perhaps my luck holds, as these guys claim that 100% Tung oil is UV-resistant. I bought a different brand at Woodcraft, but I will research this more. Many thanks!

http://www.mastersblendfinish.com/tung_oil.php

This is what I've been using, but I see no UV-resistant claims.

http://www.woodcraft.com/category/2084252/woodriver-pure-tung-oil.aspx

Ok, so far I'm confused. Some suggest that UV resistance relates to the darkening of the finish, rather than the wood. So I wonder whether the wood, the finish, or both can darken with UV exposure over time.


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## littleknife (Jun 30, 2013)

CAS, I am glad if I helped in any way.

I was curious if there is tung oil product which would also provide protection agains UV light, and google returned this:

http://www.waterlox.com/faqs/wood-finishing-outdoors/sunlight--and-waterlox-tung-oil-wood-finishes

Also found this topic:

http://www.swingpaints.com/viewmessage.asp?id=1798

Once again, someone with real life experience has to comment as to how much of the above is true.


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## CAS14 (Dec 28, 2012)

littleknife said:


> CAS, I am glad if I helped in any way.
> 
> I was curious if there is tung oil product which would also provide protection agains UV light, and google returned this:
> 
> ...


The second link mentions additives for Tung oil that make it UV resistant. I'm planning to check with Woodcraft and Rockler to get their sales pitches, and read more. Thanks for some great resources. Maybe we'll figure this out.

Hmmm, for real, or sales pitch? http://www.swingpaints.com/productMobile.php?id=2707&type=oils&ex=uscan

Sounds good. Maybe someone knows.


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## littleknife (Jun 30, 2013)

According to this site even polyurethane with UV-blocker did not prevent the considerable darkening of the osage orange wood:

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/osage%20orange.htm

It could be that the UV blocker dissipates the UV energy into visible light or infrared light (heat) and those might contribute to the darkening.
Also, the different blockers are likely not only not 100% efficient but also vary in their efficiency.
I wish there was a publication where they would compare & measure the efficiency of different finishes regarding their ability to preserve the color of different woods.


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## gdenby (Apr 27, 2013)

I will hazard that its not UV that causes the darkening, but oxidization. Based on my experience in an art museum, UV and regular light were limited because any plant based colors faded away to nothing.

Jumping to the finish: Puts some oil on it, and let it age. The color will shift, but stay just as remarkable.

As it happens, some of the first serious carving I did was in osage orange, and I happen to have one work left. The finish, as recommended by my teacher was simply Johnson's paste wax. (His teacher used bees wax) I know I gave it several coats over a period of a few years, after which it sat in a small glassed-in end table at my parents house, never exposed to any direct sunlight. I retrieved it a few years ago. The portion that is sap wood is a deep yellow orange. Not as brilliant as the fresh wood was. The heart wood is a very dark reddish- orangish-brown. It is darker than a mahogany cabinet my wife inherited from her grandmother.

The base never had as much wax on it, and I see that some of the concave areas didn't get as much wax. They are slightly lighter, and some places still have a hint of orange. Evidently, some of the darkening is the effect of the wax aging in the wood.

I just cut a small notch in the base, and in a few less visible areas. The wood where there was little wax has little orange. Its a light tan color. There is a little more orange left under the waxed areas, but the color is still very faded. The waxed area surfaces are much nicer, having a deep rich hue. The sap wood retains some of the yellow-orange of the fresh cut heart wood. When fresh, it was rather ivory-like.


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## boxwoodruler (Jan 11, 2013)

I have considerable experience with osage. It is my opinion that the darkening of this wood UV only. I have several items around the shop I made from osage. One is a box I made for my sharpening slips. I made no effort to control the bright yellow color. The inside and bottom of this box is still "highliter yellow" while the outsides are now brown/orange. I also made a handle for one of my lathe tools which I finished with CA and it is still bright yellow. I don't get too hung up on this matter as both colors are attractive.


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## CAS14 (Dec 28, 2012)

boxwoodruler said:


> I have considerable experience with osage. It is my opinion that the darkening of this wood UV only. I have several items around the shop I made from osage. One is a box I made for my sharpening slips. I made no effort to control the bright yellow color. The inside and bottom of this box is still "highliter yellow" while the outsides are now brown/orange. I also made a handle for one of my lathe tools which I finished with CA and it is still bright yellow. I don't get too hung up on this matter as both colors are attractive.


Thanks! Yesterday I emailed the guy whp makes the staves and he said about the same thing. He likes the colors even when they darken. So I'm not going to worry about it either.


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