Smoked ash HLD (No. 52)

[Knoll]

Baking soda is another household chemical that can be used to get an "aged" look.  Dilute with water and paint on using foam brush.  The baking soda reacts with tannins in the wood.  So the effect depends on wood species . . . maple, not so much . . . cherry, definitely.  Also, tannin levels can vary considerably within a species.  So ya may want to test before committing yourself.  I was committed years ago. 

[JoJoDapyro]

How does baking soda change the appearance?

[Knoll]

How does baking soda change the appearance?

Like the ammonia treatment, baking soda reacts with tannins in the wood.  Wood becomes a darker/aged shade. 
Proportion of water & baking soda can be varied to achieve differing effects.  Tablespoon of bs ( ) to a cup of water is a starting point.

[JW_Halverson]

How does baking soda change the appearance?

Like the ammonia treatment, baking soda reacts with tannins in the wood.  Wood becomes a darker/aged shade. 
Proportion of water & baking soda can be varied to achieve differing effects.  Tablespoon of bs ( ) to a cup of water is a starting point.

Just a tablespoon of b.s.?  Sure doesn't take a lot of b.s. to do the job, why is there so much of it being created???

[JacksonCash]

Yes Simon I'm a little familiar with the 'fuming' method for wood coloration. Gus Stickley and other craftsmen furniture makers used this method around the turn of the last century and before on their fine furniture. It was also employed for millwork to trim homes at that time. From what I have read tents were built to put the wood, mostly white oak, in with pans of ammonia placed inside to fume the wood. Kind of a hazardous situation to your health so you had to be quite careful. My home is a 1910 arts & crafts bungalow so the wife and I are always on the look out for period furnishing and read quite a bit on all subjects relating to the craftsmen style of architecture.
I've thought about trying that method on bows before but never have so I'm glad you posted it. The bow looks great, hollow wood design with the ammonia finish, doesn't get much better than that my friend.

I just bought a home built in 1910 myself, I wonder if the oak in it has had the same done to it? It looks like it has a surface varnish on it as well. Do you have some pictures of some of the wood work in your house?

[Chadwicksbog]

Yes ammonia fuming white oak is the traditional stain for quarter sawn craftsman style furniture. It treats the Rays in quarter sawn with the most respect that you can give it!

[Chadwicksbog]

Well I obviously didn't read all the posts! Hahahaha

[Native_life14]

I haven't been on this forum long but that is a real work of art, amazing job! You have my vote for Bow the Month!!

[duke3192]

Fellows, I am new to this site, but not to primitive archery, I have been using bleach to darken my new osage bows for years, I read about in a article in Primitive Archery magazine years ago, just wipe it on and let it set for a short while, from my experience it doesn't do anything for the elasticty of the wood.
Johnny

[Carson (CMB)]

That is a beautiful bow.  The grain of ash in the hollow limb design plus the darkening is incredible! 

I have achieved similar darkening effects with a "stain" from vinegar and steel wool. Picked up this simple recipe from aaron.  Can't say I noticed an increase in elasticity, but is sure looks good on ash, osage and also fir arrow shafts. 

[loefflerchuck]

Love that bow. Never seen knocks done in that style inlay.

[Deerslayer]

Hi Simon,
I gotta hand it to you, you're out there stretching the envelope with innovation.
Cheers, Deerslayer.

[SLIMBOB]

Beautiful work simson!  Always like seeing your contributions.

[simson]

Thanks a lot for your comments, interesting things here!

Fellows, I am new to this site, but not to primitive archery, I have been using bleach to darken my new osage bows for years, I read about in a article in Primitive Archery magazine years ago, just wipe it on and let it set for a short while, from my experience it doesn't do anything for the elasticty of the wood.
Johnny

Never worked with bleach, but I'm interested. I give it a try on one of the next ...

That is a beautiful bow.  The grain of ash in the hollow limb design plus the darkening is incredible! 

I have achieved similar darkening effects with a "stain" from vinegar and steel wool. Picked up this simple recipe from aaron.  Can't say I noticed an increase in elasticity, but is sure looks good on ash, osage and also fir arrow shafts. 

Carson, as mentioned before, there is a difference in a positive and a negative dye / stain. A dye, once dryed out is only pigments imbedded in wood cells, you cannot expect any difference inthe wood structure like elasticity. But using ammonia is another thing, this works in the cells, not on the cells. Just try out on a piece of ash. saw it in two pieces, let one piece in the fuming pipe /tube over night, polish both the same way the next day. You will note a big difference, the fumed piece has a really super smooth surface.

Love that bow. Never seen knocks done in that style inlay.

Did that style on numerous bows meanwhile to stiffen out the outer limb with saving mass. Here is my very first, but I like very much (my first post here on PA, too): http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,34732.0.html

[Aussie Yeoman]

Simson, terrific finish on that bow. An inspiration.

When I was researching the bending of wood in preparation for doing recurves, I came across an old-school article (not related to bowmaking) that said wood could be softened so as to bend it either through heat (in steam or boiling water) or through soaking in a chemical solution. As an example, it gave ammonia as a suitable medium.

So Simson's observations about fuming the wood overnight making the wood more elastic are quite interesting.