Steve Knight wrote...
On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 13:40:43 GMT, "Leon"
wrote:
...
Basically if you get the dust on your sweaty hands the
dust will turn BLOOD RED. Using citrus based blade cleaners will also
turn this powder BLOOD RED.

I never noticed that with ipe. but I have had problems with ebony dust
the stuff would not wash off. but if it reacts to your sweat that could
be a problem for sure.


My hands are often discolored by certain woods, especially when I'm
turning for several hours at a stretch. Walnut, for example, leaves a
dark purplish stain. It doesn't wash off, but seems to go away somehow
within a day or so. I've had similar staining, though different colors,
from cocobolo, bloodwood, gaboon ebony, rosewood (d. stevensonii), and
I'm sure some others. Is this common, or is it something in my sweat?

Can it be washed off? I've tried soaps (including lava), citrus based
hand cleaner, and who knows what else. And if not, why does it disappear
so quickly, relatively speaking? A day or so doesn't seem enough time
for it to wear away.

Jim