Reading the previously posted thread entitiled "Need to stain cherry
to dark cherry" jogged my memory or maybe my imagination. I swear I
remember a product being advertised that permanently darkened cherry
and was not a stain or dye. I was a chemical reaction IIRC and
prevented the cherry from darkening further over time and left it a
deep antique cherry color. I googled and didn't find anything. Am I
imagining this or does it actually exist?

Mike in Arkansas wrote:
Reading the previously posted thread entitiled "Need to stain cherry
to dark cherry" jogged my memory or maybe my imagination. I swear I
remember a product being advertised that permanently darkened cherry
and was not a stain or dye. I was a chemical reaction IIRC and
prevented the cherry from darkening further over time and left it a
deep antique cherry color. I googled and didn't find anything. Am I
imagining this or does it actually exist?


Are you thinking of lye? There have been many threads on the subject in
the past. Here's a re-LYE-able source post from May 15, 1998:

"Its done by dissolving between 1-5 teaspoons of sodium hydroxide (Red
Devil Lye) in water and applying the solution to the wood. Wear all
sorts of safety stuff as this is corrosive and splashes in your eye will
really hurt.

Practice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! on samples first and
neutralize the lye with white vinegar afterwards.

Jeff Jewitt
Homestead Finishing Products"

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

"Nova" wrote in message
news:PfuTi.616$aB2.200@trndny07...
Mike in Arkansas wrote:
Reading the previously posted thread entitiled "Need to stain cherry
to dark cherry" jogged my memory or maybe my imagination. I swear I
remember a product being advertised that permanently darkened cherry
and was not a stain or dye. I was a chemical reaction IIRC and
prevented the cherry from darkening further over time and left it a
deep antique cherry color. I googled and didn't find anything. Am I
imagining this or does it actually exist?


Are you thinking of lye? There have been many threads on the subject in
the past. Here's a re-LYE-able source post from May 15, 1998:

And it looks pretty much like you would expect wood to look after it had
been treated with lye.

On Oct 23, 6:06 pm, ROY! wrote:
On Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:49:33 -0700, Mike in Arkansas

Well I could have sworn that it was a commercially available product
and that I had seen it described in one of the wood magazines. And
that I was standing reading it at Lowes magazine rack. Oh well, I
guess having an imagination is not bad. Wish my memory was better

Mike in Arkansas wrote:
On Oct 23, 6:06 pm, ROY! wrote:

On Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:49:33 -0700, Mike in Arkansas


Well I could have sworn that it was a commercially available product
and that I had seen it described in one of the wood magazines. And
that I was standing reading it at Lowes magazine rack. Oh well, I
guess having an imagination is not bad. Wish my memory was better


Was it "Old Growth Aging and Staining Solutions for Wood"?

I also remember this product being advertised. I can now find reviews

http://www.woodworking.org/WC/GArchi...oldgrowth.html

but I can't find the product.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

In article , "Toller" wrote:

"Nova" wrote in message
news:PfuTi.616$aB2.200@trndny07...
Mike in Arkansas wrote:
Reading the previously posted thread entitiled "Need to stain cherry
to dark cherry" jogged my memory or maybe my imagination. I swear I
remember a product being advertised that permanently darkened cherry
and was not a stain or dye. I was a chemical reaction IIRC and
prevented the cherry from darkening further over time and left it a
deep antique cherry color. I googled and didn't find anything. Am I
imagining this or does it actually exist?


Are you thinking of lye? There have been many threads on the subject in
the past. Here's a re-LYE-able source post from May 15, 1998:

And it looks pretty much like you would expect wood to look after it had
been treated with lye.

I'm guessing you haven't actually done it, then, or if you did -- you used
waaaaay too much.

The degree of darkening depends on the strength of the solution, how much
solution is applied to the wood, and how long it's left on there before being
treated with vinegar (or water).

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Thanks Jack. That is kind of familiar. Must have been what I read
about although it seems the review I saw was specifically about
cherry. I notice the link that was supplied in the reviews to
Woodworkers supply mentions that orders are limited to available
stock. May not have been a successful product.

On Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:49:33 -0700, Mike in Arkansas
wrote:

Reading the previously posted thread entitiled "Need to stain cherry
to dark cherry" jogged my memory or maybe my imagination. I swear I
remember a product being advertised that permanently darkened cherry
and was not a stain or dye. I was a chemical reaction IIRC and
prevented the cherry from darkening further over time and left it a
deep antique cherry color. I googled and didn't find anything. Am I
imagining this or does it actually exist?


sodium hydroxide. Do not get this stuff on your skin or in your eyes.
Even with this, you won't get the desirable dark patina you get from
naturally-aged cherry.