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I felled a black cherry tree in my yard and now I'm milling the wood
from it. I am finding all of this wood to be about the color of
Maple, maybe a wee bit darker. How come whenever you see any Cherry
furniture or cabinets it is a dark reddish brown in color? Is it
always stained?

-Jim
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On 11/12/2010 5:00 AM, jtpr wrote:
I felled a black cherry tree in my yard and now I'm milling the wood
from it. I am finding all of this wood to be about the color of
Maple, maybe a wee bit darker. How come whenever you see any Cherry
furniture or cabinets it is a dark reddish brown in color? Is it
always stained?


A lot of the "cherry" furniture you see is indeed stained to get a jump
on the natural darkening process due to exposure to sunlight, or is not
cherry and has been stained to look like cherry after it has been
exposed to sunlight.

Cherry will naturally darken with exposure to sunlight. So much so that
it will become as dark as walnut over time.

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On 11/12/2010 5:00 AM, jtpr wrote:
I felled a black cherry tree in my yard and now I'm milling the wood
from it. I am finding all of this wood to be about the color of
Maple, maybe a wee bit darker. How come whenever you see any Cherry
furniture or cabinets it is a dark reddish brown in color? Is it
always stained?

-Jim


Because we live in a world of instant gratification and people can't stand to
wait the six months to a year it takes for Cherry to darken on its own. And
stained Cherry never looks as good as it would if it were just left alone.

--
See Nad. See Nad go. Go Nad!
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Try this one

http://www.finewoodworking.com/Mater....aspx?id=33618


"jtpr" wrote in message
...
I felled a black cherry tree in my yard and now I'm milling the wood
from it. I am finding all of this wood to be about the color of
Maple, maybe a wee bit darker. How come whenever you see any Cherry
furniture or cabinets it is a dark reddish brown in color? Is it
always stained?

-Jim


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How come whenever you see any Cherry
furniture or cabinets it is a dark reddish brown in color? *Is it
always stained?

-Jim


Yes usually stained but you can darken Cherry "quasi" naturally using
chemicals. Potassium dichromate specifically. It is in Drano, etc. but
you can buy it full strength in powder form on ebay real cheap. It is
a bit dangerous but works fantastic. If you leave it long enough it
will go almost black, yet leave the variations of the underlying
color.

I did some testing with Red Devil drain cleaner and the outcome was
awesome. I have in the near future an "antiqued" Cherry bedroom set
for myself and I'll probably build an extra set for sale. I just love
the deep rich redish brown.

Read some about it here. http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=27343



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"SonomaProducts.com" wrote in
:

How come whenever you see any Cherry
furniture or cabinets it is a dark reddish brown in color? *Is it
always stained?

-Jim


Yes usually stained but you can darken Cherry "quasi" naturally using
chemicals. Potassium dichromate specifically. It is in Drano, etc. but
you can buy it full strength in powder form on ebay real cheap. It is
a bit dangerous but works fantastic. If you leave it long enough it
will go almost black, yet leave the variations of the underlying
color.

I did some testing with Red Devil drain cleaner and the outcome was
awesome. I have in the near future an "antiqued" Cherry bedroom set
for myself and I'll probably build an extra set for sale. I just love
the deep rich redish brown.

Read some about it here.
http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=27343


I'm not an expert in wood finishing, far from it. However, as a
(bio)chemist I have had experience with potassium dichromate.
Specifically, we used to use it dissolved in concentrated sulfuric acid
to make a really, really powerful cleaning agent for our glassware.
That takes advantage of the extremely powerful oxidation capabilities of
the combination of 2 powerful oxidizers. It hurts when you get it in
the eye. Later, we were forbidden to use it because chromium (chromate
is an anion derived from chromium) is a carcinogen. So, be careful with
potassium dichromate - an oxidizer and a carcinogen.

I surmise that drain cleaners darken wood because of their very high pH.
Be careful with lye etc. At high pH your skin and other proteins are
dissolved quite effectively, and the lye wil keep eating away until it
is either exhausted or really rinsed away. Acids are bad for you too,
but at least they denature the protein and form something of a
protective layer; lye just dissolves everything.

If yoy follow any directions for the use of chemicals, know what you are
doing and understand and follow the directions.

Universal paid for healthcare isn't yet available for everyone here in
the US ...

--
Best regards
Han
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Don't know if it's a combination of heat (Josepi's link?) and the
chemical agent, but using K2Cr2O7 in direct sunlight will darken your
wood a heck of a lot faster and with a darker shade, than applying it
in a non-sunlit shop/environment. My uncle would apply it and, while
still wet, flash it in direct sunlight for about 30 to 60 seconds and
you could watch the darkness evolve in that time frame... darker and
faster darkening, than when not exposed to sunlight.

Sonny

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On Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:31:19 -0600, Swingman wrote:

On 11/12/2010 5:00 AM, jtpr wrote:
I felled a black cherry tree in my yard and now I'm milling the wood
from it. I am finding all of this wood to be about the color of
Maple, maybe a wee bit darker. How come whenever you see any Cherry
furniture or cabinets it is a dark reddish brown in color? Is it
always stained?


A lot of the "cherry" furniture you see is indeed stained to get a jump
on the natural darkening process due to exposure to sunlight, or is not
cherry and has been stained to look like cherry after it has been
exposed to sunlight.

Cherry will naturally darken with exposure to sunlight. So much so that
it will become as dark as walnut over time.

Or you can "gas" or "fume" the cherry to speed up the darkening - I
believe ammonia does the trick pretty well.
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"jtpr" wrote in message
...
I felled a black cherry tree in my yard and now I'm milling the wood
from it. I am finding all of this wood to be about the color of
Maple, maybe a wee bit darker. How come whenever you see any Cherry
furniture or cabinets it is a dark reddish brown in color? Is it
always stained?



It may be that your garden cherry is not the same cherry that is normally
felled for timber. I am no expert on cherry species but istr in europe at
least that the timber from a fruit bearing orchard tree was indeed pale in
colour.

Tim W


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Default Color of cherry

On Nov 12, 2:32*pm, "SonomaProducts.com" wrote:
*How come whenever you see any Cherry

furniture or cabinets it is a dark reddish brown in color? *Is it
always stained?


-Jim


Yes usually stained but you can darken Cherry "quasi" naturally using
chemicals. Potassium dichromate specifically. It is in Drano,


Sodium hydroxide, aka red devil lye, and aluminum filings.
Add water, and it gets boiling hot, hopefully also boiling out
whatever muck is clogging the drain. Pouring in a kettle of
boiling water is cheaper, safer, and just as effective.

Potassium dichromate is used to photosensitize certain
printmaking emulsions. Red crystals, no odor. Skin contact
can result in ulcers. As with Drano, use common sense.

etc. but
you can buy it full strength in powder form on ebay real cheap. It is
a bit dangerous but works fantastic. If you leave it long enough it
will go almost black, yet leave the variations of the underlying
color.

I did some testing with Red Devil drain cleaner and the outcome was
awesome. I have in the near future an "antiqued" Cherry bedroom set
for myself and I'll probably build an extra set for sale. I just love
the deep rich redish brown.

Read some about it here.http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=27343


Flexner recommends orange shellac to warm up cherry or walnut's
usually cold tone. I'd lean toward that solution, since it won't age
too dark.
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On Nov 12, 2:53*pm, Han wrote:

I surmise that drain cleaners darken wood because of their very high pH.
*Be careful with lye etc. *At high pH your skin and other proteins are
dissolved quite effectively, and the lye wil keep eating away until it
is either exhausted or really rinsed away. *Acids are bad for you too,
but at least they denature the protein and form something of a
protective layer; lye just dissolves everything.


Reason bases feel slippery is they react with skin oils to form soap.
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On Nov 12, 4:00*am, jtpr wrote:
I felled a black cherry tree in my yard and now I'm milling the wood
from it. *


Jim

Please comment, if you will, about the sizes of the wood after
milling. Please include the height of the main trunk if possible.

Thanks
Bob AZ
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"Father Haskell" wrote:
Sodium hydroxide, aka red devil lye, and aluminum filings.

------------

Sodium hydroxide, AKA: "Caustic", "Caustic Soda".

Nasty stuff.

50% caustic is most common strength used to make soap as well as other
basic products.

Definitely not something to screw around with unless you have
training, especially when Mother Nature darkens cherry in 6-9 months
or less just using normal daylight.

Patience is a virtue.

Lew



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I want some grape cabinets.

* -MIKE-


..... and use Fruit-of-the-Loom cloth to buff them out.

Sonny
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"Bob AZ" wrote in message
...
On Nov 12, 4:00 am, jtpr wrote:
I felled a black cherry tree in my yard and now I'm milling the wood
from it.


Jim

Please comment, if you will, about the sizes of the wood after
milling. Please include the height of the main trunk if possible.

Thanks
Bob AZ


Since he felled it, the height of the main trunk is equal to the diameter.

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On 11/12/2010 7:24 PM, Lew Hodgett wrote:
"Father Haskell" wrote:
Sodium hydroxide, aka red devil lye, and aluminum filings.

------------

Sodium hydroxide, AKA: "Caustic", "Caustic Soda".

Nasty stuff.

50% caustic is most common strength used to make soap as well as other
basic products.

Definitely not something to screw around with unless you have
training, especially when Mother Nature darkens cherry in 6-9 months
or less just using normal daylight.

Patience is a virtue.

Lew


Ed Zachary! I just don't understand all this yap about forcing Cherry to
darken using noxious chemicals, and it goes right back to what I said about us
living in a world of instant gratification. I don't know that I've ever seen
"forcibly" darkened Cherry, but I'd be damned surprised if it looked anywhere
near as good as Cherry that's been left alone to do its own thing.

--
"Our beer goes through thousands of quality Czechs every day."
(From a Shiner Bock billboard I saw in Austin some years ago)
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On 11/12/2010 10:14 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

"Bob AZ" wrote in message
...
On Nov 12, 4:00 am, jtpr wrote:
I felled a black cherry tree in my yard and now I'm milling the wood
from it.


Jim

Please comment, if you will, about the sizes of the wood after
milling. Please include the height of the main trunk if possible.

Thanks
Bob AZ


Since he felled it, the height of the main trunk is equal to the diameter.


Groan :-)

--
See Nad. See Nad go. Go Nad!
To reply, eat the taco.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/
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On Nov 12, 6:19*pm, -MIKE- wrote:
snip
I want some grape cabinets.


Use purpleheart. But then it might turn brown. -)

Luigi


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On Nov 12, 6:00*am, jtpr wrote:
I felled a black cherry tree in my yard and now I'm milling the wood
from it. *I am finding all of this wood to be about the color of
Maple, maybe a wee bit darker. * How come whenever you see any Cherry
furniture or cabinets it is a dark reddish brown in color? *Is it
always stained?

-Jim


For cherry wood that I buy from local hardwood vendors I use boiled
linseed oil, next day a coat of shellac(sanding sealer style, no wax)
and then poly or lacquer or whatever. The BLO instantly gives the hi
pro glow. In a couple of years the color is absolutely stunning.

RP
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On Nov 12, 11:26*pm, Steve Turner
wrote:
[snipperized]

*I don't know that I've ever seen
"forcibly" darkened Cherry, but I'd be damned surprised if it looked anywhere
near as good as Cherry that's been left alone to do its own thing.


Amen, brother, amen!
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"Martin Eastburn" wrote in message
...
I can just see it. The Court takes the cabinets off to store for
the trial. In storage, the cabinets darken.

Get a red faced customer and a happy vendor.



Not likely to darken in storage unless exposed to the sun.


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wrote in message
...
On Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:34:42 -0600, Martin Eastburn
wrote:

I can just see it. The Court takes the cabinets off to store for
the trial. In storage, the cabinets darken.

Get a red faced customer and a happy vendor.

Martin


They won't ever turn the color of cherry stain, which is the color of
the fruit, not the wood. People like the customer in this story think
that the wood of a cherry tree is the same color as cherry stain.
These cabinets have been clear coated. I imagine they will be light
colored for many years.


Unless exposed to sun light.




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"jtpr" wrote in message
...
I felled a black cherry tree in my yard and now I'm milling the wood
from it. I am finding all of this wood to be about the color of
Maple, maybe a wee bit darker. How come whenever you see any Cherry
furniture or cabinets it is a dark reddish brown in color? Is it
always stained?

-Jim


I often find it difficult to distinguish cherry from maple in a lumber yard
especially of the some of the maple has dark spots. Chery tends to be a tad
more tan than maple when new and darkens greatly with exposure to sunlight.


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Just put the Cherry wood in sunlight for a day or so , it darkens up nicely
or finished project in sunny room. Most cherry furniture you find in stores
is stained or coloured maple ect. to look cherry. The Chatoyancy of oiled
cherry is it's own thing, nothing quit like it

"jtpr" wrote in message
...
I felled a black cherry tree in my yard and now I'm milling the wood
from it. I am finding all of this wood to be about the color of
Maple, maybe a wee bit darker. How come whenever you see any Cherry
furniture or cabinets it is a dark reddish brown in color? Is it
always stained?

-Jim



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On 11/13/10 12:22 AM, Luigi Zanasi wrote:
On Nov 12, 6:19 pm, wrote:
snip
I want some grape cabinets.


Use purpleheart. But then it might turn brown. -)

Luigi


You just run the doors through the planer every 6 months.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
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On Nov 13, 11:54*am, -MIKE- wrote:
On 11/13/10 12:22 AM, Luigi Zanasi wrote:

On Nov 12, 6:19 pm, *wrote:
snip
I want some grape cabinets.


Use purpleheart. But then it might turn brown. -)


Luigi


You just run the doors through the planer every 6 months.


I understand the planer blades make a mess of the hinges though...
What turns it brown is oxidation. Seal off the air, and it stays
purple. If you don't seal it, it will rust......like oak.



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On 11/13/10 4:12 PM, Robatoy wrote:
I want some grape cabinets.


Use purpleheart. But then it might turn brown. -)


Luigi


You just run the doors through the planer every 6 months.


I understand the planer blades make a mess of the hinges though...
What turns it brown is oxidation. Seal off the air, and it stays
purple. If you don't seal it, it will rust......like oak.


Ahh crap, you beat me to it.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

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On Fri, 12 Nov 2010 08:42:56 -0600, Steve Turner
wrote:

On 11/12/2010 5:00 AM, jtpr wrote:
I felled a black cherry tree in my yard and now I'm milling the wood
from it. I am finding all of this wood to be about the color of
Maple, maybe a wee bit darker. How come whenever you see any Cherry
furniture or cabinets it is a dark reddish brown in color? Is it
always stained?

-Jim


Because we live in a world of instant gratification and people can't stand to
wait the six months to a year it takes for Cherry to darken on its own. And
stained Cherry never looks as good as it would if it were just left alone.


Not to mention that it's a MORTAL SIN to stain and poly cherry.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of death, I shall use neither
stain nor poly on cherry.

--
To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.
-- J. K. Rowling
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I always assumed most wood darkening was from UV exposure. Clear coats do
not stop UV penetration well, at all.


"Leon" wrote in message
...
Unless exposed to sun light.



wrote in message
...
They won't ever turn the color of cherry stain, which is the color of
the fruit, not the wood. People like the customer in this story think
that the wood of a cherry tree is the same color as cherry stain.
These cabinets have been clear coated. I imagine they will be light
colored for many years.






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"Josepi" wrote in message
...
I always assumed most wood darkening was from UV exposure. Clear coats do
not stop UV penetration well, at all.



Sun light will darken most woods and eventually turn them grey if exposed
long enough. Sun light will also lighten some woods.


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On Nov 13, 5:47*pm, Larry Jaques
wrote:


Not to mention that it's a MORTAL SIN to stain and poly cherry.


I agree.....with a caveat. I love working with cherry. I have a bunch
in stock, the origin of which is known to me. I like the smell, the
way it takes detail, relatively stable and it this case not too
expensive.
So my last project was made with cherry and I blew 3 coats of MinWax
Polyshades all over it. I got the Japanese dark red colour Angela
wanted and my therapist thinks I stand a chance to be back on solid
food within 3 weeks when he'll sign for a weekend pass.

The only other thing I had handy was 14" wide poplar, flat and
straight and 12 feet long and 6/4, so no way was I going to hurt those
boards.

oops, time is up, I must join the group and cut out some paper
dolls...
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Sunlight has darkened my Tiger Wood (not golf related) hardwood floors a
lot. I doubt they would ever go grey, though. ALl the matching and prep for
this floor ..about 1200 sq. ft. and now it is all deep red with the black
stripes and swirls in it. We think we will start lifting up the carpet in
the middle on vacations. The lines are so distinct it may never fade
evenly...LOL

After finishing the floor area I threw a wrecked piece out on the deck
(rain, direct sun on south side and snow) for a year and a half now. The
wood colour has darkened a lot, the urethane finish looks a bit duller but
not cracked, split or harmed, as far as I can tell. I cconsidered doing the
deck in exotic hardwoods after reading about it's durability. Drilling every
deckscrew hole would have been a bitch though. Stuff is so friggin' hard
though.


"Leon" wrote in message
...
Sun light will darken most woods and eventually turn them grey if exposed
long enough. Sun light will also lighten some woods



"Josepi" wrote in message
...
I always assumed most wood darkening was from UV exposure. Clear coats do
not stop UV penetration well, at all.



..




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On Sun, 14 Nov 2010 17:40:21 -0800 (PST), Robatoy
wrote:

On Nov 13, 5:47*pm, Larry Jaques
wrote:


Not to mention that it's a MORTAL SIN to stain and poly cherry.


I agree.....with a caveat. I love working with cherry. I have a bunch
in stock, the origin of which is known to me. I like the smell, the
way it takes detail, relatively stable and it this case not too
expensive.


Secret Stash time, wot?


So my last project was made with cherry and I blew 3 coats of MinWax
Polyshades all over it. I got the Japanese dark red colour Angela
wanted and my therapist thinks I stand a chance to be back on solid
food within 3 weeks when he'll sign for a weekend pass.


Glad to hear of your recovery, but DON'T do it again, capice?


The only other thing I had handy was 14" wide poplar, flat and
straight and 12 feet long and 6/4, so no way was I going to hurt those
boards.


Grok that. I'da made a Borg run and come back with some nifty termite
barf. And I wish I'd sprayed that last bit of polyshades I put on a
client's rolling kitchen cabinet. They had it and said "Use this,
period." 3 years of therapy later, I'm still having bad dreams about
it.


oops, time is up, I must join the group and cut out some paper
dolls...


Weave a basket for me, will ya, big guy?

xox

--
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-- J. K. Rowling
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