Thread: Bleaching timber advice?

:eek: Why? Just buy some poplar or white oak instead...

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

:eek: Why? Just buy some poplar or white oak instead...

Quite! Why on earth would anyone want to bleach such a lovely, and already pale, timber. Aaaarrrrrgggghhhh!

use some oxalic acid for the bleach,
dometic bleach isn't strong enough.

sacrilege!!!

There's an article in the latest Fine Woodworking mag on bleaching, if you just want to have a quick read in the news agents it's on the last two pages of the mag.
Cheers Arch

Skewy - Why? Let me see... White Oak, Poplar... nup, don't have any around.... Houn, just happen to have some I want to play with!

Auld, and Harry - Your concerns I understand. Yes, Houn is absolutely beautiful as is, however I need some nice timber that is almost white, that is nice to turn, and available. Huon I have, and it's the nicest, and lightest I have at hand. It's natural colour won't be light enough for my next job. I need it close to white, but still with some grain showing, so I thought bleaching Huon might be the way to go.

Echidna, and Munga - thanks for the info!

Results of tests

I tried soaking an offcut of houn in domestic bleach I had at home. Ended up leaving there overnight as I was told 3 hours, but it didn't get it light enough. The veneer piece was OK, but the solid offcut was still too dark. The next day was much better!

I rinsed off with water, and then left to dry. The resultant colour 3 days later is now what I guess you'd call a very 'light straw' colour.

I cut into it with the bandsaw to see how deep the colour change went, and it is only 1mm deep. Under that, the original timber colour!

I'm not sure if oxalic acid would have been quicker, or resulted in a lighter colour, cause I don't have any handy.

So I guess that's my answer! Turn the piece first, THEN bleach. Then finish!

Does anyone know if bleaching would affect what finishes I could use??

you could always use a liming finish.
experiment by adding white paint to some poly and apply

Originally Posted by TimberNut

Skewy - Why? Let me see... White Oak, Poplar... nup, don't have any around.... Houn, just happen to have some I want to play with!

Left myself wide open for that, didn't I? I guess I'm just spoiled, having a good, cheap(ish) source of various timbers just down the road. And then there's the several sheds full of potential firewood I've collected over the years.

But bleaching Huon really strikes a nerve... it's becoming scarcer'n'scarcer. 10 years ago, a good sized lump for turning would've been equivalent to a few pints of milk in cost. Now the same wood is worth pounds of prime steak! :eek: I'd much rather go find a cheaper timber that's closer to the right colour in the first place... I really like my steak.

Hi Timbernut, have you tried some Silver Ash????????
Cheers
Barry

oxalic acid. Do you know any other names for this. Am unable to find product with same name in south africa. - message from boddles, a new member

Originally Posted by boddles

oxalic acid. Do you know any other names for this. Am unable to find product with same name in south africa. - message from boddles, a new member

Its IUPAC name is ethanedioic acid, but that probably won't help much. It is often an ingredient in timber deck cleaning products so if you head into a hardware store and browse the labels you might find if there is a synonym in S.A for oxalic acid.

Cheers
Michael

Originally Posted by mic-d

Its IUPAC name is ethanedioic acid, but that probably won't help much. It is often an ingredient in timber deck cleaning products so if you head into a hardware store and browse the labels you might find if there is a synonym in S.A for oxalic acid.

Cheers
Michael

Hi Michael - Thanks so much for the response. I will keep up the search. Yesterday, a rep. visited me selling a range of products called penetrol. They are apparently manufactured and sold in Australia and are good for the sealing of timber floors and decks. Have you any experience with these products? What is the best deck sealer that you know of. It must be oil based.

Cheers and thanks
boddles

Hi, put some photos up when you done the bleaching. I worked with huon pine and I think it will not soak in any water based solution. That is my bet, I am looking forward loosing my bet.
cheers

Originally Posted by TimberNut

I'm thinking of bleaching some Houn Pine. Am interested to see what happens to it colourwise.

Suggestions / Comments on howto/likely results etc????

I have some birdseye Houn veneer I could use, or some solid Huon.

How deep would colour change go in the solid stuff?

comments/ ideas?
Should I just soak it in ordinary household bleach?

How long should I soak it? Will I see much difference in colour from the original?

Can I just wash off in water after to get rid of Bleach?
What finishes could I use afterwards?