Thread: that weathered look?

You might try washing 'em down in a solvent to remove any surface oils/resins, you'd probably need to do this several times.

UV lights to force the silvering, heat to quickly dry out the exterior and start surface checking. All the things that us woodworkers, in general, don't want to do.

Methinks you're already doing it the easiest, most effective & most foolproof way.

If you want to encourage moss and algae to grow on it, I've heard that painting it with yoghurt does the trick.

Try painting some scraps with a baking soda/water solution and some with a bicarb solution.

One of these (I've forgotten which) is supposed to turn Western Red Cedar a weathered grey in a couple of weeks in the sun.

Originally Posted by underfoot

I've been trying to give some pieces that weathered look... by....well......leaving them out in the weather
anyone know if there's a quicker way?
.
I think kevin knows,.... but he's not tellin

Kooka's can't pronounce bleach or hydrogen peroxide Undy

Yeah Echnidna, I've also got some memory of bi-carb soda being used somwhere along the line. Some sort of sodium could be the go.

Don't know anything about fast weathering, but those pieces are GORGEOUS!

Hello Undy, you don't have any egrets about putting them outside, do you?

I new a guy who was a wizard at giving aged look to all kind of stuff...first , he used to apply a hand of a chemical....I'm not sure about it's name in English, guess it's NaOH, if I remember somethihg of them chemistry lessons- the stuff is dangerous and agressive, ant turns metal black, protection is a must. Then you sand it with the wire brush -the one you use with an angle grinder-the effect beats sandblasting hands down.Another place for great tips are the books about painting- some offer a lot of info about forgery techniques , and how those guys make things look like they are 500 years old....I'm going to be very suspicious if three weeks from now you suddenly discover a Van Gogh in your uncle's house

NaOH = Sodium Hydroxide

Take it to a solarium.

Cheers
Michael

Beaut work Undy!

I got myself a pressure cleaner a couple of years ago and it transformed my shiney, slicko, painted timber house into more of a giant, furry, driftwood sculpture......if that's any help? Fun to use, but it certainly does change the surface of wood-if that's what you want or not????

ok...
I'll pressure clean it first then paint it with yoghurt, bicarb and baking soda.....
before putting it in a bath of hydrogen peroxide and sodium hydroxide....
then place it in a solarium ......
that should do it
thanks folks, I'll experiment with a few of the safer ones and see what happens
(not goin anywhere near a solarium though)

I once heard of a guy who wanted really worn and weathered looking timber, but didn't want the shortcut versions of sandblasting or wire brushes. He ended up placing a series of boards under the flow of wheat grain, when it was dumped from an auger in a bulk handling depot! Apparently the result was soft and aged, picking out the soft wood grain from the hard.
This is very much like seed (bead?) blasting, which is a less abrasive version of sand, grit and glass blasting, used on some aircraft parts, but I can't remember the organic material used...might have been crushed nut shells.
Maybe a gentle tumbling process would suit?

Cheers

I tried ones making juice from woodashes and water and poured it over my big girl
or put some nails or steelwool into water depending how long you leave it to give it a messy color
Aliciana

The method given by Aliciana is one commonly used to give timber a quick 'aged grey' look without having to expose it to the weather - one 'formula' I have seen a lot is to add steel wool to white vinegar until no more dissolves, then apply the resulting liquid to the wood.

The Metropolitan Museum in New York 'ages' metal by urinating on it & exposing it for a few months to New York's atmosphere in a concealed courtyard, then gently cleaning it - I've seen the results and it works.