Thread: Keeping Silver Ash stringing white

Firstly, it appears that you're doing a good job on the box. What I can see looks nice & crisp.


I assume that it went 'scrungy' in the sanding/finishing stage? (Even if it stays nice'n'white during sanding, it's possible to carry fine dust from the darker timber into the lighter timber while applying the finish. )

Sometimes it's the finish soaking into the end-grain that makes it change hue. More finish is wicked up by the end-grain than side-grain, so it takes on the hue of the finish. A coat of NC sanding sealer can help minimise this, which I personally prefer to spray or 'dab' on. Did you cut the pieces for the keys on the diagonal for strength. ie. showing end-grain on both sides of the box corner?

But if fine dust from sanding is the culprit...

I find it pays to try and sand the bulk of the dark using one paper, then use fresh grit to sand over the light, sanding in such a way that there's minimal cross-over from dark into light. (From light into dark isn't usually as troublesome, of course; but it can be a problem in some situations.)

eg. for the pix shown, the bottom stringing I'd sand parallel to the bottom of the box, with the grain, but over the keys I'd sand each area from the outside edges of the box towards the middle.

It's also a good idea to blow any left-over fine dust out of the grain with an air-compressor or use a tack cloth - even a cloth dampened with metho/solvent - obeying pretty much the same rules as sanding to avoid just moving dust around on the surface, before applying the finish.

If I'm not applying a coat of NC sanding sealer, I try to 'dab' a coat of finish onto the lighter areas first, rather than use anything that may sweep fine dust into any open pores/grain. Consequent coats can be rubbed/brushed on.

I'm sure that other people here have other suggestions, as it's a problem that many of us have encountered. The above is merely what works for me.

Give scraping a try I've become a real fan of it for the right timbers. The waste is lifted away with no mixing of colours, great finish for oiling . . . . . IMHO

Perhaps the position of that wood in the original log could influence color?
Does your Qld Silver Ash show distinct sap wood and heartwood?

I've been carving more and more in birch (Betula papirifera aka 'paper birch'.)
Snow white sapwood and very chocolate/coffee streaked heart wood.

Nice to have the luxury of puzzling over the orientation of the carving
to take advantage of the heart wood figure.