# Preserving The Color Of Osage Orange.



## Blueglass (Jan 15, 2014)

I plan on making an upcoming shell out of Osage Orange. After seeing Phinds article on color changes and him saying you can only slow it I would like to know what people have done that they find works best for preserving the orange color?

Thank you

Les


----------



## Blueglass (Jan 15, 2014)

Doing some research online one guy said he rubbed it down with a high spf suntan lotion before finishing and it has not changed yet. I think I will do a test block as soon as I get it. What the heck can't hurt to try? May not work at all? May mess up that block? We will see. I would explain it may change. I'd hate to deceive someone.


----------



## Kevin (Jan 15, 2014)

Sun block doesn't work I tried it . . .

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Charles Neil (Jan 15, 2014)

ya know , several years ago I got some Box Elder cookies from Kevin . I turned them as cookies. (Your not supposed to do that) , I knew they would crack, so I got creative and let it dry out and re-turned it . Then I used some of the Pour on Epoxy , figuring I would encapsulate it and it wouldn't crack. Well that worked quite well, but the interesting part was the box elder retained its color , the red and all. I will dig that thing out and get some photos. It got me to thinking its possibly the reaction with oxygen , more so than UV light that changes the color. I experimented with the same on some purple heart, last I saw it , it was still purple . Just remembered it . 

Most wood finishes actually let wood breath , Epoxy doesn't . I also recall I saturated it with some water base finish, to seal it down with a non-reactive finish, so the solvent in the epoxy wouldn't alter the color. Maybe we need to check all this out .


----------



## Kevin (Jan 15, 2014)

Neil if you let that FBE get any direct UV it will turn, but epoxy def slows it down a great deal . . .


----------



## Charles Neil (Jan 15, 2014)

I hear ya , found the stuff, just sent you some photos .

Edit : I also remember I was experimenting with drying the stuff , by soaking it in Denatured alcohol.
I am not an expert on this, by any means, but the color has retained prety well in my opinion.

I would have never discovered this except Kev sent me defective cookies ( Si from Duck Dynasty)

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Blueglass (Jan 15, 2014)

Thanks for the info. Appreciate it! I will live with the results however they turn out. I'd rather it turn color being used than retain it by staying in a case unused.


----------



## Kevin (Jan 15, 2014)

les if the osage tunrs you can always paint it yellow

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Charles Neil (Jan 15, 2014)

Bluegrass , don't bail out just yet, we may find a cure for an age old problem... Stay tuned,

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Blueglass (Jan 15, 2014)

I'll do my own experiments as well. I have more research to do. Do you guys think it is the tannins that react?


----------



## Blueglass (Jan 15, 2014)

Kevin the day I paint wood grain is the way I'll beg to be institutionalized.


----------



## Charles Neil (Jan 15, 2014)

Bluegrass, we gonna find out .. I'm not sure , but there is something to be learned here, either the thing I fluked up on works or it doesn't. I am not "puter savy" so Kevin is getting the photos sized and all and will get them up . We all can look at this and see what we think. I have plenty of finishing stuff, no osage orange , but I figure if it will work on the box elder it may work on the Osage .
Often times solutions to specific problems are cured by "stumbling" upon something .We may have here. The fun part is we all learn together. Penicillin is one of those "happen chance" things .Ya just never know . I am one of those guys who has to see it thru . Win lose or draw.

Reactions: Like 3


----------



## Blueglass (Jan 15, 2014)

I agree about flukes. Also until the 40's most scientists that made discoveries worked in their basements and garages. It didn't always have to be in perfect, sterile labs to be science! I enjoy research so I will spend sometime searching. Osage has been made to make dyes if I remember right. I don't know if I can use that angle in any way?


----------



## Molokai (Mar 13, 2014)

Does mineralized green osage orange also undergoes some kind of color change or it stays green?


----------



## woodintyuuu (Mar 13, 2014)

i do tend to side somewhat with charles, I belive its a combination of uv light and oxegen. I have been using automotive topcoats for a number of yrs, after a mad scientist from DuPont started me on that way of finishing. I also agree with kevin that direct light always! changes wood color. ie: wood stored in a barn does not weathewr gray like exposure to suns uv. that said i have made box elder burl pcs and flame pcs 12 yr ago or more that are almost as vibrant as new not quite but close.
I belive the key is many coats with sanding to the quick between every three coats is the key ,cut off the oxidizing. Also i add UV inhibitor to the juice, about twice whats recommended. Its light purple out of the jug but tranparent in the finish no effect there and that has done the trick. Remember use gloss laquer for its optical clarity
and cut it down by hand with your preferred method. Using semi gloss or matte just muddys the clarity, you have seen the chalky white stuff on the bottom of a sitting can. All this is my experience only cl OH if yu get lazy and do not sand back after every three coats the job u get wont matter about color change anyway!!!!

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 2


----------



## shadetree_1 (Mar 20, 2014)

I've not seen the Green mineralized Osage change from green Tom, but we might ask strutnrut (Richard Hudson) because I know he has made a good number of long Turkey Trumpet calls from the green that are used in the field and exposed to sunlight a good bit, I would think that he would know better than most the answer to that.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------

