# brazilian rosewood



## pvwoodcrafts (Jan 23, 2013)

I have , what I think is Brazilian rosewood. I got it from a gent that said that he his wifes dad brought it here from Brazil in the 40's. He wasn't sure what it was ebony or rosewood and did say that it was a very sought after , expensive wood. 
This wood is very dense ,kinda open grain wood and my piece is almost black with very dark violet/purple streaks in it. When turning it it has a very sweet aroma and is very oily. It almost seems like its plastic the way it reacts while turning. 
I would like to try to figure it out as I've made a couple pens out of it and don't want to use it for something I shouldn't be. If anyone might have some input I would appreciate it. By the way I have sent a piece to Hobbit House and it is listed in his wood ID mike


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## Kevin (Jan 23, 2013)

Mike,

Surely by now you know we're going to ask for pics lol. A good end grain shot along with a couple long grains are necessary for 99% of wood ID's.


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## pvwoodcrafts (Jan 23, 2013)

try this






Kevin said:


> Mike,
> 
> Surely by now you know we're going to ask for pics lol. A good end grain shot along with a couple long grains are necessary for 99% of wood ID's.


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## Cousinwill (Jan 23, 2013)

It is for sure Rosewood. I have used Honduran Rosewood which looks like this wood and has a sweet aroma to it. It is oily and can create challenges in gluing and finishing. It is beautiful wood though !! I believe Brazilian Rosewood has very similar characteristics.


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## barry richardson (Jan 23, 2013)

Seems like all the evidence points that way.. And I have seen the backs of old Braz' Rosewood Martin guitars that look a lot like what you posted. How much ya got?


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## BangleGuy (Jan 23, 2013)

It looks like some East Indian Rosewood that I have on the shelf... Phinds is the wood ID expert.


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## pvwoodcrafts (Jan 23, 2013)

barry richardson said:


> Seems like all the evidence points that way.. And I have seen the backs of old Braz'Rorewood Martin guitars that look a lot like what you posted. How much ya got?



I'm guessing 8 to 10 bd ft. Was happy to add it to my stash even though I wasn't sure what it was. Like I said Phinds has had it on his wood ID site for a couple years but still no ID


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## pvwoodcrafts (Jan 23, 2013)

Joe Rebuild said:


> How big? If you interested in parting with some I would be interested in a piece for a guitar body or even a finger board.



I think both boards are around 8 wide. Am I interested in parting with some, I'll have to think about it. How big a piece do you need for a finger board?


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## phinds (Jan 23, 2013)

a good end-grain shot would help w/ the ID

My first thought based on the color was katalox, but the graininess rules that out.

Brazilian rosewood is certainly a possiblity.

EDIT: I didn't even realize until I enlarged them that you HAVE and end grain shot. Still, it's not clear enough / close enough to be very helpful.


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## davidgiul (Jan 24, 2013)

Brazilian Rosewood has a sweet smell like no other rosewood, hence the name. Although BR is on the cites list one can still trade and sell it at will within the US.


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## pvwoodcrafts (Jan 24, 2013)

phinds said:


> a good end-grain shot would help w/ the ID
> 
> My first thought based on the color was katalox, but the graininess rules that out.
> 
> ...




Paul, check out mystery wood 171 on your mystery wood site. I sent you a sample couple years ago


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## phinds (Jan 24, 2013)

pvwoodcrafts said:


> Paul, check out mystery wood 171 on your mystery wood site. I sent you a sample couple years ago



Well, at least I'm consistent. I said back then that my first thought had been katalox but the end grain ruled that out. 

Based on Mystery wood 171 I'd say it's not Brazilian rosewood, but the variability of wood is such that I could be wrong. These new pics here do show more graininess which makes BrazRose more of a possibilty, but the fact that it is basically ALL a really dark color is what still makes me think it's not BrazRose.


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## pvwoodcrafts (Jan 24, 2013)

phinds said:


> pvwoodcrafts said:
> 
> 
> > Paul, check out mystery wood 171 on your mystery wood site. I sent you a sample couple years ago
> ...



I'll be trying this test soon. Info from Wood Database
Apart from the very characteristic odor, (which should roughly separate it from most non-Dalbergia species), Brazilian Rosewood has another characteristic that can be leveraged in order to help distinguish it from other rosewoods: its heartwood extractives are not water soluble, and will not fluoresce under a blacklight.

Before you get scared off from performing this test, be aware that with a simple blacklight bulb available in any hardware store for only a few dollars, and a few minutes of your time, you can perform both water extract fluorescence and ethanol extract fluorescence tests at home!

For suspected samples of Brazilian Rosewood, take a small test tube or other small transparent container and fill it with some shavings, (a handplane works great for this), and then fill the remainder of the container with water and shake it up for a few seconds. Bring the container under the blacklight and observe the results: true Brazilian Rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) will not fluoresce or show any appreciable change of color under the blacklight, while most other rosewoods will glow a pale blue/green color.


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## tnhunter (Jan 24, 2013)

it kinda looks like some brazilian ebony that I have. but not sure.


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## phinds (Jan 24, 2013)

tnhunter said:


> it kinda looks like some brazilian ebony that I have. but not sure.



If you have any Brasilian ebony with that kind of purple in it, I'd be most interested in seeing pics, having never encountered that before.


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## hobbit-hut (Jan 24, 2013)

I have some of that ebony also and it does look similar. BR being the best tone wood acording to most has a very distinct sound. If someone drops a piece about the size of a bridge blank on a concreet or tile floor it has a ringing sound that is unmistakable.


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## BassBlaster (Jan 27, 2013)

davidgiul said:


> Brazilian Rosewood has a sweet smell like no other rosewood, hence the name. Although BR is on the cites list one can still trade and sell it at will within the US.



Can you direct me to some place where I can read that? I have a hard time navigating thier site but from what I gather, its illegal to own this wood even as a finished product. Now, dont take this wrong, I'm not saying your wrong, I'm just sayng I'm not smart enough to operate the website, lol. Just looking to educate myself is all.


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## davidgiul (Jan 27, 2013)

BassBlaster said:


> davidgiul said:
> 
> 
> > Brazilian Rosewood has a sweet smell like no other rosewood, hence the name. Although BR is on the cites list one can still trade and sell it at will within the US.
> ...


Hi Dennis,
No worries about the query as to the trade of BR.
The first quote,"Because the trade in wild animals and plants _crosses borders between countries_, the effort to regulate it requires international cooperation to safeguard certain species from over-exploitation. CITES was conceived in the spirit of such cooperation," is found in the Cites home page. It refers to the trade of endangered species across international borders.
The second quote,"Not only is the _lumber restricted from being imported or exported from country to country_, but even finished products made of Brazilian Rosewood may not cross international boundaries." is from the Wood Data Base


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