# dalbergia maritima--Bois de Rose (The real one)



## barefoot (Aug 30, 2018)

This is a piece of wood that satisfied my craving for this gorgeous, rare Madagascar rosewood (one of three types). It cost a fortune but now you can't get this wood--3' x 9"x 2.5"--so my two-year quest was worth it. Now if only I could get it cut into guitar sets. My old band saw is in hospice. The local wood pros have already ruined the rare piece of pink ivory that I found (another quest) which was a big enough for a guitar set. BTW, this billet of bois de rose has just been sanded in the picture. It darkens greatly from UV and will turn almost black. I have to find a finish that has UV properties.

Reactions: Like 2 | EyeCandy! 12 | Agree 1 | Way Cool 2


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## Tony (Aug 30, 2018)

Carla, I moved this here so people can comment, maybe suggest a finish. That is one incredible piece of wood!!!! Tony

Reactions: Like 1 | Thank You! 1


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## ripjack13 (Aug 30, 2018)

Have you tried asking parkerville if you/they could cut it on their bandsaw?

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Mike1950 (Aug 30, 2018)

beautiful- I would cut it but you are a bit far to stop in for coffee.....

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## B Rogers (Aug 30, 2018)

That's awesome. My little girls would love that. They'd be begging for purple calls and pens. Ha.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Pharmacyguy-Jim (Aug 30, 2018)

YOWZA! That is the biggest piece of Bois de Rose I've ever seen. Did you have to sell both kidneys for it?

Reactions: Like 1


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## barefoot (Aug 30, 2018)

ripjack13 said:


> Have you tried asking parkerville if you/they could cut it on their bandsaw?



Marc,
No. It was Parkerville that screwed up my pink ivory. It was one inch thick and I asked them to cut four pieces as close to 1/4" as they could manage--that I wanted four pieces at least 1/8" out of it. The guy cut three thick pieces, but not thick enough to get the fourth cut out of it. Hence, no guitar. It was a VERY expensive billet that I looked for quite a while (pink ivory is rarely big enough for a guitar set) and they ruined it. They have an industrial-sized 5HP band saw! So I was out @$300 before I had to pay them for ruining it. Grrr.

Reactions: Informative 1 | Sincere 2


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## barefoot (Aug 30, 2018)

Pharmacyguy-Jim said:


> YOWZA! That is the biggest piece of Bois de Rose I've ever seen. Did you have to sell both kidneys for it?



Actually, it was my liver they wanted because I don't drink. c:
Actually I think I got it for @ $300 (+s/h from Gilmer Wood in Portland, Oregon--about 10 years ago), which sounds like a lot, but is less than a set would cost if I could find one. Don't go to Gilmer Wood's site or you will be hooked for life. It's AWESOME!!!

Edit: After I told you about Gilmer I had to go look because I haven't been there for a couple of years at least. Well, they don't have the huge variety of wonder-woods that they used to. I guess the embargoes and such have significantly cut down their variety and sizes. Sniff.


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## Karl_TN (Aug 31, 2018)

Wow...Thanks for sharing a pic of that beautiful piece of Bois de Rose. 

I can't imagine you'll ever find another piece of Bois de Rose like this again since it's listed on the IUCN Red List as endangered as you know. Here's hoping you can oversee the cutting on this one.

Do you have any recent close up pics of this one by chance? I bet it's gorgeous even when it darkens.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Nature Man (Aug 31, 2018)

First Madagascar Rosewood I've ever seen! Out of this world! You can use my bandsaw if you want to come to California. Chuck

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Nature Man (Aug 31, 2018)

One other thought on the Pink Ivory that was botched, you could probably sell it on this site since it no longer serves your purpose. At least you could recover at least part of your investment. Chuck

Reactions: Agree 2 | Informative 1


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## FranklinWorkshops (Aug 31, 2018)

Carla, 

I have used the product shown below for UV protection. It seems to work well on flame box elder, purpleheart, redheart and others. It definitely shows down the color change.

Reactions: Informative 1 | Useful 1


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## Herb G. (Aug 31, 2018)

FranklinWorkshops said:


> Carla,
> 
> I have used the product shown below for UV protection. It seems to work well on flame box elder, purpleheart, redheart and others. It definitely shows down the color change.



I've been using the rattle can of that same stuff for better than 30 years. I have a very old shovel I sanded the handle smooth on & sprayed it back in 1985 or so. That handle still looks brand new & has not darkened a bit.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## ripjack13 (Aug 31, 2018)

barefoot said:


> Marc,
> No. It was Parkerville that screwed up my pink ivory. It was one inch thick and I asked them to cut four pieces as close to 1/4" as they could manage--that I wanted four pieces at least 1/8" out of it. The guy cut three thick pieces, but not thick enough to get the fourth cut out of it. Hence, no guitar. It was a VERY expensive billet that I looked for quite a while (pink ivory is rarely big enough for a guitar set) and they ruined it. They have an industrial-sized 5HP band saw! So I was out @$300 before I had to pay them for ruining it. Grrr.



Oh maaannnn......that is lame.
I assume you didn't go in the back with them to over see the job....

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Rich P. (Aug 31, 2018)

If you decide to try Pink Ivory again I have a handful of boards all about 48 inches tall 1.5-2” thick. I think a couple may even have curl. 
Rich P

Reactions: Way Cool 2 | +Karma 1


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## Eric Rorabaugh (Aug 31, 2018)

Rich, we need pics!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Blueglass (Aug 31, 2018)

I don't think a UV finish will make much difference. It darkens so quickly. I have a fingerboard I'm pretty sure I will use soon.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## barefoot (Sep 2, 2018)

ripjack13 said:


> Oh maaannnn......that is lame.
> I assume you didn't go in the back with them to over see the job....



Marc,'No. I went back, with permission, to check out their bandsaw and was satisfied that it was humongous and more than adequate to re-saw that board. The operator was busy with an order that he had to get out PDQ and I was asked not to hang around--for insurance purposes--that he wouldn't get to it that day, so I left it with very specific instructions about the cut and why I wanted it--for a guitar set.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## barefoot (Sep 2, 2018)

Rich P. said:


> If you decide to try Pink Ivory again I have a handful of boards all about 48 inches tall 1.5-2” thick. I think a couple may even have curl.
> Rich P



Rich,
I'm assuming that I can't afford them, being a very poor person nowadays. However, pink ivory in that size is so rare that I have to ask the most important question--how wide is it? Need at least 7.5" for width on the backs but only 5" for the sides. I'll have to go dig out that wood and take a look. Don't remember which cut was trashed. 

Yes, we need pics!


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## 4jo3 (Oct 23, 2019)

Hello, do you have an update? Any chance you will sell a bois de rose acoustic guitar set?

Thanks


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## Steve Smith (Oct 25, 2019)

I bought a stick of MRW probably close to 20 years ago. It was pretty then turned almost black within weeks. I still have a very small piece of that gathering dust. I decided I wasn't interested in buying any more and that dalbergia congestiflora is better based on cost, availability (though still very limited) and color change.


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## barefoot (Nov 18, 2020)

Tony said:


> Carla, I moved this here so people can comment, maybe suggest a finish. That is one incredible piece of wood!!!! Tony


Thank you Tony! Much appreciated. 
BTW, here's a picture I took of the wood last night (using flash). I managed to find a date when I bought it--earlier than I had though--September, 2004. Also, don't know were that prior measurement came from. It's 60" x 10" x 2" and 37.4#. I wiped it down with a damp rag, but it could use a better cleaning. Note that there's a split on the bottom and a shorter one on the top--storage screwup, long story, mea culpa. Using the uncracked middle, though, I think a number of guitar sets could be made out of it. I was pleased that it still has a lot of its color. A couple passes with a cabinet scraper would spiff it up nicely, IMO.

Reactions: Way Cool 1


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