# Keep color from fading in Boxelder wood?



## Andy B.

Turning a piece from boxelder that has some good pink and gray coloration. What finish is best to prolong the life of the color? We were told that something with UV protection was best but not sure which to choose. Thanks.


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## Kevin

Andy, different woodworkers will have had different experiences with finishes. Using any type of UV protection and keeping the piece out of sunlight as best as you can, is about the only thing you can do short of stabilizing it, and a bowl blank is too large to be stabilized, feasibly anyway. Hopefully other turners will also share their experiences with it.


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## Andy B.

Thanks, Kevin. Is there any particular UV protection product you have had success with? 
Someone actually suggested using clear sunscreen oil with a high UV number, like people use for sun protection on themselves. This is a shallow bowl, about 14" diameter.


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## Kevin

Not sure Andy. I think I tried sunscreen at some point but I cannot remember for sure. If you have some scraps I suggest you use various finishes and put them all in a place in your house in direct sunlight so you won't have to wait as long. 

You could put the bowl in a box until you decide, although FBE doesn't fade as fast as you might be fearing, as long as it's not in direct sunlight. As for a product, Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane has worked better for me on ERC and FBE, although it's tricky to make it look really good on something like a turning. I finally had to spray it on to get a finish I liked.

If you don't have any scraps and you want to experiment, I will send you a small flat rate box of really nice FBE test pieces for the cost of shipping ($6).


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## BrentWin

Kevin said:


> If you don't have any scraps and you want to experiment, I will send you a small flat rate box of really nice FBE test pieces for the cost of shipping ($6).



Kevin, I would like to do some testing as well. Could you please make my scraps 1-1/2"sq x 6". And to do a complete test, I think I might need a few more than will fit in a SFRB. Perhaps a LFRB of test samples might be sufficient to provide some scientificly viable results. 

Thanks 
Brent

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2 | Funny 10 | +Karma 1


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## BrentWin

Kevin, in rereading my last post, I realize to I was out of line in requesting the 1-1/2"sq x 6" test scraps. That was very presumptive and rude of me. For that I am very sorry. If it is easier for you to make 4 x 4 x 1 test blocks, that will be fine. I can alter my testing protocols to accommodate this change.

Once again, please accept my apologies for my behavior. 

Brent

Reactions: Funny 10


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## GeauxGameCalls

BrentWin said:


> Kevin, in rereading my last post, I realize to I was out of line in requesting the 1-1/2"sq x 6" test scraps. That was very presumptive and rude of me. For that I am very sorry. If it is easier for you to make 4 x 4 x 1 test blocks, that will be fine. I can alter my testing protocols to accommodate this change.
> 
> Once again, please accept my apologies for my behavior.
> 
> Brent



Since he was presumptive and rude I think you should send the test samples to me instead!

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Kevin

You guys know me way too well. Humor is my Achilles heel.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## MikeMD

Andy, fighting the red in FBE is a losing battle. Eventually, it will fade. That said, it may not be really fast. You might get years and years of seeing the red.

Bottom line is this: Colorations in wood cause BY THE TREE (the color of the heartwood, flames in FBE, the outer ring of the streaks in ambrosia maple, etc.) will fade or change color over time. The reason is that the tree is creating this color with no intention of sunlight (UV light) ever hitting it. So, cherry will darken, walnut will lighten, purpleheart will get brown, poplar's beautiful purple and green patterns will get brown, etc. Now, any colorations in wood caused by fungus (spalting) are colorfast. Fungus lives out in sunlight. I knows it will be exposed to it. So, those colors (black line spalting, grey spalting [like the large areas that FBE gets], any colorful spalts, the inner coloration of the ambrosia maple streaks, etc.) will remain the same over time. 

There are people that will airbrush red dye where the flames are. If I had that skill, I'd probably do it! At my last job, whenever we made any furniture out of cherry, if there was any sapwood (and the customer didn't like the contrast), we would add cherry stain to the whole piece. That way, it made an even color that should stay fairly even over time.


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