More fuming experiments (update 2!)

[simson]

First pic shows 3  dogwood staves (left to right)
left: fumed for 5 days with traces of cambium on
middle: fumed for 1 day cleaned before fuming
right: no fuming with traces of cambium for comparison

1


next pic shows fresh cross cuts
l: fume damp has vaporized in the whole diameter
m: vaporized about 6 mm
r: just for comparison, no fume




Here is a detail of the stave in the middle. Forgot to say it was split after the fuming process. Marks shows how deep the damp has vaporized in.




next is a comparison between fuming and staining with iron oxide (something what is called vinegar stain here)
l: BL (from the Mohegan stave) stained
m: osage stained
r: osage fumed for 2 weeks

I used no vinegar for staining but iron chloride – works more aggressive.
The long time osage came out like ebony really cool color.




next a detail of the staining, the fresh cuttings show now color inside the wood. All is on the surface.




detail of the fumed osage, the damp was in the whole cross section




and a pic of the surface

[Danzn Bar]

Great info Simon.............Thanks!
DBar

[sleek]

So osage fumed two weeks, the fume is permanent and will not come out even when you chase a ring it doesn't go back yellow?

[E. Jensen]

That's awesome how well it penetrated through the rays.

[Swampman]

That is really cool.  I would love to see an instructional on how you accomplish this.  I am not familiar with fuming.

Thanks for posting your results.

Mike

[Tree_Ninja]

So cool. You are really pushing the envelope on bow making.

[simson]

So osage fumed two weeks, the fume is permanent and will not come out even when you chase a ring it doesn't go back yellow?

Look at the cross section. The inner rings aren't as black as the chased outer, but they are a lot darker than the fresh osage.
When I find time, I chase the underlaying ring for comparison

That is really cool.  I would love to see an instructional on how you accomplish this.  I am not familiar with fuming.

Thanks for posting your results.

Mike

More info is here: http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,48632.0.html

[Badly Bent]

That color on the iron oxide stained BL is nice but the change in the color of the osage fumed for two weeks and the depth of penetration is pretty interesting. Thanks for posting this, I think I'm gonna want to give this a try at some time in the future.

[simson]

Finally got the next ring chased on that dark piece of osage. See what I found! The pics are taken inside and don't show the real beauty of that piece. It seems that the damp has vaporized from the sides to the middle. I'm convinced it would be darker if a solution were used or longer time. But anyway I like the result and I will use that technic for sure.

Other thing is, the ammonia treatment has changed the wood structure. Unbelievable how smooth the wood has become.

The first pic shows the piece and for comparison a fresh worked osage for comparison.

[carpholeo]

Will the fumning process moisten the wood to the point where it might lose its shape?

[simson]

Will the fumning process moisten the wood to the point where it might lose its shape?

I really don't know what happens there, but there is a change - definitely. When the stave/bow comes out of the fuming pipe it is wet and stinks heavily. After a few hours in the air the moisture and smell is gone. The new color is no stain or dye - it is a chemical reaction of the tanning acids in the wood.

[Aaron H]

Thanks for taking the time to do this Simon.  Very cool results with the osage

[Sidewinder]

Simson that is really cool. You somewhat inspired me to try premature aging recently. Did you see what happened with that osage bow that I treated with lye and then nuetralized it with vinegar? It made for a very nice color change and finish.

[Badly Bent]

Looks good down there where you chased to another ring too. The look just seems different than what can be done with a dye or stain, I like the fumed look better.

[Cloudfeather]

I may sound like a fool, but.. What and how do you do this fuming?