Tuesday, July 12, 2016

A Fine Time


I just returned from the Lie-Nielsen open house in Maine and, as usual, I can't say enough about the host and all the other makers. It's the one show that I go to every year and it's a great chance to see my friends and get feedback on new work. I highly recommend going.
 Here is a rocker that I finished in preparation for the show. I fumed it in ammonia as you see in the tent below.
Here is the before and after. I went darker than usual, just to see what the results would be like, I think it suits the design nicely.
Here is one of my favorite details. I've been wanting to make a crest like this for some time, and I think it will be appearing in my chairs more often.

Here you can see the oil going on over the fumed wood, I don't think the video will play, but the image say it all.  I fumed it overnight to get this color with regular household ammonia.

4 comments:

  1. Hello Peter,
    this is a great looking rocker. The crest is an interesting detail and looking great too.
    Cheers,
    Stefan

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  2. Do you a source of heat to help the ammonia evaporate or just let it evaporate naturally in the tent? I'm interested in trying this on an oak bookcase I made for my son.

    *Sorry if this is a duplicate post, I posted, received an error from blogger, and didn't see any response in the comments.

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  3. Thanks Stefan!
    RSK,
    you just let it fume on it's own, believe me, a pan of ammonia puts off lots. I suggest doing samples with the wood you have first and keeping some in the tent with the final piece so you can pull them out periodically and check the color with alcohol

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  4. Every DIY resource insists that household ammonia is insufficient strong for fuming and some even suggest adding a tannin wash to oak and ash in order to create the effect. You've certainly made it easier to attempt this method. Well done.

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