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Fumed Acacia

Neil

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This bowl started life as a 12 inch by four blank but slowly got smaller as the faults materialsied and were then turned away. Cant complain as I didnt pay for it as it came as part of a five ton consignment that I removed from my local ornamental park with the consent of the council who had removed it as it had mild heart rot and the health and safety police had their say, bless 'em!

Anyway the blank had metamorphosed into a soup plate style bowl of little merit so I thought it was an ideal candidate for a fuming trial so it was put in a staples clear plastic box with a dose of 25% ammonia that smelt worse than the ex cat (and that takes some beating!) 25% ammonia solution, three days in the box and this was the result. Like it - especially the way the minor detail of the wood is preserved. The real colour of the wood is the darker of the two, the longer range photo has been washed out by the flash.
The zit in the bottom isn't quite in the middle but is the last of the faults - a small dead know that fell out just after I had removed the chucking spigot!
 

Jim

Grand Master
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Oct 19, 2011
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15,617
That is a nice looking bowl Neil, i have never heard of this process before...:nooidea: The grain certainly hits you in the face ... :bwink:
 

Neil

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Very nice mate, what finish is on it?

Cheers Tony, no finish yet, just sanded to 800 and fumed, I'm going to put a coat of hard wax oil on it shortly. I have found that this wood responds beautifully to very fine sanding, I have sanded some to 1500 or 2000. It makes the surface almost pearlescent.
 

Jed Baxter

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Apr 23, 2012
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348
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UK
I have seen this wood used for salad bowls, would it still be safe to use them for the like after this procedure? The bowl looks super btw. :thumbs:
 

Neil

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Jed,

Salad bowls will be sealed with a form of oil, some swear by the "food safe" labels but the reality is that the majority of oils are food safe. I have subsequently given the bowl a coat of Chestnut hard wax oil and this will seal the wood so it wont stain if there is any contact with fluids. The down side of some oils is that they leave the surface a bit tacky and dont dry fully. The Hard wax oil is briliant in that it does dry to a hard finish that can be buffed, even with a bit of burnishing cream. So answering your question in a kind of roundabout way, its safe after I 've finished it regardless of the interaction between Ammonia and Tannic Acid.
 

stevenw1963

Bodger supreme
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Jed,

Salad bowls will be sealed with a form of oil, some swear by the "food safe" labels but the reality is that the majority of oils are food safe. I have subsequently given the bowl a coat of Chestnut hard wax oil and this will seal the wood so it wont stain if there is any contact with fluids. The down side of some oils is that they leave the surface a bit tacky and dont dry fully. The Hard wax oil is briliant in that it does dry to a hard finish that can be buffed, even with a bit of burnishing cream. So answering your question in a kind of roundabout way, its safe after I 've finished it regardless of the interaction between Ammonia and Tannic Acid.

Oh yes, I forgot to say, he don't half waffle on a bit & DO NOT get him started on latin names !!!:face::face:
 

Neil

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Neil
True mahoganies, there are two, some argue three, they are of the Swietenia family, S macrophylla which is Honduras Mahogany and S mahogani which is Cuban Mahogany. The so called mahoganies of Africa are from the Khaya family. Red Mahogany from Oz is actually a member of the Eucalyptus family.
 

Terry

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Jan 31, 2013
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True mahoganies, there are two, some argue three, they are of the Swietenia family, S macrophylla which is Honduras Mahogany and S mahogani which is Cuban Mahogany. The so called mahoganies of Africa are from the Khaya family. Red Mahogany from Oz is actually a member of the Eucalyptus family.

Encyclopedia of Hertfordshire!!!!!! lol :funny::funny::funny:
 
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