Padauk
#6
I acquired some very old padauk that had darkened over the years and when I planed it the brilliance of the stock was spectacular. I am in the process of building a wall cabinet and would like to know if there is any way to keep the brilliant red color from darkening. Any help will be appreciated! I've never used padauk but have seen some really beautiful pieces that have the beautiful red.
Thanks
Don
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#7
I've never used Padauk either, but most wood darkens and/or fades from exposure to UV light. Cherry darkens initially, but eventually fades. Walnut fades from the get go. I guess Padauk just fades, too, or maybe turns a different color, but I don't really know. Anyway, if UV light is the culprit the only way to stop it, or at least delay it, is to use a finish with a dual UV package. One component protects the finish itself from yellowing, the other protects the underlying wood. General Finishes makes one product I'm aware of that has that dual package, High Performance Poly. I've used it on a few cherry pieces and, after 5 years, they have not changed or if they have it's so little that I can't tell. SW's also makes what I'm told is an excellent product but I've never used it because I think it's only available in 5 gal minimum quantities. ML Campbell and others probably make similar products in solvent base; the GF HP Poly is the only one I know that I can buy in gallons or quarts and is WB.

John
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#8
You can slow down the browning process, but you can't stop it.
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#9
+1 for John. He is right on. The regular UV inhibiting packages will start to yellow or flake when the protection wears off (3 to ~7 years). At this point the old flaky finish needs to be removed and more fresh finish added—I don't know how GF HP behaves at this point as I don't have anything that has been finished with it long enough to tell. As for alternates you can use any single UV inhibiting finish like Crystalac or GF waterbornes (check the product description to be sure).
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#10
Back in the early 80's some of my students and I ran some finish experiments on padauk.
Nothing stopped the browning that is typical.

The best was a straight water borne acrylic varnish/lacquer (Benjamin Moore something or other).

Until two years ago, when the pieces I still had were stolen, they still showed a red tone to the wood. Not the brilliant crimson of fresh cut padauk, but a deep red/brown.

All the other finishes turned brown in pretty short order (even Armor All with its uv inhibitors) with barely a hint of red left.

IIR we used all the common finishes available from regular varnishes (soy and linseed alkyds, poly, phenolic/tung spars, mc floor finish, etc.), lacquers of several types (nitro, acrylic and the coconut oil Deft and a catalyzed variety), several plain oils, waxes, etc.

I should add that observations indicated the natural oxidation of the wood itself seems the primary mechanism for darkening, uv light hastened the process somewhat, depending on the finish used.

I have some pieces done with a garnet shellac (we did not try shellac alone in the early experiments) that have held some red for quite a while now, nothing over a few years old so too soon to say how long it will last.
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