June 28 2023

Look What Was Under This Old Grimy Finish

The latest furniture styling trends require stripping and sanding the tops of furniture down to raw wood then re-finish. I love the look and do it when it’s possible but . . . I really don’t like sanding.

Clean sanding has gotten doable since I rigged up the sanders sawdust output spout to a small detail vacuum. Just a rubber connection hose and clamps found in the plumbing department of Home Depot connects both machines to suck up the sawdust during the sanding process, just like a SurfPrep unit but for only $8.

I still hate to sand. It’s noisy and takes a long time to get down to the raw wood, especially if it’s a hard wood like this one is. Even then, there’s no guarantee which stains and defects come out and which ones don’t. The risk is spending a lot of time for nothing. Plus one never knows what IS the raw wood under all the stain and years of grime and wax. I hope for nearly anything but red cherry. With some luck it’s tiger oak, maple, or even poplar because it’s light colored.

But what the hell is this vivid orange stuff? Nobody wants orange. We’ve spent years getting rid of orange oak cabinets in the kitchen. This no ordinary orange. It’s a peculiarly bright and solid. Just what am I going to do to avoid making this piece look like it’s dressed for Halloween?

Of All The Woods To Get . . . Just My Luck

The wood is identified as an exotic African Padauk, (pronounced pad – ook). It’s not a veneer, it’s a solid piece on this console table desk. Google said this about it: “Padauk is an imported wood from central Africa and the tropical regions of west Africa. Padauk trees are abundant in Nigeria, east to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and south to Angola. You can also find padauk trees in India, Indochina, the South Pacific and even southern Florida.” Hmm that’s interesting but I need a recommendation to make a more palatable style as a table.

“While padauk finishes beautifully, keep in mind that, no matter the finish, it will not retain its vibrant color forever” expert from Scroll Saw Woodworking Magazine. The articles on how to finish padauk compare original freshly sanded to the effects UV rays over time. “Not to put a damper on your project ideas, but be aware that if you are going to keep anything on the table top for long periods of time, the exposed part will turn brown while the covered part will stay red. Might look strange down the line”, wrote a contributor in the LumberJocks Forum. Holy crap does it fade! One blogger suggested using 21-days in sunlight (or a tanning bed) in order to fade on purpose.

Most internet content on padauk wood instructs how to preserve the color using a UV blocking sealer. I don’t want to preserve the color and I’m concerned with the color longevity of the piece for the purchaser. I’ve got some thinking to do . . .

A: place this piece 21 days in direct sunlight to degrade the color or

B: alter the color with a stain or wash then preserve it using the recommended UV sealer. This project is surely a challenge.

C: bleach it and if that doesn’t turn out, I can try staining afterwards. If that doesn’t work out, it gets painted

The BEST Bleaching Technique

It’s better than using regular commercial grade bleach, not as stinky and it’s fast. This video is the best on the internet for information about all types of wood outcomes. It gives a thorough instruction to use 2-part bleach process of lye, then hydrogen peroxide, then vinegar neutralization. Amazingly fast!

Sourcing the materials you need:

1. Lye crystals get from most hardware stores the most common brand is Red Devil,

2. 12% Hydrogen Peroxide get from your local pool supply (I found 7.5% at mine and it worked perfectly). A big thank you to Blue Water Pools in Jackson for giving for free an old inventory bottle stuck in the backroom. Tina is a rock star and knows everything about pools and hot tubs.

3. Household Vinegar

The Result

At least it’s not orange any more! It took the bleaching process really well and fast. It seems to be a soft wood. The light color is counted as a success except for that purple blob of a stain. Really? If it’s not one thing it’s another. The cause? I believe it’s from having previously used a ‘safe and gentle’ paint stripper. It hardly made a dent in the wax, grime and varnish buildup. Yet it left a stain. The only way to get rid of it, since it’s been bleached, is to use wood stain to the level it finally disappears. So I did.