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| So you think you're a wood pornographer? http://mowrystrings.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10123&t=33719 |
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| Author: | Stuart Gort [ Fri Sep 30, 2011 4:23 pm ] |
| Post subject: | So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
Well...have you sunk to this depth of depravity?  That's a piece of myrtlewood. I was happy to discover how workable/machinable this wood is. I wish I could get this stuff in higher quantites. I experimented with baking this wood and managed to control the color to some extent. This wood can go from a tannish green to a deep, dark brown depending on time and temperature in the oven. I got a VERY nice golden color at 320F. for three hours. |
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| Author: | Chris Pile [ Fri Sep 30, 2011 4:39 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
Gorgeous. I want. |
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| Author: | Mike Baker [ Fri Sep 30, 2011 6:16 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
Love Myrtlewood! That's a really nice piece! You guys have gotta stop doin' this to me! 
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| Author: | Don Williams [ Fri Sep 30, 2011 8:01 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
It's o.k.... What can I say?  It just doesn't do much for me.
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| Author: | Don Williams [ Fri Sep 30, 2011 8:01 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
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| Author: | Bobc [ Fri Sep 30, 2011 8:30 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
Don Williams wrote: It's o.k.... What can I say? It just doesn't do much for me.  Beautiful piece of myrtle. One of my favorite woods. |
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| Author: | Robbie_McD [ Fri Sep 30, 2011 8:53 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
Instant Woody! |
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| Author: | alan stassforth [ Fri Sep 30, 2011 9:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
Nice! How deep does the toasting go? If you were to carve that, would the color stay the same? Nice! Nice! |
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| Author: | Stuart Gort [ Fri Sep 30, 2011 10:48 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
alan stassforth wrote: Nice! How deep does the toasting go? If you were to carve that, would the color stay the same? Nice! Nice! It goes all the way through. I clamp two 1/2" myrtlewood plates between two 1/2" thick aluminum plates. Aluminum tranfers heat very well so the heat is evenly applied over the board area. I have to guess that if you were trying to do this with 8/4 or 10/4 it might end up lighter in the middle....but the fix for that would be to use a lower temp and leave it in there longer. This process is also used to flatten warped boards. Very effective for that. |
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| Author: | RogerC108 [ Fri Sep 30, 2011 10:54 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
Wow, beautiful stuff, Stuart. You've gotten an almost koa-like golden color in that pic. Nice work ![[:Y:]](./images/smilies/smiley20.gif "Thumbs Up")
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| Author: | helldunkel [ Sat Oct 01, 2011 9:52 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
Hell yeah! Awesome piece you got there man! Myrtlewood is my all time favourite timber! Quote: It possesses a wide variety of beautiful colors and grain patterns and is noted by many as being one of the world’s most beautiful woods. The color of the wood is often influenced by the minerals in the soil where it grows which could be a factor in its popularity on the Oregon coast. The colors range from blond to black with many shades of honey, browns, satiny grays, with reds and greens in between. Because of the wide variety of colors, it is difficult to "match" a piece of myrtlewood you already have. Check this out, all myrtlewood guitars I built!     
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| Author: | Chameleon [ Sat Oct 01, 2011 11:41 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
Zlurgh wrote: Well...have you sunk to this depth of depravity? That's a piece of myrtlewood. I was happy to discover how workable/machinable this wood is. I wish I could get this stuff in higher quantites. I experimented with baking this wood and managed to control the color to some extent. This wood can go from a tannish green to a deep, dark brown depending on time and temperature in the oven. I got a VERY nice golden color at 320F. for three hours. Could you tell me more about wood cooking techniques? Any resources? This is the first I've heard of it. I'd love to experiment with it. I've got a bookmatched piece of maple burl that needs some flattening. |
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| Author: | VirgilGuitar [ Sun Oct 02, 2011 12:22 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
What a coincidence! I have some bookmatched Myrtlewood I got a couple months back that will be guitar #4 - it's going to be a drop-top with a redwood soundboard and then Mahogany back - love the baking idea - would a campfire darken it more quickly?
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| Author: | Stuart Gort [ Sun Oct 02, 2011 12:02 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
Chameleon wrote: Could you tell me more about wood cooking techniques? Any resources? This is the first I've heard of it. I'd love to experiment with it. I've got a bookmatched piece of maple burl that needs some flattening. I can tell you some but I've only just started doing this. Assuming a 4/4 board and the use of some aluminum plates. Don't use steel or other boards for support. Steel will take too long to transfer heat which will skew your numbers and leave you less in control of the result. Wood, used as a support, will stress relieve under heat and lose it's shape....no good. Test scraps of the same board whenever possible before committing to the actual piece. To flatten boards you don't necessarily have to accept a change of color. You can turn a piece of maple deep, dark brown, dry it out, and make it brittle by using 375F for four hours. That'll probably wreck it. The starting temp (in order to guarantee no damage) should be 300F for two hours. That should be enough to flatten but not change color. Test to be sure. After the bake let the wood reach room temperature before unclamping. It is very important to avoid having the wood cool unevenly. Slow is best. Once you get a good feel for the lot of lumber you are working with you can control the toasted color pretty well....it's pretty forgiving. Baking will dry the board. It may also change the cell structure to prevent or thwart the ingress and egress of moisture. Not sure about that but you probably should have a moisture meter if you are going to do this. I just got a nice one but the density of myrtlewood needs to be entered into it to get a useable reading and the published densities for myrtlewood are all over the map. Another point is with maple. Maple runs a wide range of densities depending on the species. It's a little hard to know what you have in your hands sometimes so a moisture meter could mislead you if you aren't sure. |
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| Author: | Chameleon [ Sun Oct 02, 2011 6:17 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
Would it be necessary, or a good idea to soak the wood before baking? I'd be a little worried about burl, being typically somewhat brittle in the first place. Thanks for the tips. |
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| Author: | Stuart Gort [ Sun Oct 02, 2011 7:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: So you think you're a wood pornographer? |
Unless you have the ability to actually control humidity in your oven I don't see how soaking it is going really help control things. It could work though. I've been thinking about putting a caserole dish filled with water in with one of these tests. As it boils throughout the cycle it might emulate an actual kiln. I dont' know that much about kilns but I do know that the last step in properly cured kiln dried lumber is a high heat, high humidity cycle that is meant to stress relieve the wood. |
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