I had a little more handwork to do on the Little Journey’s Bookstand. I fiddled with the tusks a bit. 
I originally sanded the piece to 400 but decided to sand to 220 this time. The loose tenons/tusks took forever to sand and detail.
Fuming Time
I have always wanted to try this. Two years ago I had a student whose dad owned a blueprint shop. He gave me a large bottle of super strength ammonia. I had bought an ammonia respirator in preparation for the job.
I build a simple tent from pine scraps and then stapled plastic to the outside.
I donned long sleeves, my respirator, chemical gloves, and goggles.
I poured two bowls of ammonia.
and stuck them under the tent.
The color change happened almost immediately.
We kept watch over it and then after about 3.5 hours we removed the tent.
I poured the spent ammonia into a large bucket of water.
I took the piece back to the shop to air out for the night. That stuff is wicked! Even with a respirator.
In the finewoodworking article, author Kevin Rodel indicates that the final finish will darken the piece while warming it up.
We will see. I plan on shellac and dark wax.
-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne
8 comments so far
teenagewoodworker
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2036 posts in 255 days
posted 127 days ago
looking good! that ammonia is dangerous so its good to see you taking the proper saftey precautions. i can’t wait to see the finished product. thanks for the post.
Betsy
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1785 posts in 383 days
posted 127 days ago
Looks good so far. Looking forward to the final pictures.
-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!
Scott Bryan
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9122 posts in 309 days
posted 127 days ago
This is looking pretty good. Fuming produces a nice rich color but is not commonly used anymore. It is nice to see you using this technique. I too am looking forward to seeing the finished project.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
gizmodyne
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1479 posts in 577 days
posted 127 days ago
Thanks guys. I have to go look at it this morning and see if I want to make it darker before the finish. It was dusk outside when I took it out.
-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne
GaryK
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8489 posts in 476 days
posted 127 days ago
Very cool Gizmo!
Ammonia is the same thing they put in “smelling salts”.
I never have made anything from oak yet, but if I do, this is the finish I want to apply.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
tenontim
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918 posts in 232 days
posted 127 days ago
Always make sure that you use a respirator filter made for ammonia. It’s a different one than used for paint fumes. Gizmo has all of the right equipment, and it’s not just a precaution, it’s necessary. If you have any cuts or scrapes that are covered, the ammonia will let you know.
Also, the darkness of the oak will depend on the amount of tannic acid in the wood. Sap wood will not darken. Maximum darkness will happen within 24 hours of fuming. It’s a good idea to put in scraps when you start, then you can test them every hour or so to get the amount of darkening that you want. The piece doesn’t have to be free of fumes to put some boiled linseed oil on it, so you can get an idea how it will look.
-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com
EdC
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420 posts in 328 days
posted 125 days ago
Interesting process, can you imagine what ou great grandfathers went through without all the technoligy we have today.
It will be cool to see the final resukts.
-- Ed Collinge- Edmonds, WA.
Mark Shymanski
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514 posts in 200 days
posted 122 days ago
Cool process, great post describing what happened. Looks like a great piece of furniture, thanks for the post.
-- ....next big purchase is wood for the next project, Mark