# Padauk Staining Lighter Wood



## Jacoblucas (Sep 28, 2011)

I've read that Padauk stains any adjacent lighter woods, does anyone have any insight on how to prevent this?


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## rtriplett (Nov 25, 2009)

I use padauk and Maple together and I try to finish the Maple before the Padauk. I use different applicators and try to be as dust free as I can before I start. A high pressure air nozzle helps. The padauk is really a problem with Maple end grain or curly grain. Hopefully someone else has a 'magic' solution.


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## Jacoblucas (Sep 28, 2011)

Anyone?


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## Jacoblucas (Sep 28, 2011)

The only thing is that im gonna be using the Padauk as trim around some curly maple for a table top, so theyre gonna have to be sanded together.


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## Guss (Sep 19, 2011)

when using padauk and maple i don't ever get really aggressive with the sanding grit. When i started I noticed when i would use a 80 grit to make my stuff flat that the red would mix with the white. when i start sanding with a 150 the colors don't blend as bad then i wipe it all down with grain then apply the finish


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

Scrape , don't sand : ) 
Don't count on the Padauk retaining its bright color if that's what you're after. 
You'll need a finish with UV inhibitors to slow the color changing process and you'll need to test your finishes on scraps because they will also change the Padauk color. 
If you must use Padauk , see if you can finish it or the Maple first.


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## oldworld124 (Mar 2, 2008)

I pre-assemble without gluing. Then take it apart and sand or scrap and finish. Then glue it up and final sand and put on the final coats. The finished product can come out beautiful if done carefully.


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

Scrape. Don't create dust so make sure you have a good sharp burr. If you can get to the finishing stage without staining, you should be ok.

Steve


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## 4thumbs (Oct 14, 2009)

An issue beyond the dust is the color bleed from padauk when finish is applied. Nowadays I try to limit myself to oil/varnish mixes or lacquer sprayed in thin coats. In my experience with the stuff polyurethane takes forever to dry even after a mineral spirits bath, and the color bleeds badly with shellac padded on.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

I had the audacity to make a padauk and maple chess board. It's pretty hard to make a sloid chaess board without a lot of sanding. In the end I had to settle for some discoloration of the maple. But I did learn (too late) that compressed air after sanding gets rid of a lot of the problem.

A note on padauk color change: UV is the culprit. I have several pieces I've made over the years that live in interior rooms with no sunlight, and the redness is 100% intact.


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## ghazard (Oct 16, 2008)

I must say that I have never experienced color "bleed" aside from the contamination of paduk dust into the pores of lighter woods. When finishing (with poly) the rag gets all orange but I think that is just residual dust.

I guess I'm not following the term "bleed" in this case. To me…"bleed" means that the actual color is seeping from the wood and soaking into another wood…I don't see that happening. In my estimation, any "bleed" would be from stray dust.

I'm curious if actual "bleed" happens that is not tied to dust…or am I misunderstanding something?

Greg


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Greg, I agree 100%. I'm pretty sure what 4thumbs called color bleed is just padauk dust being carried over to the lighter wood as the finish is applied. It would not happen if there was no dust, but getting rid of 100% of the dust before finishing is easier said than done.


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## Sgaffin (Mar 22, 2012)

I have had the same issue with color bleed. However, I don't just think it is dust. Padauk is a very oily wood and even when you use acetone to remove excess oil for gluing, the rag turns bright orange or red from the oil. I watched my project as it grabbed shellac and you could literally see the oil from the Padauk creeping into the wood. I am using curly maple and the discoloration seems to be showing off the curl of the maple, so I will try to use this to my advantage.


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## CaptDickDog (Sep 30, 2016)

Reference color bleeding from padauk to a lighter adjacent wood such as maple, all the comments I've reviewed from the last decade have good suggestions. My current chessboard table project of padauk and maple has proven that there is a way to avoid the slight color transfer of sanding from the red/orange padauk to the maple. First, when you sand such a surface with an orbital sander, use your dust collection system or vacuum and see that your sandpaper has been properly punctured. Otherwise the color transfer will be exaggerated from the padauk to the maple, sort of like 'rubbing it in'. After your sanding from 120 to 180 and then to 220, wipe off the dust gently with a tack cloth. Then use a scrubber sheet to knock off any stubborn wood fibers, and again use the gentle application of the tack cloth. Do not use solvent to clean as this will immediately cause color bleeding requiring you to begin again. I know this. Set your piece at an angle at your finishing booth and apply a quick coat of lacquer (I used MinWax aerosol satin). Just a thin first coat and let dry. Lacquer dries super fast, which will seal the wood and prevent color transfer to adjacent lighter woods. That's the secret behind this success, in my opinion. I first tried shellac which did not inhibit color transfer, but exaggerated it. Following this failure, I re-sanded the entire surface removing the three coats of shellac, and finally sanding into the wood to remove the red tint from the maple as described above. And it worked. The very first coat of the lacquer sealed the wood enough to prevent color transfer. That's my conclusion. Now I have applied multiple coats of lacquer with intervals of hand rubbing to achieve the desired finish. Best premises.


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