mahogany finish

Ron Journeau

Member
Messages
68
Location
Les Coteaux,Quebec
I have been asked to make a pen for a musician with our Symphony orchestra, with the possibility of furnishing the entire orchestra... so I ordered some mahogany blanks, as she is a violinist, but before I start I want to replicate the rich brown/red tones of a violin, but the wood is almost yellow. Did I just buy the wrong wood, or is there an old trusted recipe for that beautiful glow you see when picking up a violin?:huh:
 
did you order real mahogany? I use it time to time for furniture, its always reddish/browns, never really any yellows. Im sure to finish a pen, although I know little about pen finishes, once you make a pen, applying 4-6 coats of wipe on poly should give you a nice look I believe you are looking for. rich , bold color and nice shine.
 
I wonder if the mahogany you got is the sapwood instead of the heartwood?

Ron, PM me your mailing address. I've got a small piece of mahogany that's too twisted to do any decent flatwork with, but it'd make good pen blanks. It's yours if you want it. ;)
 
Ron to get a rich clarity of Mahogany I'd use a water stain. I'd just dip the pen in the stain blow dry it and dip it again to get a good stain. Then sand and you will probably have to dip and repeat the step.
 
thanks for the ideas and tips,guys...when I get into summer mode and bring my freezables back out into my shed to attempt some woodworking , I will try a piece of what I bought with some of your ideas...and will look for some honduran if that doesn't work. It figures that I would buy the wrong stuff...oh well, will give it a whirl. Thanks Vaughn, will drop you a note if this doesn't pan out. Always get good ideas here...thanks::doh:
 
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