# Finishing Bloodwood



## jking (Nov 13, 2007)

In the near future, I will be making a bloodwood pen.  I plan to try the modified slimline with a blackwood centerband (ala Russ).  I know the blackwood is a very oily wood, is bloodwood similar?  I did a search trying to find finishing tips for bloodwood, but, came up empty.  I'm unsure whether I'll use laquer or CA for the finish.  This will be my own pen, so, I'm not really tied to a specific finish.

Any finishing tips or recommendations would be appreciated.


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## toolcrazy (Nov 13, 2007)

I just did a bloodwood pen with a cherry celtic knot. I finished mine with Enduro. Turned out great. I need to post it. Just need the time to take the pics.


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## bradh (Nov 13, 2007)

I did a Bloodwood Euro last month and had no problems with my normal BLO/CA finish.


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## RONB (Nov 13, 2007)

I have made a couple and finished with CA. Came out good.


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## jking (Nov 13, 2007)

Here's one concern I do have.  I made a blackwood pen & wiped it down with acetone before applying the finish.  This was recommended due to the oilyness of the wood.  If I use a blackwood centerband, am I inviting trouble if I don't wipe that with acetone?  Also, if I do wipe the centerband, should I just wipe the whole pen?  I doubt I'd be able to get just the centerband & not the surrounding bloodwood.

Is BLO the preferred method for bringing out the best in the bloodwood?


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## mick (Nov 13, 2007)

John BLO will "pop" the grain on many woods....but if you plan on using a CA finish be careful to let the BLO dry before applying the CA. cloudiness can accord. I know each of us adapt and modify various CA finishes to our own needs so I'm not implying that mine is any better or worse than someone elses. That being said , here's what I normally do if I want to use BLO before CA. I slow the lathe down and apply the BLO, rubbing it in good. Then I crank up the lathe and burnish the BLO in almost like a friction polish. Again be aware of the wood type you're working with as some are more prone to cracking with heat than others. I let it rest for a few minutes and cool if any heat is present, then apply my CA finish.
Another thought on using the Blackwood CB with the Bloodwood. Be aware that the Blackwood can "bleed" onto the Bloodwood. A good remedy for this is to use thin CA as a sanding sealer before you sand the pen. This will stop the Blackwood from bleeding onto the other wood. I use this method on all my segmented pens and have never had colors run.


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## leehljp (Nov 13, 2007)

I use bloodwood a lot and have no problem with it. But I do not use acetone on segments because I have found that it will mildly leach the color from one segment to another. Not always, but just enough to ruin a good segment. I also have not had a problem with oily wood and CA since I started using the mandrel-less method and finishing without the bushings on. I do spin the turned down blanks on the lathe and dry wipe with paper towel. I don't like using a liquid of any kind to clean oils or dust on segmented blanks of different colors. I have gotten away with it, but it is chancy at best to me. Too much bleed over.


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## Kadmos (Nov 14, 2007)

I wipe bloodwood with denatured alcohol, then put on a few coats of beeswax (3-5) which i think really helps fill in some of the open grain, usually I'll leave it at that, but I've coated with Ca/blo over it and had good results.  I think if you don't wipe down bloodwood with something you're going to have alot of grain filled with an almoast whitish dust..I just don't like it.


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## jking (Nov 14, 2007)

Hank,

Do you generally apply BLO before applying your final finish?  I suppose if I apply thin CA as a sanding sealer prior to sanding there's not much point to the BLO.

Thanks for the heads up on the acetone, I never even considered that possibility.


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## louisbry (Nov 14, 2007)

I haven't had any problem with bloodwood.   I sand to 400 grit and then micromesh to 6000.   I apply a few drops of BLO and follow immediately with a few drops of medium CA.  I do this three or four times and micromesh to 12000.  Lathe speed is about 1100 rpm during this process. Here is a picture of the result.


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## cdcarter (Nov 14, 2007)

Good to know you guys haven't had trouble with it, since I just bought a big piece to fill a special request order.


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## TellicoTurning (Nov 14, 2007)

I haven't done any pens from Bloodwood, but have a couple of little bowls.. beautiful wood and great to work with.  I used BLO to pop the grain then a wax finish on the bowls..


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## leehljp (Nov 15, 2007)

> _Originally posted by jking_
> <br />Hank,
> 
> Do you generally apply BLO before applying your final finish?  I suppose if I apply thin CA as a sanding sealer prior to sanding there's not much point to the BLO.
> ...



I was not totally clear on my post; the majority of my bloodwood usage is in segments with holly. They make a beautiful contrast. As such, I do not use BLO on it because it will change the color of the holly. Straight CA does well in my usage. 

I took a piece of bloodwood and covered CA to one end and BLO on the other end, with nothing in the middle. On the piece that I used (which is the color of most of my bloodwood) the CA finished end seemed more reddish while the BLO was between maroon and tending towards brownish. I showed the experiment to my wife and asked her opinion. She said the same thing that I thought.

The result was that for the bloodwood that I have, I like the straight CA without the BLO for color. I bought a 3 ft by 6 in wide 3/4 thick board back in the spring and now I have a consistent source of bloodwood for a little while.


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## jking (Nov 15, 2007)

Thanks Hank.  The reddish color is what I'm wanting to bring out.  Now I just need to find time to get back to the lathe.


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