# lilac blanks



## endacoz (Jan 16, 2015)

A customer sent me some lilac and I got to cut some of it into blanks last night.  The color is amazing!  Sorry for the cell phone quality photos...


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## wood-of-1kind (Jan 16, 2015)

Good score. You will love the 'smell' when turning lilac


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## endacoz (Jan 16, 2015)

wood-of-1kind said:


> Good score. You will love the 'smell' when turning lilac



And I can't wait to turn it!  Just Cutting up those blanks on the table saw smelled great!  So far olive wood has smelled the best (bethlehem wood smells better than the russian olive wood I have.)  But this might beat it out for aroma!


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## lyonsacc (Jan 16, 2015)

Hmmm!  I have a lilac bush that needs some trimming!


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## Charlie_W (Jan 16, 2015)

Great looking stock! Would make a nice ice cream scoop as well.

The log section looks like red cedar from here!

Do you know if the color will stay or will it fade with time?


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## MarkD (Jan 16, 2015)

Lilac has some beautiful colors if you can keep it from cracking. I'll take all I can get!
He is a project I recently completed using Lilac: 
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f45/lilac-alumilite-bowl-126325/


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## endacoz (Jan 16, 2015)

I am hoping that the color will stay as it did with box elder flame.  

With the box elder, I have had some great color stay when finished with CA right after.  Again though this was less than a year ago so long long term... I don't know!


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## wood-of-1kind (Jan 17, 2015)

endacoz said:


> I am hoping that the color will stay as it did with box elder flame.
> 
> With the box elder, I have had some great color stay when finished with CA right after.  Again though this was less than a year ago so long long term... I don't know!



Unfortunately but some of nice purple colour does fade as it dries. What I discovered is that a nice CA finish on a completed pen does help to retain some of the natural colour. The sad part is that CA will mask the great smell of the timber. Win 1 way but lose in another. Pretty well describes life.


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## glen r (Jan 17, 2015)

Lilac also takes colors very well.  I did some pens and used red, blue and green food coloring and the Customer loved it.  Made a few more pens with that wood.


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## endacoz (Jan 17, 2015)

glen r said:


> Lilac also takes colors very well.  I did some pens and used red, blue and green food coloring and the Customer loved it.  Made a few more pens with that wood.



Any pictures


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## vtgaryw (Jan 17, 2015)

My wife finally caught on that when I tell her I'm "trimming" her Lilac that I'm actually "harvesting." :bashful:

I finally made her one out of it, she's much more understanding now.

-gary


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