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Wood Aging Techniques?


Scarecrow
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Picked up this great .50 cal ammo crate from fellow Forum member Infantryboy11629th. It did'nt have a top so I used my very limited carpentry skills and made one. Came out fairly well but as you can see there is quite a bit of color contrast between new wood and 70 year old wood. The crate has a mild orange tint to the wood. I was wondering if anyone has a decent wood aging technique to reduce the contrast. I know a "Maple" color stain is orange in color but I think it would be a bit too "orange". Any hints or help greatly appreciated. Many thanks!

post-23999-0-03255000-1416114789.jpgpost-23999-0-82108200-1416114796.jpg

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Wipe a coat of linseed oil on it. Let dry and then put a few more coats. It will darken the wood naturally. It will be hard match stain on it. I put linseed on an old antique wooden trunk my wife bought and we had a professional repair the bottom. I then went the linseed route and it turned out great. You did a great job on the lid.

Good luck.

Ronnie

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Wipe a coat of linseed oil on it. Let dry and then put a few more coats. It will darken the wood naturally. It will be hard match stain on it. I put linseed on an old antique wooden trunk my wife bought and we had a professional repair the bottom. I then went the linseed route and it turned out great. You did a great job on the lid.

Good luck.

Ronnie

you can even buy colorless stain and add your own color if you are willing to test alot and mix and match... i do that alot...

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Stain it in the desired color and rub it gently with sandpaper, particularly on the edges, to give it a look of wear and age

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Paul , have you a piece of the timber left over from the lid ? If so , try a few wood stains NOT DYES, looking at it maybe a antique pine color , it might need to be "built up" with a few coats ?

 

But just play with some colors on a scrap piece of timber first , I dont know the manufacturers of your wood products in the US, but here in the UK COLORON produce a wide variety of wood stains

 

LB ( CARPENTER / FURNITURE MAKER )

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Vinegar and steel wool can work with the tannins in the wood to darken and age it.

 

It works best with oak, however. In that case, I saw a project where a guy took very old oak timbers from the floor of a trailer and made something out of it. The steel wool and vinegar remedy darkened it sufficiently to match almost flawlessly. That being pine, however, might call for some experimentation. I have read about using tea as a soak to put tannins in the wood to cause the reaction, but have not done this myself. Do a google for vinegar and steel wool stain, there was one that I found when researching this process where a guy tested many different recipes and types of vinegar, etc., and their effects. If I recall, one was pretty grey like the aged wood on that box.

 

I think I would also try to make use of some good old fashioned dirt, as that undoubtedly contributes to the look of the original wood!

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Stain it in the desired color and rub it gently with sandpaper, particularly on the edges, to give it a look of wear and age

I should add, my mother made a living selling crafts and was particularly fond of aged and rustic looks, and this is a technique she used

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I should add, my mother made a living selling crafts and was particularly fond of aged and rustic looks, and this is a technique she used

 

A very tried and tested technique too,! :)

 

Just to make it clear Brig i wasnt saying or implying that my way was the right way , just a method i use to get the color (patina) of wood when we are trying to match existing pieces

 

No offense implied whatsoever Brig :blush:

 

LB

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I'll add one more thought, amber colored shellac will give a similar look. Try it on some scrap wood first.

 

That would give a great hue to the wood ! might be ideal as the top coat ?

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A very tried and tested technique too,! :)

 

Just to make it clear Brig i wasnt saying or implying that my way was the right way , just a method i use to get the color (patina) of wood when we are trying to match existing pieces

 

No offense implied whatsoever Brig :blush:

 

LB

Oh, none taken, there's a bunch of methods that can be used, I was just clarifying that it's a 'rustic' method

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Oh, none taken, there's a bunch of methods that can be used, I was just clarifying that it's a 'rustic' method

thankyou :)

 

LB

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  • 1 month later...

First of all a very Merry Christmas to all Forum members.

 

I went the "staining" route on the box lid. Experimented a few times on scraps of wood. Not perfect but am pretty happy with the result. Thanks to all who passed on their advice and experience. The proverbial "before' and "after" photos attached.

 

Before: post-23999-0-79023000-1419516518.jpg

 

After: post-23999-0-17809700-1419516539.jpg

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First of all a very Merry Christmas to all Forum members.

 

I went the "staining" route on the box lid. Experimented a few times on scraps of wood. Not perfect but am pretty happy with the result. Thanks to all who passed on their advice and experience. The proverbial "before' and "after" photos attached.

 

Before: attachicon.gifphpM9ju11PM.jpg

 

After: attachicon.gifphpYflqrhAM.jpg

looks good!

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