Staining African Mahogany

[JackAZ]

I would like advice on finishing a project made from African Mahogany, wood that has a wide color difference between the dark heartwood and light sapwood. I know its sacrilege to talk about staining good wood, but the LOML and I like to enhance the warm red tones inherent in this lumber. Only real problem is in the table top where I've had to use some very light boards with darker ones.

We like the Minwax Sonoma Red on the heartwood which really punches out the grain pattern, but on the sapwood it just tends to leave a rosy hue. I've tried several combinations of red mahogany stain with the Sonoma Red, multiple coats, even using some Special Walnut I had on hand, but nothing seems to work well in trying to more or less match the color on the heartwood.

I would welcome any suggestions.

[Mort]

For What It is Worth

I use MinWax Tung oil finish on Florida mahogany - turned bowls - , will really pop the grain, brings out the red tones in the heart wood and highlights gain patterns in the sap wood without yellowing the sap wood too much. Three coats [wipe or brush on] will result in a food safe low to medium gloss finish. This finish maybe buffed [power] to a finish that closely resembles the french polish technique without the hassle and learning curve of french polish. The finish is also very easy to rehab.

The rosy hue you are getting is inherent in the sapwood and is exposed when a finish hits it. The sapwood grain lines will come out rosy also. I have yet to hit on a method to make the light sap wood turn red. Steam is used on walnut to "correct" the color difference between the sap/heart wood. That hasn't worked for me on mahogany, nor does steeping the wood in a solution made of heartwood shavings boiled in water, heartwood shavings soaked in mineral spirits, heartwood shaving soaked in denatured alcolhol, soaked in xylene. The fluids all turn a nice red, the sapwood won't take up the color even using a pressure cooker [using the non volitile carriers of course]. I also tried several satins and dyes with poor success. Cherry satins/dyes came close but still no cigar. I conclude it is the nature of the beast and will have to live with it. Unfortunately, the buying public is not informed on the subject and thinks all mahogany is red in color. "If it ain't all red Martha in ain't mahogany". I do resist the temptation to comment.
Hope this helps

[JackAZ]

Thanks Mort for all the good info. I've been having some success with a mixture of the Minwax Solano Red and Red Mahogany about 4:1, with the light color prevailing. Its not perfect, but hey, this is woodworking. It is yielding a very pleasant range of color, and the variation is still there but much better controlled.
Your experience is very helpful. We do like the African Mahogany species for furniture, and the price is right.

[dfstrasser]

I've got some African Mahogany that has has a lot of variation in color and hardness. The lighter wood is very soft. Is this because it is the sap wood ? I wanted to make a coffee table out of it but I think it's to soft to hold up to the abuse.

[JeffW]

I use a special mixture on dyes on African Mahogany. 2 parts dark cuban brown and one part cuban red. It looks great.

[JackAZ]

dfstrasser - I haven't found any variation in hardness between the heartwood and sapwood in my stock of the African mahogany, only color. The lightest wood is as hard as the dark wood. Only thing I could suggest is that your wood may not have been dried to spec.

JeffW - Sounds like a great solution. I'll try it on my next project with the species.

[JackAZ]

Just noticed a query about sources for hardwood elsewhere in this forum. For what its worth, here in Arizona we have an excellent source and they will ship anywhere, and will pick up returns at their expense if you're not happy. Try the excellent web site at http://woodworkerssource.net/index.html
They have great specials and are running a sale on a long list of products in Jan/Feb 05. See the list at http://www.woodworkerssource.net/wws...rentissue.html
If you're gonna be in Phoenix or Tucson anytime soon, stop by one of the three stores.

[Mort]

Fine Wood Working Feburary 2005 shows using 2 tablespoons of Arm and Hammer baking soda in a quart of warm water on mahogany to bring out the red. I have not tried this to see what effect it will have on the sapwood but will.

HTH