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Fade

john lucas

AAW Forum Expert
Joined
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In direct sunlight it will fade almost overnight. Well not at night but in the day. With a finish on and in the house out of direct sun it will last for years.
Binh Pho uses a metallic dye to airbrush over the red with the same color and pattern so that it will last a lifetime. I'm still trying to learn to do that.
 
Joined
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Mike,

The reds are the most fragile and will fade to brown in short order when exposed to direct sunlight or other UV source. Ergo, put your turnings in a dark bank vault and the red might be there for a long time.

Red's not the only stain we loose over time. The fungus/mineral staining in Ambrosia Maple will also be lost in time. I have some Ambrosia bowls that are 6 years old and I can see a definate change in the sides that were left to face the sunlight.

mm
 
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Yeah? So put some sunscreen on them.... :D

That's what a local turner here does for his polychromatic Christmas ornaments.
 
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billerica, ma
Sunscreen = UV resistant spar varnish. Won't stop it but will slow it nicely and give you a color life of years if kept out of sunlight.
 
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It's not just direct sunlight, strong indirect can do it too. As a general rule, one shouldn't put wood pieces in direct sunlight anyway, since the uneven heating effect can cause unwanted changes in form besides changing colors.
 
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