Holly -- Keeping It White

[Randy Rice]

Background first:
I just got back from visiting my mother on the occasion of birthday number ninety. She lives on the edge of the Big Thicket in deep southeast Texas, the part of the state hit by Rita. One of the twenty or so trees she lost on her lot was a beautiful holly that was about twenty-two inches just above the root flare. She had the entire tree, root ball and all, moved to a corner for me so I felt obligated to bring several pieces back home (including a crotch). Also, had to haul a piece of twenty-inch cherry, but that is another story.

Questions:
We cut some of it up into bowl blanks and 4x4 and 6x6 stock for eccentic turning. Going to rough out the bowls tomorrow. Anything special I can do with the bowl blanks to keep them snow white? How about the squares (they will have to sit a while and air dry)?

Answers:

 

[Hugh]

I have had limited experience with Holly. But...if you turn it as soon as possible, I think you will end up with the whitest wood. I only had access to a small amount and it was only about 6 - 8" diameter. I turned a small vessel - turned wet and fairly thin and it came out fairly white. I found that the wood wanted to get "blue stain" and come out somewhat gray in color. I also found that the blocks liked to crack - even after I had sealed the ends. I think you need to rough out the bowls as soon as possible and then seal them up as you would with most other woods. Straight grained Holly - turned into an open bowl with the pith on the opening - thin - gets a neat shape. Good luck.
Hugh

p.s. - I heard somewhere that Holly needs to be kiln dried to really come out white. I do not know where I heard this though. I do not have access to a kiln and have not tried it.

 

[DennisM]

Keeping holly white

I have not had experience with Holly, but have with sycamore. Was white when fresh turned, but began to have grey streaks show up. Solved the problem with 2 part bleach from the paint store. Household bleach wasn't strong enough, but the 2 part bleach (or A B bleach) did the trick just fine.
Be careful though, you need to make sure the bleach is neutralized with a little diluted vinager before you handle it.

Hope this helps

 

[pfduffy]

Holly

Having delt with holly all my turning life, and used it for all sorts of items, I find that it discolors as a function of the time of year it is cut; winter being best for whiteness, and where it grew. It loses water at an alarming rate and needs immediate sealing after being cut and after ruff turning. Using wood bleach will return it to near-perfect white, provided the blue stain is not completely set. It is a great wood for DNA drying and is very hard when fully dry. Phil

 

[S. Clark]

Randy, I think you need to turn the blanks down to 3/4" or less then let them dry before finishing them off. My experience has been that it'll discolor if left in a larger block. Even at 3/4 I got some blueing but it was only in the immediate surface and was turned away when I finished it. I think this is due to the slowing of the dry cycle and the likelihood that blue fungus will set in. Curing or drying quickly seemed to help avoid this. I've also cut pen blanks to about 1" squares and ricked them up for successful white curing. They distort but I resaw them again after dry.

- Scott

 

[Charlie Knighton]

3/4" rough turn

if one was going to boil green wood what thickness would you turn it to to keep distortion and color in the wood??????????

 

[Bruceyp]

Randy,
I turned holly some time ago and had it turn grey on me. I read somewhere that the tanin in the holly can react to iron and stain the wood. The article recommended that you wipe off any tool that you sharpen before returning it to the workpiece to prevent the grindings from getting on your piece. Where did this info come from? Out there on the net somewhere.
As for the 2 part bleach, I bought it once but couldn't figure what to do with the excess when I was done. I didn't want to flush it down the toilet, or dump it in the ground, so I brought back and never used it. What do you do with it?
B

 

[Hugh]

Two part bleach - any left over - flush it. You can dilute it if you want to and you can add vinegar to change the pH if you want. If you just flush it, it will be dilute when it reaches the treatment plant and will not be any problem. If you were talking about large quanities, that would be a different matter.
Hugh

 

[Steve Worcester]

Background first:
She had the entire tree, root ball and all, moved to a corner for me so I felt obligated to bring several pieces back home (including a crotch). Also, had to haul a piece of twenty-inch cherry, but that is another story.

And what about your buddy Steve? Might he be able to get some of this stash?

 

[Bob M]

Randy:

Don't forget, Steve may hurt his tender body moving the larger pieces. Just bring those a little further northeast to Lucas.

 

[Randy Rice]

Bob, I agree that turning stock of this quality could cause "Crash" Worcester to have another "incident" if sprung upon him without warning. Guess that I will have to gradually break the news to him before my next trip (read as "tease" ).

 

[Steve Worcester]

Bob, I agree that turning stock of this quality could cause "Crash" Worcester to have another "incident" if sprung upon him without warning.

That's "FrankenSteve" to you, thank you very much. And I will have you know that I started turning just 3 weeks after the accident (just couldn't lift much them) and got on the bike again a couple weeks ago.

I would actually love to have something in the 6x6x6 holly range. Would probably bleach real well. (Now this isn't an out and out beg, but possibly close to one. Why I am doing this in public may be that you will feel compelled to comply or face a certain public outcry. After all, you wouldn't not help an outstretched hand and maybe I can trade a nice quality bowl for Empty Bowl use?)

You got my digits man, you can call....

 

[Barbara Gill]

Two part bleach - any left over - flush it. You can dilute it if you want to and you can add vinegar to change the pH if you want. If you just flush it, it will be dilute when it reaches the treatment plant and will not be any problem. If you were talking about large quanities, that would be a different matter.
Hugh

If you have a septic system DO NOT FLUSH IT. Also, remember that there are some people on very small systems.

 

[Barbara Gill]

I have used the denatured alcohol soak on summer cut holly with good succcess. Holly is the only wood I use water based poly on as it will not darken the surface.

 

[Mr. Don]

white holly

Some of the most colorful Holly is in the large gnarly trees and the stumps....rivals marble rock carvings in color and grain variations!!!! Do not be so quick to try to whiten this beautiful wood. I have tons of the stuff, and I never get over the beauty of it!!!!