Pwalter5110 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 A little over a year ago I started building a TV stand. Shortly after starting, I found out my wife was pregnant, and decided to get the house in order. I haven't been in the shop much, and I decided a week or so ago that I should be finished with the TV stand. The top looked like crap. The cherry I am using is no longer red. It's more of a blackish grey color from sitting. I tried sanding for hours. Finally I gave up, ripped the top in half and sent it through the planer. All is good with the top now. But when I started sanding the base of the TV stand, I noticed it was just as bad. Grey, and black. Very little red. I have been sanding with 60 grit and it doesn't look much better. I decided to wipe it down with mineral spirits and it looks TERRIBLE. Please tell me that there is a solution to getting that fresh milled cherry color back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatworks Today Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Let me try something in the morning with some of the cherry I have (it's black cherry and suspect aging has done the same thing you're running into). Normally I just plane it off, but if you're already close to finished dimension there isn't a lot of material to remove. I'm thinking some type of wood cleaner like this. Basically all it does is clean and neutralize the tannins / color in the wood. I'll let you know how it goes. It may be an option Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwalter5110 Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 I appreciate it. I would plane it myself, but I glued the base together over a yr ago. I appreciate the experiment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Oxidation doesn't turn cherry gray/black...filth does. Cleaning it might work, or it might push the filth deeper into the fibers. But you have to assume if you sand long enough, you'll eventually reach fresh, raw meat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilgaron Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Do you have a scraper? A #80 would be best but a card scraper will do, you'll just feel arthritic by the time you're done. Sanding for me is too good at continuing to push the crap down back into the wood. Scrapers slice it off. If you are stuck sanding, make sure to hook your vacuum up to the sander. What is the black grime? Dirt? Oil? Rot? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Do you have a scraper? A #80 would be best but a card scraper will do, you'll just feel arthritic by the time you're done. Sanding for me is too good at continuing to push the crap down back into the wood. Scrapers slice it off. If you are stuck sanding, make sure to hook your vacuum up to the sander. What is the black grime? Dirt? Oil? Rot? First thing I thought was cabinet scraper. If you've got a #80 I'd try that first. Then follow up with sanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwalter5110 Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 I have a card scraper. I really need to work on getting a good hook out it. It feels like it takes forever to remove much material with it. I'm not sure what the discoloration is. The wood has just been sitting in the basement. I did have a hot water tank that sprung a leak a couple of months ago. Maybe water got on it!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilgaron Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 For stuff like this it is a feature that the scraper doesn't take much off at once! If you're good with hand planes a smoother would be faster if it is mildew and went deeper than scraping depth. If it is just dirt the scraper should handle it just fine... if its mineral stain from a hot water heater... not sure how deep to expect that to get. Does it smell any different? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatworks Today Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Oxidation doesn't turn cherry gray/black...filth does. Cleaning it might work, or it might push the filth deeper into the fibers. But you have to assume if you sand long enough, you'll eventually reach fresh, raw meat. I love ya Eric, but gotta disagree . We all age and weather just like lumber; many things contribute to this but yes, dirt and dust can play a factor. When "clean" wood darkens it's not necessarily from dirt and grime, but rather oxidation and exposure to air / sunlight. We all know that's why cherry, teak and many other woods darken with age even after they're finished / sealed. I forgot to do my test today but made a note to do it in the morning. I'll post pics of the results (good or bad) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 I'm not saying cherry doesn't darken, I'm saying oxidation and light indoor exposure to UV doesn't turn it gray/black...it turns it deep red. So if his project is a dingy gray/black, I have to assume that it's mold/dirt/filth that's causing the discoloration. If it was left outside unprotected in the elements to weather, then yes, I agree, eventually all wood turns that hideous silvery gray...that's the beginnings of decomposition. But if it was left inside and it turned black, different set of circumstances...the fact that he had water issues makes me suspicious that it's mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilgaron Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 I forgot to mention, if it is mold and you are sanding it off I hope you are wearing a respirator. N95 at least, P100 preferred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 A picture of your table in its current condition with a scrap of fresh milled cherry next to it would give us a view of what may of happened. Descriptions and lighting conditions can skew appearances. Once cherry has been cut it starts to change and darken, oxidation and UV light contribute to this and little can be done to stop it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatworks Today Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Well, here's the results.. This is black cherry that's been stored in my shop for about 6 months or so. I've had a few pieces I noticed that started to turn black-ish / grey and figured it's the same issue the OP was running into. My sample has never gotten wet and is stored on a rack. First pic is before I did anything. Next is with a coating of cleaner / brightener.. I let it sit for a few minutes and rinsed off with clean water, let dry. No scrubbing other than what was done with a chip brush applying the cleaner. It actually removed the black stuff and really darkened the wood. Whether this would take care of the op issue I don't know, but still think it's kinda cool :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Interesting test! What was the cleaner / brightener used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatworks Today Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 It's a cleaner I use for teak decks made by teak decking systems.. Teak can have a tendency to get black streaks as well. The cleaner works well for that so thought I'd give it a try on cherry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwalter5110 Posted January 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 UPDATE: I have been sanding my life away. Most people hate sanding. Sanding this project is just down right torture. I am posting 2 pictures. The black spots aren't showing up very well in pictures, but hopefully you can see what I am talking about. These are pictures with a coat of finish on them. I was hoping that with finish, they wouldn't be noticeable. I am wondering if I should try and use a dye at this point to somewhat hide these spots. Any idea if it would work? I have actually even thought about cutting the table apart and starting over. That's how over sanding I am! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwalter5110 Posted January 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 I forgot to add, I didn't disregard Boatworks advise. I went to a local rocker and couldn't find a cleaner. I may try that...Before taking a hammer to this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPCV_Woodworker Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 I think it looks fine. You might be being to harsh on your work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 Looks like the normal variations I see in Cherry all the time. Dye is normally applied to unfinished wood. Gel stains can be used over a sealed surface after it has been sanded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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