Drying wood without color loss

[Lyle]

Hello,

I've just cut up the trunk of a plum tree that was knocked over in a snow storm last winter.  The wood colors are excellent, and I want to keep as much vibrancy and distinction as I can.  The pieces are sticker-stacked for air drying at the moment.  I'd appreciate any recommendations for curing the wood and maintaining the colors.

thanks

[drzaius]

Those colors are beautiful. It varies by species, but if a color is going to fade, it will fade. Keeping it out of bright light and applying a UV protective finish will help it last. I don't know how 'color fast' plum is.

Be sure to seal the ends of those logs while they dry.

[Chestnut]

The color of the wood when it's wet is not going to be the same as when it's dry. There isn't much you can do about it. With everything appreciate the color the wood is going to be 10 years from now not what it is today. The color today won't last all wood changes color some spices are more dramatic than others. UV light will accelerate the color change but keeping it out of UV light is not an end of time solution.

https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/preventing-color-changes-in-exotic-woods/

 

[Lyle]

Gents,

Thanks for the thoughts on this; I've had the same experience over the years, and know to keep wood out of the sun when possible.   Setting the issue of fading in UV light aside,  I was hoping there was a hidden alchemist's procedure for curing wood  and get a decent "colorfast" result.  I've thought of soaking in alcohol, linseed oil, or a wood stabilizer.  I've considered microwaving, boiling or steaming it.  I've thought about salt brine, vinegar, or other ways to pickle the color into the wood.   I think soaking it in anything would cause the reds to bleed over the yellows, and the distinctive marbling would be lost.

For now, I'll just seal the end grain and let it air dry out of the heat and sun.

[wtnhighlander]

Small pieces, stabilized with resins, seem to retain color fairly well. Not very practical for stuff larger than a turning blank, though.

[phinds]

Plum is often gorgeous when first cut but it won't last and there's nothing you can do about it.

Here's a piece with a pic by the owner (this one is relatively unseasoned) before he had it for a while and then sent it to me and then one after I'd had it for a short time (my pic is of dry wood, very slightly aged).