Est. 1998 — 28 years of woodworking knowledge
translucent norfolk island pine
gil in san diego
>Does anyone know why np sometimes gets translucent. I picked some up from a tree that was taken down and some of the pieces end up translucent while most of pieces are not. I originally thought that the blo soaked through because the piece was so thin but now I do not think that is the case.
Re: translucent norfolk island pine
David Chung
>Not having seen your pieces, I cannot say why most are not translucent, but I would guess that it was because it wasn't thin enough. Turn any light colored wood thin enough, and it will get translucent. Repeated soakings in something similar to blo, like Ron Kent does, or long-term immersion in a "home brew" as described by Russ Fairfield (Russ's Corner- articles on finishing) seem to replace the wood cells with the soaking solution and can result in a glass-like material that does not resemble wood any more. It all depends on the look you are trying to achieve. Phil Brennion (sp?) seems to have some success with translucence with other types of pine. Photos of some translucent pieces are posted on my members' page in the WOW website.
Re: translucent norfolk island pine
Mango
>I have to agree with David, You probably did not get the piece thin enough. Second those who turn norfolk pine when finihsed soak the piece for at 30 days. Which gives its desireable qualties. and prevents cracking.
Re: translucent norfolk island pine
gil in san diego
>"Soak for 30 days"? Do you mean submerged in a tub of blo? ...and by "desirable qualities" do you mean the transluscence?
Maybe I am missing something. What I think is norfolk island pine,seems to hold together without cracking or splitting, better than most other woods I have worked with. This is the stuff with branches coming radially out of the pith every foot or two with no branches in between. Am I correct of do I have my trees mixed up?
Re: translucent norfolk island pine
David Chung
>Yes, we are talking about the same tree. By getting it thin, light can be seen through the wood in one kind of translucence, but extended soaking will bring out a more glass-like look to the wood, and often times impart a more orange glow to the translucence. I don't know Kelly Dun's technique of soaking, but a lot of his pieces are almost 1/4 inch in wall thickness, and his pieces look like translucent glass. Recommend that you check out Ron Kent's website, ronkent.com, I think. He says the pieces he makes are soaked and sanded many times--up to 50 times, reportedly. Frankly, my inclination is to soak the piece and leave it there, cause I am basically lazy. I have soaked pieces for about a week, but haven't tried for longer periods up to a month.
Re: translucent norfolk island pine
RevDoug
>I believe that you will find a better result by soaking 8-12 hours and then allowing the piece to dry for 24 hours, repeating the process for as many as 50 cycles. Sanding with 800+ grit wet/dry when the piece first comes out of the soak is recomembed. It is a slow process, but as you have seen, well worth it.
Turn 'em round,
RevDoug
Re: translucent norfolk island pine *LINK*
Mango
>David and Rev are correct. and yes you do have the right tree. fact or fiction I have been told replacing the water in the cells with oil prevents the thinly turned piece from reacting to climate changes and cracking. When you sell or buy something for thousands, it can give you piece of mind :)
http://jkellydunn.com/norfolk.asp
http://www.ronkent.com/rontech.html
http://dreamingofhawaii.com/rfd-turn-norfolk.asp
