How to darken mahogany

[AlexSwansboro]

On Saturday I got some beautiful African Mahogany for a simple hall table from Anchor Hardwoods in Wilmington. My client wants the furniture dark, and Mahogany is not very dark. The people at Anchor Hardwoods told me that putting it out in the sun will darken it. I know I could use stain, but I would rather find a different way because I have never had much success with stain.

Has anybody darkened Mahogany? If so, how did you do it? In my finished product I want ti highlight the grain of the Mahogany and bring out the different tones.

Thank you for your help.

 

[Mike Davis]

Finish it with lacquer, add dye to the lacquer. If they ever want it lightened you can strip off the lacquer and spray it with clear.

 

[BillPappas]

You could also coat with BLO and then follow up with a varnish...that's how my bedroom furniture is finished andit is all sapelle and Honduran mahogany. The BLO will darken some, over time it will darken even more on its own.

 

[Tarhead]

I'm thinking only Cuban and maybe Honduran Mahogany darken in the sun but it won't hurt to try. Don't lay the stock in the sun on a piece of OSB unless you want modern art. If it doesn't get it dark enough I suggest trying a water based dye like Transtint. I've used the Brown Mahogany with a small amount of Red Mahogany to get close to an aged Mahogany tint. For a few ounces of dye it just takes a quarter teaspoon or less of powder. Be sure to test on a piece of similar grained scrap. Lye, Ammonia and Potassium Dichromate are other ways to darken it but very toxic and unpredictable.

 

[red]

It sounds like they are saying it will react like cherry does in the sun. I've built many hall/sofa tables out of cherry applied my finish then left the table out in the sun to darken and it works like magic. I would do a sample piece of mahogany with your finish on it and leave it in the sun and see if you get the result your looking for. Good luck and post your findings.

Red

 

[AlexSwansboro]

You could also coat with BLO and then follow up with a varnish...that's how my bedroom furniture is finished andit is all sapelle and Honduran mahogany. The BLO will darken some, over time it will darken even more on its own.

Bill,

Do you have pictures of your furniture in your gallery?

 

[cyclopentadiene]

I had excellent experience with fuming in an ammonia tent made of PVC and plastic. The ammonia needed is blue print grade (28%), not the household stuff. The longer it is exposed to the ammonia, the darker it will turn. After leting it air out for a day or so, you can finish with your favorite finish. The advantage to this method is it is even all over and does not depend on the grain.

 

[merrill77]

I darkened an oak bookcase in the sun a few years ago. I documented my test pieces here. I recommend putting it in the sun before applying finish - most finishes will provide some level of UV protection.

 

[Cato]

The transtint dyes work pretty well. I have used their brown vintage maple on mahogany and that works pretty well to darken it, but not sure how dark your client wants it.

 

[walnutjerry]

That mahogany will darken on its own. I built a set of windsor chairs for a client and finished them with the 3 part (BLO, MS, Poly) mixture-----that darkened the wood some----time will do the rest.

Jerry

 

[Jim Wallace]

Jeff has a good idea. The ammonia method is time tested and brings out the beauty of the grain.

 

[fergy]

A few years ago I tried to dye Khaya (African mahogany) with TT dye in an alcohol solvent. It worked horribly due to the pores in that wood. It spotted and made all sorts of ugly marks. I'd spray it, if you're going with dye.

I wound up using 5 gallons of denatured alcohol to make a bath to soak these table legs and wick out all of the dye that I could, then resorted to an oil stain to even it out, followed by danish oil colored with mixol colors to get it where I wanted. Then several coats of sprayed varnish. They look good now, but the porosity of that wood threw me for a while.

 

[Jeff]

Sunlight to darken mahogany? It seems to depend upon the specific species: Mahogany (Swietenia) from Central and South America or their cousin (Khaya) from Africa. Your material would be the latter.

http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/mahogany, african.htm

There appears to be mixed opinions on how effective a sun treatment will be. Darkening on one hand or bleaching on the other hand. Maybe take 2 pieces of your stock, overlap them and let the Carolina sun work for a few days to see what happens.

http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?95945-Sun-Darkened-Mahogany

I'd be tempted to try this dichromate method out of curiosity. The results on "mahogany" are visually impressive and immediate.

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=27343

We're all interested to hear what you come up with (along with pics on test pieces). :thumbs_up

 

[AlexSwansboro]

So, I tried to darken mahogany in the sun for a few hours and it didn't darken in the slightest. I do appreciate the other suggestions, I think the amonia is just too toxic for my blood so.

What I did decide to do it put a dark walnut stain on the wood. So far it has come out nicely. I think I am going to finish it with waterlox high gloss. I will post pictures when I get them.

Thank you for your help.