Padauk and Shellac

[Flute Maker]

I tried some 50/50 Zinsser shellac and DNA on some padauk and it turned it purple immediately. Ive been using wop on it so I ll guess Ill go back to that on it..But I was wondering why it did that? Because of the oil in it maybe ?

 

[Jeff]

That's a mystifying and intriguing question. A few side by side before and after pics would be helpful in order to "see" what you're talking about. :icon_scra

Apparently padauk is very prone to color changes over time and exposure to uv light (starts out reddish/orange when freshly cut, but turns reddish/brown like mahogany). See the salad bowl and commentary below:

http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/padauk.htm

There's also 2 10' long boards about 2/3 of the way down the page. One orange and one purple.

Did you use Zinsser clear or amber shellac? Maybe try wiping a piece with straight DNA and see if you get a color change, but I doubt that you will. :dontknow:

My best guess as an organic chemist is that one of the "lac" components that define shellac is somehow interacting with the padauk oils and causing the immediate change. However, some of those components are removed in the purification process going from amber to clear. :icon_scra

One last experiment: Use Zinsser clear shellac on one piece and Zinsser amber on the other piece

 

[merrill77]

FWIW, I was putting shellac on padauk just a few weeks ago and besides making it look beautiful, it had no other effect. It looked exactly like what I expected it to look like.