Auro 109-90 on a child's cot made from Ash?

[SimonB13]

Hi All,

I am just getting to the final stages of making a cot out of ash for my new baby and with the finish I'm really keen to try to retain the light colour of the ash (and avoid too much yellowing), while still bringing out the grain. I came across a post on here somewhere which mentioned Auro 109-90 oil, and after a little more research it sounds ideal as it has a white pigment which counteracts the yellowing. I was wondering if anyone has any experience using this product on Ash and what the results were like?

I also came across some advice on here that water-based acrylic lacquer (from Chestnut) might be a good way to go as it doesn't stain the wood at all. This sounds good and is probably the way I will go if I don't find a better alternative. However, having used some of the lacquer on a scrap piece of ash and then left it in a window for a few months the wood underneath does seem to have gone fairly yellow. I know this is probably the wood naturally discolouring in the sun, rather than the finish affecting it, but it would be great if I can avoid or minimise it, hence I thought that the white pigment in the Auro 109-90 oil might help with this natural yellowing.

Many thanks,
Simon

P.S. I am also checking with Auro if the product is safe for use on toys (EN 71 etc.) - a bonus of the the acrylic lacquer is that it is already accredited to this standard.

 

[herriott67]

i have just taken on the task of building a baby cradle but i am struggling to find the right timber for it i would like a slightly darker timber than ash was there any other timbers you were considering before you started your project

 

[SimonB13]

Hi,

I did look at making it from European Oak but after pricing it up it was simply too expensive - although the Ash is lighter in colour that what I ideally wanted, the stuff I got has a nice grain and was less than half the price of the oak. Just a pain that oil finishes apparently turn Ash a horrible yellow colour so I think I'm probably going to use a water based acrylic lacquer to reduce the yellowing.

I'm still fairly new at this though so there may have been a better (but still affordable) timber choice that I wasn't aware of.

My next project is a coffee table in Cherry, although that's even more expensive than the Oak!

Cheers,
Simon