markturner":1zvip1ms said:
Hi, I recently purchased a nice slab of ripple sycamore ... I have noticed grey marks through the wood, and wondered, if this was normal, what they are and if they can be removed. Mark
Mark, you've almost certainly got some wood with sticker stain aka sticker shadow. Slow drying, particularly of white (or pale) woods like maples and beech results in chemical staining and most frequently shows as an irregular cross grain stripe of sticker stain on the surface of boards in direct contact with the stickers— in severe cases this staining may not be restricted to just these areas and it becomes a more generalised discolouration showing over much of the board’s faces, and may even penetrate right through the board.
Sticker stain is actually a result of the oxidation of naturally occurring chemicals within wood-- perhaps catalyzed by wood enzymes. Sticker stain is the common term used, but the description sticker shadow is in fact the same as sticker stain. Quite frequently, conditions conducive to sticker stain or sticker shadow are also conducive to fungal growth; sticker stain is a likely result, particularly in white woods, where initial wood moisture content is above 40%, and there is less than 5% of moisture loss per day coupled with temperatures of 10º C (50ºF) or greater.
What you might do about is one of three things:
* First, staining like this is a result of lesser quality control during the drying process and may be able to return it to your supplier and exchange it. However, having said that it depends what it was sold as, ie, the grade and description. Was it sold as clear, or was it sold as a secondary or low grade of some sort?
** Second, you might use it as a secondary wood in a project, eg hidden structural parts, etc.
*** Thirdly, you could go ahead and make your table top and bleach it. Prior to commiting yourself to this strategy I suggest you prepare, bleach and polish up a sample to see if you are happy with the result. Slainte.
