question re markings on sycamore slab

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markturner

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Hi, I recently purchased a nice slab of ripple sycamore and have cut a piece to use as the top of a small coffee table I am making. After planing up the piece, I have noticed grey marks through the wood, and wondered, if this was normal, what they are and if they can be removed. They seem to be right through the wood, see pics:

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Thanks, Mark
 
"Dirty Sycamore" caused by the timber not being stacked vertically when dried.
Don't know if you can remove it - I know planning didn't on some I had?

Rod
 
markturner":484unn03 said:
So basically, I have brought a duff bit of wood then...?
It's not 'fubar' by any means, but as Rod has correctly said, it t'were'nt stacked properly, hence the grey marks. I'd be inclined to use it for less 'showy' applications - Rob
 
Problem is, its the sort of wood you would use for nice showy bits. I had plans for a coffee table and some nice drawer fronts, but sadly don't think it will be suitable for either. Cant think what else to do with it. Can you? I have asked the seller what he can about it, hopefully come to some satisfactory arrangement..

Cheers, Mark
 
You could play around with either strong wood bleach or stain over it, you may end up with an interesting effect! but still not what you had in mind when you found it.
 
markturner":15otue0g said:
Problem is, its the sort of wood you would use for nice showy bits. I had plans for a coffee table and some nice drawer fronts, but sadly don't think it will be suitable for either. Cant think what else to do with it. Can you? I have asked the seller what he can about it, hopefully come to some satisfactory arrangement..

Cheers, Mark
I was thinking that it could be used for some sort of internal carcase joinery, lets say the interior of kitchen units (where you might use tulip or pine) and then the better stuff would be used as a face frame - Rob
 
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.
 
Hi Sgian, if I was to try the bleach approach, how would you go about this -IE what concentration of bleach, how long, total immersion in bleach etc etc ?
 
if I was to try the bleach approach, how would you go about this -IE what concentration of bleach, how long, total immersion in bleach etc etc ?
Mark, I would use an A+B bleach to experiment with. Just follow the instructions on the pack. Here's a link to one maker's version with some description. http://tbx.toolbankexpress.com/p/C10901/RUS/RUSWBSET You may not like the result, but I guess you won't know until you try it. Slainte.
 
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