Darkening cherry

Nice figure on those boards. :-)

Depends on how dark you want, and how dark wood can get?

Never tried potassium dichromate as plenty of UV light available in Arizona. :)
Usually decide how to color cherry, after placing some in direct sun for couple days to ~ 1week.

Have seen cherry that barely darkens even after sitting in direct Arizona summer sun for a week; while other boards get darker than walnut (like this maple/cherry panel with only ARS aged 3 days)?

For light to medium cherry color addition, ruby/garnet shellac is good finish.

For medium Cherry color on light lumber, I use Behlen’s Solar Lux cherry dye stain (or Mohawk Ultra Penetrating cherry, same thing) as listed in this project.

For darker cherry color: use 1lb cut of ruby/garnet shellac as seal coat, then mix 2 parts Cherry, 1 part Dark Walnut, and 1/2 part Dark Red Mahogany Ultra Penetrating dye stain for color.
This blend is about as dark I like to go? When this is used on mix of naturally dark and light lumber, will dilute blend 50% on darker lumber, use full strength on light lumber; or it gets too dark after some UV exposure.

as always, YMMV.

Best Luck

-- If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all, - Albert King - Born Under a Bad Sign released 1967

I have used Transtint dye.

-- Petey

Potassium dichromate is a very dangerous chemical. If you decide to use it, do some research and make sure you know what you’re doing first.

I tried potassium dichromate on some cherry and there was still some blotchiness. I also just wasn’t thrilled with the finished color.
If blotching/splotching is your big concern, watch Charles Neil’s videos on controlling blotch and his Blotch Control. It is one of those products that does what it says it will do. Using it with your dye stain will make that cherry pop.

On this blanket chest, look at the pic with the lid open and see the blotching on the inside compared to outside. Followed Charles’ instructions.

-- Rick - I know I am not perfect, but I will keep pressing on toward the goal of becoming all I am called to be.

If blotching is an issue, use a sealer first. I use Seal-A-Cell, then cherry stain, before finishing with Arm-R-Seal. The end result is very close to the color you get after a couple weeks in the sun.

-- Earl "I'm a pessamist - generally that increases the chance that things will turn out better than expected"

If blotching is an issue, use a sealer first. I use Seal-A-Cell, then cherry stain, before finishing with Arm-R-Seal. The end result is very close to the color you get after a couple weeks in the sun.

- EarlS

Same here. I also put pieces out in the sun for a few days.

Cherry darkens with age, so I prefer to avoid dyes and stains. I’ve used shellac, with good results, but my best results have been with Seal-A-Cell.

I should have looked it up, but pot dichromate is definitely out.

I’m going to try sealing with Seal A Cell and also shellac, then dye and see what happens.

-- Everything is a prototype thats why its one of a kind!!

My blog on dealing with blotching. I use dyes, oil and water based, depending on the project, for cherry or any wood. Cherry tends to turn dark rust. Find some pics or age some then try to match. I have projects here on LJs some detail the finishing process.

After reading this article, what I normally do is apply BLO, then give it a tan for a couple days. If i want to add a little more red/depth to it, finish with garnet shellac. Good read here though on the various effects of different finishes and sun:

https://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Darkening_Cherry_to_Match_Existing.html

Have you tried putting outside in sunlight?
This gets it pretty rapidly from the pale fresh-cut look to a rich color.
(although not as dark as some of the other methods)

Matt

I use potassium dichromate on Mahogany and cherry often. If you apply it outside, wear a mask and gloves and let it dry before bringing it into your shop (20 min?) it’s safe enough. The results can be dazzling. I experiment with scrap pieces of the project at 3-4 strengths all the way through the finishing process till the blotches are gone or it reaches the color I want it to be. My most common cherry recipe is 1 tsp of potassium dichromatep per quart of water sometimes 1 1/2 tsp followed by three to five coats of Liberon Furniture Oil rubbed on with 0000 steel wool and wiped dry with blue shop towels. It pops the figure and makes the project age significantly right from the start. I made a king sized bed with a curly cherry headboard panel 5-6 years ago and it still looks great. I think the darkening mutes the botching Cherry is famous for.

-- Ken

No way I’m going the sunlight route. Its kiln dried, but I’m just not taking a chance laying any kind of wood in the sun for 2-3 hours. The UV light is interesting, tho.

I’ll start with a coat of garnet shellac and experiment from there whether any dyeing is even necessary. I’m going to be resawing for bent lamination, so I’ll have plenty of material to play with.

-- Everything is a prototype thats why its one of a kind!!

i had great success with lye. Check out this end table I used it on.

-- "The only limits to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." - FDR

I have frequently dyed cherry with water soluble dyes from Lockwood. You can make it quite dark if you want (or any shade in between). You will get less blotching if you first wet the wood with water just prior to applying the dye. Potassium dichromate is pretty toxic, so be careful with it.