Steaming wood.

[BearTricks]

I have some pear wood that I thought was steamed but isn't. I just finished some handles and it came out a dull sandy brown rather than orangey pink.

If I want to steam it should I do this before or after it has been turned, and what is the best way to go about it?

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[woodpig]

I always assumed it was steamed before it was dried?

 

[custard]

I always assumed it was steamed before it was dried?

As far as I know it's steamed as an integral part of the kilning process, like American Walnut or English Beech or any other commonly steamed timber. Incidentally, there is quite a lot of colour variation in Swiss Pear, not least because what is marketed as "pear" (in Europe at least) is actually boards from two different trees, only one of which is a pear tree! Confusing i know but that's the way it's always been.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

Very interested to know what the other (non-pear) species is!

Cheers, W2S (owner of some lumps of - non-steamed/kilned - pear from the garden)

 

[BearTricks]

So I wouldn't be able to steam it now? I've had this slab of pear for about six months saving it for something special and the colour has turned out to be disgusting.

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[woodpig]

You could try boiling a small sample in water to see if it changes colour?

 

[custard]

So I wouldn't be able to steam it now? I've had this slab of pear for about six months saving it for something special and the colour has turned out to be disgusting.

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I'm pretty sure the time for steaming has passed. Plus steaming during kilning is a fairly sophisticated operation, it's not like steam bending a windsor chair component. I deal with ten or twelve timber yards that have their own kilning facilities but only one has the ability to steam. But all is not lost, Pear takes colour very well during the finishing process, so you could have pretty much any colour you wanted with aniline dye, a tool handle won't get exposed to much sunlight so the fugitive nature of the dye isn't a problem.

Plus if all you want is a piece for a tool handle I'm sure I could sort you out with a Swiss Pear off-cut, it's a timber I use frequently and I keep decent stocks on hand. I'm snowed under until early in the New Year, but if you PM then it wouldn't be a problem. Actually I've got some very special Swiss Pear that's top end musical instrument grade with good colour and spectacular figuring.

 

[Chrispy]

For what it's worth I accidentally steamed some white Beech veneer that I was laying up in the heated press just by getting it a bit too hot, I guess the heat along with the moisture from the glue basically cooked the veneer, it looked fine as steamed Beech goes so I would guess it may not be to late for your Pear.

 

[BearTricks]

I'll have a go at boiling some tomorrow. I might document the results. I might even be tempted to dye the wood with a steamed pear dye at some point.

Custard I'll send a pm, cheers.

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