# Lemonade From Ammonia?



## MOJAVE MO (Apr 11, 2018)

Shooters,
I picked this up on eBay a while back because it is English White Oak and I thought the shape was nice looking.

Oak is significant to me as it is my namesake, thus the branding. The USG allowed my gg-mother to stay in the USA with her children only if they took the name of Oakie. In my town all of the men in my family for generations where called 'OAK'........and then one quiet morning......

So this SS arrived and it had some problems. The top of the one fork wasn't totally finished, it was a little rough (newbie knows bad mojo). And all of the banding grooves seemed to have been cut on a different day of the week, or with toenail clippers.I

I bring out the hand tools and the Dremel of Despair and started at it. If I had not been thinking about my Japanese gg-father banging the Deacons daughter behind the church pews back in '11, then my cuts would have been less dramatic as I regressed into thoughts of the generations of turmoil and anger that my family endured, of which ultimately brought us all here, to this very slingshot.

I am sure it was Rosco that I am copying on this project, including the addition of the holes for paratabs. Thanks Rosco. The Handbrake is outta town for a few days so my sky is nearly limited.

Summary:
Fuming this English White Oak frame.
I jacked up the original otf design.
Hopeful fix is drilled for paratabs.
Pinch Grip?! Feels good on bench.
Should band and shoot before I finish.
Still going to finish.










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## MOJAVE MO (Apr 11, 2018)

That setup was not a setup. So I raided the kitchen for a see-through ice bucket, a mason jar, and my ductape that she obviously nabbed out of my shop. My wife is out of town so this was a no-brainer. Progress forthcoming at my will.


Mojave Mo said:


> Shooters,
> I picked this up on eBay a while back because it is English White Oak and I thought the shape was nice looking.
> 
> Oak is significant to me as it is my namesake, thus the branding. The USG allowed my gg-mother to stay in the USA with her children only if they took the name of Oakie. In my town all of the men in my family for generations where called 'OAK'........and then one quiet morning......
> ...












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## MOJAVE MO (Apr 11, 2018)

And here is a 24hr update of the Fuming Process on this White Oak re-hack. It is actually working and it looks cool!

I know why my highschool woodshop teacher never spilled this little ancient secret.

For the next 24hr fuming I tripled the amount of ammonia in the bucket. I am using my 7 year old brain thinking that I am tripling the amount of gas in the bucket, thus a stronger reaction over the next day?

If not I already like the look!


Mojave Mo said:


> That setup was not a setup. So I raided the kitchen for a see-through ice bucket, a mason jar, and my ductape that she obviously nabbed out of my shop. My wife is out of town so this was a no-brainer. Progress forthcoming at my will.
> 
> 
> 
> ...












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## rosco (Jan 10, 2012)

That is one aged, character drenched frame MM. Glad it's working for you. Nice frame too!

I reworked an ugly useless unbandable frame from my neglecterino drawer last night, which shrunk it from a normal comfortable size to something more akin to a frigging Dillinger. Ah well, another for one of the daughters, so I stuck it in my fuming bucket with a cap full of cloudy ammonia ( can't buy the strong ammonium hydroxide 25% stuff anymore cos the meth labs use it) and here it is after 8 hrs.









It's made from 'beefwood' and went from it's usual steaky redness to a deep dark walnutty violet grey. Your oak (gawd bless the oak) I'm pretty confident in saying won't go nearly as dark.

So what strength lemonade did you use?

????


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## MOJAVE MO (Apr 11, 2018)

rosco said:


> That is one aged, character drenched frame MM. Glad it's working for you. Nice frame too!
> 
> I reworked an ugly useless unbandable frame from my neglecterino drawer last night, which shrunk it from a normal comfortable size to something more akin to a frigging Dillinger. Ah well, another for one of the daughters, so I stuck it in my fuming bucket with a cap full of cloudy ammonia ( can't buy the strong ammonium hydroxide 25% stuff anymore cos the meth labs use it) and here it is after 8 hrs.
> 
> ...


Slick! I read your posts a few times. On the bottle I tricked my wife into picking up at the grocery store did NOT have any indicators as to the strength. It also didn't have a USE FOR METH sticker on it. Also it is clear, not cloudy.

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## rosco (Jan 10, 2012)

I rang around trying to find some of the genuine ammonium hydroxide and couldn't help but feel I was being watched. Think I nearly heard a helicopter!

Sooo an update - I put my new miniature into the fuming bucket for a second go this morning after sanding it to 320 grit. Fresh ammonia and left it for 8 hrs. It's gone even darker and has a mildly disturbing bloom going on. Just been sanding it to 800 and the bloom remains. Looks like it has been frosted with dark violet talc. Perhaps I overcooked it? Looks good in parts, crap in others. My brief research says different woods behave differently so maybe this is peculiar to beefwood.

Good luck with the oak!


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## MOJAVE MO (Apr 11, 2018)

rosco said:


> I rang around trying to find some of the genuine ammonium hydroxide and couldn't help but feel I was being watched. Think I nearly heard a helicopter!
> 
> Sooo an update - I put my new miniature into the fuming bucket for a second go this morning after sanding it to 320 grit. Fresh ammonia and left it for 8 hrs. It's gone even darker and has a mildly disturbing bloom going on. Just been sanding it to 800 and the bloom remains. Looks like it has been frosted with dark violet talc. Perhaps I overcooked it? Looks good in parts, crap in others. My brief research says different woods behave differently so maybe this is peculiar to beefwood.
> 
> Good luck with the oak!


Is it possible that the bloom is......METH?? Okay. This might blow your mind. Upon doing my research I read of furniture nerd who did an experiment on fuming. He fumed an item, and he brushed ammonia on an item. He reasoned that the old English Oak barns were fumed by accident. If the fumes could be concentrated and controlled (like at the base of every post), then the wood would be darker...hahaha. Okay, fumes. I had a cool look with my 48hrs of pissweak ammonia fuming. Then I thought brush some on. Then I had a beer and just dropped the frame in the lemonade for a 5 count. I am going to let it gas out. Hit it lightly with some paper, then just wax and buff it. I can already see some cool colors, but that might just be the meds mixing with the ammonia. photopending.

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## rosco (Jan 10, 2012)

Hah, not meth but a bloom nonetheless that disappeared after a vigorous bout of sanding. Came up ridiculously well. The only thing wrong with it is me. I'm just not that worthy.

I did wonder about a bath. Will probably raise the grain though. Experiments shall follow. On another note, I don't normally get headaches, twice now, big headaches after no doubt consuming a lung and a half worths of lemonade drenched sawdust. The day off work I don't mind, but maybe there is something to it.....just saying.

Look forward to your pics!









Dunno where I got this pic from, let alone who made it, possibly Chaneke Josh, but wondered if similar couldn't be done by fuming. Perhaps this was? I like the effect anyhoo.


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## MOJAVE MO (Apr 11, 2018)

Alright. Here she is. I am going to call her Joda, the ugly younger sister of Yoda. 
Fumed via inspiration from reading Rosco' s fuming journey as this concept was foreign to me. Also credit the paratabs in a half-assed effort to fixed a slingshot routed out of an oak tree by a blind guy.
The brand is not an effort to join an elite crowd of very artistic designers and builders I have seen here. I grew up on a farm and our brand was a flying 'O'...one day I will add the wings.

It looks and feels like it bounced around in a railway boxcar for 20 years. I will revisit melting paracord end together
Numerous failures gave birth to the knot.

MM



rosco said:


> Hah, not meth but a bloom nonetheless that disappeared after a vigorous bout of sanding. Came up ridiculously well. The only thing wrong with it is me. I'm just not that worthy.
> 
> I did wonder about a bath. Will probably raise the grain though. Experiments shall follow. On another note, I don't normally get headaches, twice now, big headaches after no doubt consuming a lung and a half worths of lemonade drenched sawdust. The day off work I don't mind, but maybe there is something to it.....just saying.
> 
> ...



















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## rosco (Jan 10, 2012)

Looks like it fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.

Can't argue with it's no nonsense workhorse boneyard manliness MM, just needs a saddle. Rustic charm would be a too frigging polite a term. If it's a woman she shaves twice a day, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Giddy up liddell doggy that frames going to ride!

????????????????????????????


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## MOJAVE MO (Apr 11, 2018)

Bingo!


rosco said:


> Looks like it fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.
> 
> Can't argue with it's no nonsense workhorse boneyard manliness MM, just needs a saddle. Rustic charm would be a too frigging polite a term. If it's a woman she shaves twice a day, not that there's anything wrong with that.
> 
> Giddy up liddell doggy that frames going to ride!


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