WOOD COLORING

Evening Star, Issue 19802, 28 February 1928, Page 2

WOOD COLORING

AMERICAN EXPERIMENTS According to a writer in the ‘American Forestry Journal, 1 the practicability of obtaining wood colored to taste by dyeing the wood of the living tree has recently been the subject of successful experiments in the United States. These experiments confirmed those made in Germany by tho original inventor of tho process, a German scientist mimed Fritz Yon Behr, and were conducted under his personal supervision. The process—a rather intricate one—consists of introducing a water soluble dve, the composition of which is a secret, into a tree at that time in the spring when the sap is rising, end is only practicable during that short period of the year. The transportation system of tho tree carries the coloring materials from a reservoir formed in the trunk about four feet from the ground by cross-boring of auger holes to all parts of tho free, and colors the wood in so permanent a. fashion that the only finishing process is to polish tho surface. On the third day after impregnation the leaves assume the color of the dye, and by cutting away a small piece cf bark the colored wood can be distinguished. One might perceive trees with red, blue, green, violet, or yellow foliage in walking through an area where trees were being treated. Any color can be used satisfactorily; in fact, two colors can be used at one injection.. One example of this is an ivory-colored wood, obtained as a result of using more than one color. It takes about five days to color a large tree completely. About two /weeks after the treatment the .leaves fall to the ground. The inventor of the process insists, however, that tho tree is not dead, but will leaf again next year. This is of no economic importance, as the trees were colored to be used for timber, and not to ho left in tho woods for posterity. The colored trees have lately been cut and sawn into boards, which are now being carefully seasoned, and will soon be made into attractive novelties and furniture. As regards use for furniture, an important point is that the color does not destroy tho rays, but brings them out clearly. It is claimed that beech and yellow birch can bo dyed to resemble rosewood and mahogany respectively. As said, the wood is fast-colored; boiling and the use of acids have no appare.f, effect ep the stability of the color. The dye, even seems to make dab wood harder, cud instead of fading with ago the color seems to deepen. Many charming novelties arc made from these colored woods, such as umbrella handles, door knobs, paper cutten, drawer handles, Inlaid jewellery hox<s cigarette case;, bruslihacks. but tons, candlesticks, and powder boxes.