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I recently bought a Holly B/S set from domex and am wondering about long term storage.
Since it is so light in colour do I have to worry about it oxidixing & getting darker, especillay so if I sticker it. Does this concern apply to any light woods?
MM

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Mike McNerney

Mine is KD & QS and I am speaking of sticker marks or unequal oxidation. If an entire piece goes, that's fine but I have seen cherry oxidize within an hour with something partially covering it up, and it doesn't sand out easily.
Domex has lots of boards some 6.5" wide but probably flat sawn.
MM

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Mike McNerney

Mike

Where you ever able to get a reply from Jesse Burge about the holly he has? Here is a link to the last log that his nephew gave him.
http://www.luthierforum.com/index.php?/topic/9912-holly-log/page__p__101665__hl__holly__fromsearch__1#entry101665
All the bindings and kerfed linings I have are still pure white.

Bob

Bob,
No, he never did respond. It looks like he has some serious stock now so I will check it out.
cheers
mm

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Mike McNerney

All wood oxidizes and can change color over time but some woods are very colorfast and others are very photoreactive. Fortunately Holly is one of the woods that discolors very very little. I have historic instruments with holly lines that while they are not snow white are still very white relative to most any other light colored wood.

On the other hand I have instruments of maple that are 200+ years old and the maple has mellowed to a light honey brown. Woods that are notoriously non colorfast are ones like Padauk, Purpleheart, Box Elder, Cocobolo and others that are brilliantly colored when freshly cut but that over time react both to light as well as oxygen which changes the surface color.

I have some German spruce tops that were cut in the late 1920s that are so darkened by oxidation that from a distance you would swear they are western red cedar.

Holly is a stable wood once it dries but until it is dry can move alot and can crack or split. Because it stays white, it is a great wood for purfling but the only complaint about it as binding is that it is so white people on first glance think it is plastic binding as the color is so white.

It is rare to find a tree of large size from holly since it is usually grown as an ornamental but the wood when planed with a scary sharp blade is so nice it does need anything else done to it.

Holly is prized by marquetry artists for it's whiteness. It can be difficult to cure though because it is very susceptible to a fungus that turns it blue. Make sure you keep it in a dry low humidity environment.

hello,

i recently saw some holly b&s sets, very nice. i was wondering how well the nice white color would do during and after bending?

thanks
brent

I just ordered some Holly veneer for headstocks from Domex, thanks Mike for the suggestion.

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Ken