planning black walnut scales, need idea for wedge

[wvloony]

my first restore, is a w&b, im going to be making the scales out of black walnut heartwood, and am not quite sure what to use for the wedge. anyone have any ideas, should i go with a light color to contrast, or something closer to blend with.

[ronnie brown]

this is what makes it fun, what i do is line upmy wedge stock and see what looks or what i like to make the wedge with, i know this dosent help but that is what i do.

[wvloony]

helps yes, wedge stock, lol, havent gotten that far yet, i was lucky that my wife didnt put the 2 pieces of wood in the stove last week, before i was able to get them to a friend to have them worked down to 3/16 thick. but that is ok to, i have a whole piece of a log from the tree we cut down last winter to get more heartwood out of also.

[mackie]

I am making some now that would be nice. I took some pieces of black walnut and maple that are about one inch square and glued them together to make a stack that is walnut and maple alternating until I had a square block and then I am going to cut them the oposite way so the wedges are striped. dark and light wood.

[wvloony]

that actually sounds like a pretty cool idea, while i dont have any maple, i certain i could find some to cut down, lol. a little back story here, the black walnut was along side my garden, so i felt it was fitting to use some of the wood for some scales,

[sparticius]

It's a very personal thing... I like a nice contrast, so would use either maple or beech. Mahogany would look nice for a more subtle contrast. Oak maybe.
It is all down to personal style!

James

[mackie]

Here is a pic of what it looks like. This is one I did as a test to see how it would come out. It is walnut, maple, and padauk. Mack

[wvloony]

the friend who worked the wood down for me said that if i wanted to turn wood white, i could actually soak it in some clorox bleach, that might be an idea with a piece of oak.

[mackie]

I would try that on a small area first. I have used bleach to whiten wood before but put it on oak one time ( not sure what species ) and the grain turned black. Couldn't get it off. It went in deep. Some kind of chemical reaction I guess. Might have been just a fluke since it only happened that one time. I quit using it though cause it really did not make enough difference to warrent getting that stuff on me. Some how I always manage to do that. LOL Mack