Ancient Kauri, Whitebait on Flame

This is the last offering of Ancient Kauri in the White bait figure.  It has been kept back due to checks encountered when it arrived here from New Zealand in the mid of Summer 2007.  Dry Saskatchewan was hard on the humid soaked wood.  However, the sign of  a good Craftsperson is how well they cover their mistakes.  The sides here give you that opportunity. The backs are stable and check free, mainly. 

So you like aged wood?  How’s 45,000 years sound? Ancient New Zealand Kauri is being recovered from swamps where it has been preserved from before the last ice age.  It has been protected from oxidation by the swamp.  That is not to say it hasn't changed; as a wood it is light in density.  It bends very easy, one needs to be careful not to overbend it.  It will return as easily.  Due to the figure it can't be planed without chipping, as the run out tends to go every which way!  You'll need a thickness sander and scraper.

It absorbs glue readily, though I like to wash coat it with CA before finishing. This helps stabilize the wood and strngthen it.  When washing the CA, try to keep the coat even and light or you can get blob spots.  Don't pour the CA directly on the wood ! I use a cotton swab held by a tweezer as the CA sets fast and could burn your fingers.  I also like giving it a coat of stain, then sanding it back so the stain stays in the endgrain.  This helps to highlight the figure!

These sets figure feature “whitebait in waves".  Whitebait are small minnows that are netted on the west coast of New Zealand & eaten as a delicacy.  The short curvy lines depict the minnows, the changing light reflection is the flame.  ‘AAA’ sets feature the best figure.

The ‘AA’ sets have a less Whitebait lines but the flame or "waves" are still intense figure.

If you are curious about our grading system, you can find an explaination right here.