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Is Pau Ferro similar in tone to EI rosewood or ?
I have a potential customer interested in some high figured Pau Ferro .
Is it a good and stable wood?

Is there anything I should know about it?
Thanks!

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

All I know about it is, some people are VERY allergic to it. Make sure you have good dust collection and maybe a respirator.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

It is a dream to finish, very small pours, almost no pour filling needed. It is much lighter and less dense than Indian.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

What Lance said! I LOVE working with it and I think it makes fabulous guitars. Dust can indeed be a problem. Take procautions. Go ahead and build with it, you won't be sorry.

If I am allergic to cocobolo should I avoid Pau Ferro?
I will not work with cocobolo. My dust handling is not that good yet.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

...I'm really just repeating the above, but for what it's worth...I think the wood is beautiful, and really easy to work. No pore filling necessary, which you just have to love.

I would emphasize the need to be careful with the dust, it is a wood described as a sensitizer, meaning that the allergic reaction can develop over time, and go from a minor itch to a serious respiratory ailment in a flash.

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David White, Toronto

"All my favourite singers can't sing."

OK - Pau Ferro is on my do not build list until I get better dust handling.

Thank you for that warning. At this point it won't be hard to find another wood type for him.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

I don't have an allergic reaction to coco, but I've built one guitar so far using pau ferro, and noticed a slight rash developing by the time I'd almost finished it. So, I guess what I'm saying, based on my own experience, is that it seems to be possible to have an allergic reaction to one of these two woods without having a reaction to the other.

I like pau ferro a lot. I find its tonal properties to be quite similar to EIR -- perhaps even better. It bends like a dream, and finishes nicely with its small pores. So, even though it appears that I have developed a sensitivity to it, I'm willing to give it another try. Hopefully the reaction will remain mild.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

SteveS...years ago I was building a bass with Bolivian Rosewood (aka Pau Ferro) and it really kicked my butt. After I noticed the first rash it was about 3 days later when I looked like I was ready for the hospital. It felt exactly like poison ivy. If you aren't sure if you would have a problem then I would recommend not messing with the stuff. I never did finish that bass if I had I was going to name it the "Rash" model.

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Brad
Avon, OH

Hmmm. I think it's denser than EIR, but all woods vary in that respect. Time for some measurements.

All tropical woods seem to trigger allergic reactions in somebody or other. Those colorful extractives in the heartwood aren't there to look pretty, but to discourage bugs and fungi, and there are lots of those in the tropics. They're poisons, and you're bound to be sensitive to some of them, at least some times. I had a lot of trouble a year ago with ebony, for no reason I can ascertain. It has not bothered me since in the same way, knock wood. Minimising exposure is about the only thing you can do, and it's probably a good idea with any wood. My violin making teacher became allergic to both maple and spruce eventually.

House painters use a trick of coating their exposed skin sections with vasoline before using sensitive chemicals, which is what you are reacting to with tropical hardwoods. I would'nt trust it completely but it would help to avoid a majority of your exposure. Dust into your eyes is just as bad as up your nose, get a full face resperator system!

Dean

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Dean

[Quote=Alan Carruth]I had a lot of trouble a year ago with ebony, for no reason I can ascertain. It has not bothered me since in the same way, knock wood.[/QUOTE]

When I first started working with Pau Ferro I didn't have any problems and then all the sudden it was a huge problem. I asked the doctor about this and she said that your body has a natural threshhold to resisting a reaction. Once the treshhold is passed then the problems start. Some people never have a problem. You said it best...minimize exposure and it usually can be controlled.

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Brad
Avon, OH

Pau Ferro wood is allergenic to about 15% of the population, and can cause very scary symptoms, I ended up in Hospital for 48hrs after planing a back set. I would suggest that before you invest in a full back and side set, get hold of a headplate and (with proper protection) sand it and see if you feel any skin irritation or breathing difficulty. No wood is worth risking your health.

ColinColin S38976.3915162037

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

       I have reactions to sycamore & sassafrass . I upgraded my dustcollection so that I can filter out as much as I can. dust can cause you some terrible long term health effects so treat all dust as a possible problem. Pau Ferro never hurt me yet but I use filtration as much as I can
      As Al pointed out that the oils and self protection of the sapwood can be hazardous. Your health is very important.
john hall