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Okay as weird as it sounds I was wondering if there is any kind of wood which is naturally blue in colour? I can find wood that naturally grows in every colour of the rainbow with the exception of blue. I’ve looked around and I am not aware of any blue trees out there. But I thought I would throw this one out anyway. Has anyone ever come across naturally blue wood?

Josh

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Josh House

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I don't think so. At least none I have ever seen

How about the Blue Spruce?

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I was going to say that but did not want to be a ...well I guess I am anyway

I've seen Buckeye Burl in funky colours, but I think that's more greens than blues...

Think your out of luck unless leaving maple or spruce in the rain until it "blues" applies ;)

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[QUOTE=Bobc] How about the Blue Spruce? [/QUOTE]

Bob,

I thought Blue Spruce was named after it's emotional predisposition...

Yea, that is what I figured. Oh well just thought I'd ask. Blue Spruce is probably the closest thing I am going to get on this one. Thanks guys

Josh

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
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House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
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Not exactly an answer to your question but it has been noted that blue is relatively rare in nature. Think of truly blue anything; flowers? a shade of purple, gemstones? with a couple of exceptions, they are greenish, food? blue cheese maybe? The point is that with rare exception, blue, other than the sky, is rare in nature.

I have seen blue wood but it either had mold on it or it was dyed. Like I said, not an answer to your question but your point was very interesting.

Regards, Steve Brown

Look up!!! (sky)Brock Poling38488.8354861111

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
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From space more than half the planet is blue...

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

[QUOTE=Brock Poling]
From space more than half the planet is blue...[/QUOTE]

I did mention the sky but the point I was making was numbers as opposed to volumes. In sheer numbers, there are very few things. These are not my musings btw, I was first made aware of this phenomena a number of years ago. For all I know, the lack in other areas is to make up for the preponderance of the color in the sky and the sea. Or, made because of...

Makes one think, doesn't it?

Regards, Steve Brown

Sorry... I didn't see your mention of the sky...

I was really just being a smart a$$... not picking at you or even disagreeing. You're right ... blue isn't a very common color.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
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Well for flowers there is the Texas bluebonnet. Central Texas should be covered with them about now.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

Hmmm, so if I could grow the right kind of mold it might make the wood turn blue.

Josh

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
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House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

Here is some blue maple ...

Johno, that yours? What kind of dye is that? I'm doing the blue guitar thing for my son (if I can ever finish it, track record not so good)

So far I tried a blue gel stain, but I'd like the back grain to show through a little better.

The liquid blue stain stewmac sells seems to be pretty nice. I haven't done a guitar yet but the testing I've done has produced some seriuos blue tint. That guitar above looks Beautiful...

hey what about the deep blue sea?

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

I made that guitar quite a few years ago and it still looks as blue as the day I finished it. It is not a stain. The blue is a transparent stuff (color tone) that is sitting on top of the sealer and a few coats of clear. Then the blue mixed in some really thinned down stuff and some clear over that.

I heard the analines turn greenish after a while so I didn't use them.

It was not an easy finish to get right and I hope I don't have to do another one anytime soon.

Aside from wood that is stained by water or mold, the only stuff I've seen that is naturally sort of blue-ish is some 'blue mahu' I got from a wood dealer many moons ago. He said it came from Jamaica. Again, it's not blue like a bluebird or the desert sky at noon, but it's sort of blue.

Since most finishes yellow with age, all the blues end up aqua or teal anyway. The mahu under varnish is a nice green. That's hard to find, too.

[QUOTE=Brock Poling]
Sorry... I didn't see your mention of the sky...

I was really just being a smart a$$... not picking at you or even disagreeing. You're right ... blue isn't a very common color. [/QUOTE]

I know you were, I recognize my own kind!!   

Regards, Steve Brown

[QUOTE=johno] Here is some blue maple ...

[/QUOTE]

Harvested on "Blue Mountain" no doubt!

Beautiful instrument! I love aniline dyes.

Regarsd, Steve Brown

[QUOTE=johno] I made that guitar quite a few years ago and it still looks as blue as the day I finished it. It is not a stain. The blue is a transparent stuff (color tone) that is sitting on top of the sealer and a few coats of clear. Then the blue mixed in some really thinned down stuff and some clear over that.

I heard the analines turn greenish after a while so I didn't use them.

It was not an easy finish to get right and I hope I don't have to do another one anytime soon. [/QUOTE]

I stand corrected!

Steve Brown

Blue almost never appears in nature from a tint or dye. The discovery of synthetic dyes was such a major advancement because there was almost nothing available to would turn something blue. When you see blue in nature it is almost always caused by something called "structural colors".

Butterflies, bluebird, the color of people's eye are all caused by structural colors. If you have a thin transparent layer over a reflective layer, and the transparent layer is the proper thickness, the light reflected will scatter all but one color.

This happens with an oil slick on the driveway when you see the rainbow of colors. (or the roast beef in the cafeteria) On an oil slick the thickness of the slick is not constant so you see multiple colors. On butterflies and bluebirds the transparent layer is constant so you get a constant blue.

Other colors in nature are usually tints because the energy expended to produce structural colors is much higher than that to produce tints. Nature prefers simpler solutions. A bright blue might be important to attract a mate so the extra effort to go to structural colors is worth it. (anything for a little whoopie).

I understand the butterfly color, but how about the Bluejay or the Blue Shark, etc.? Indigo dyes?