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I hope I'm spelling it right, but I purchased a neck from Tom Anderson about 20 years ago when he sold parts. I think it's PauFaro. The wood looks like a light colored brown candy bar. It's very hard. I don't see any info about. Should I clear coat it?GuitarGuru38774.6284722222

thats pau ferro,

it is a very dense wood, people use it as an alternative to brazilian rosewood, you could clear coat it, or sand it to like 1000 grit and apply some finishing oil, 4 or 5 coats thengo over with 0000 steel wool

Pau Ferro it is!
it means Iron Wood (or Iron wooden stick) in Portuguese due to its dense nature.

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

IT bends like a butter and finishes like a dream, has very tight pours and requires little or no filler.
I love it..

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Jeff from Brazilwood has some really nice Pau ferro coming out of Bolivia. I actually prefer the Bolivian stuff to the Brazilian.

Jeff's Pau Ferro is indeed awesome. Got four sets of the stuff sitting here next to me!

I have two sets and agree with both of you they are super.

Just received a couple of sets together with fretboards, bridge blanks and headstock veneers from Jeff; nothing less than gorgeous.
Luigi

Pau Ferro......woops sorry guys. I look like an idiot I know.

Thanks!

Anyone have a link to Jeff's site? I'm, of course, assuming he has one. Kevin

Just a brief warning. The only time since a child that I have had to go to Casualty (ER) was a couple of years ago when sanding some Pau Ferro and I had severe breathing difficulties and a skin rash. A small percentage of the population are allergic to PF and should keep well clear. So if it's your first time with PF be alert to the symptoms and wear as full a breathing protection as you can. I'd recommend everyone to just get a PF bridge or fingerboard blank and try it first before laying out the bucks for a B&S set. Not trying to worry anyone I just don't want any of the good folks here to end up in Hospital.

Colin

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

Good point, Colin. I'm planning on suiting up (dust suit+respirator) when doing anything remotely sanding-like to either Cocobolo or Pau Ferro. Since they're sensitizers, and they're so darn pretty, I figure better safe than sorry.

Kevin: Jeff would be http://www.braziltonewoods.com/, although the site seems to be down at the moment. I know recently moved to a new warehouse, and spent a lot of time setting stuff up to resaw a bunch of wood. You might try PM'ing him, username Brazilwoods

Pau ferro is AKA 'Bolivian rosewood' (it's not a rosewood) and 'Morado'.

Most trop woods are more or less allergenic, due to the stuff they use to fight back the ubiquitous bugs. Be careful with all of them, and try to avoid breathing the dust.

[QUOTE=Colin S] A small percentage of the population are allergic to PF Colin [/QUOTE]


Actually, it's not that small. I've come across the figure of 15% of the population in the old LMI handbook (and maybe their website) as well as in other forestry related references.

I have a piece for binding stock at home, but haven't used it yet. I do know that carrying it in and sealing the ends caused my hands to itch, so I'm going to be super careful working with it. It may turn out I can't use it at all! So far, that's the only wood I seem to react to (and that includes cocobolo).

Jeff also has a store set up on ebay:

here

I'm on his mailing list for specials.

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http://driftwoodguitars.blogspot.com/

[QUOTE=GuitarGuru] Pau Ferro......woops sorry guys. I look like an idiot I know.

Thanks![/QUOTE]


Man, I'd hate to look like an idiot I know!!!

Ron

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Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......