osage orange question

[Sharon of the Dell]

I'm carving a leafy spoon out of osage orange.
I love the pretty yellow color. I read somewhere that it will darken to a brown color. Wondering if this is true and if there is any finish to keep it yellow?
Thank you ahead of time for your answers!

[Sharon of the Dell]

Forgot to ad, it won't be for food use, just decoration, wall art.

[richipper]

It will darken ... I find it to be more orange. Put some oil or wipe on poly to see the end color.
Richard

[BobBlaney]

The yellow color will turn to a medium brown, the yellow will be gone.
My sister did a woodburning years ago of a mill scene on Osage for us. When it was yellow it was very detailed. As it aged and turned brown much of the burining almost disappeared due to the color change.
i do not know if you can preserve the color, I think it acts like cherry, as it is exposed to light it darkens.

[Ed Redwine]

They are correct, it will age to a beautiful brown.

[richipper]

So, I found an older picture of my Carver's Arm made of Osage Orange. The lighter color was fresh in March 2011. The darker color is today Dec 2011. No finish.

The Carver's Arm is from the design is from this site...
Woodcarving Illustrated - How To Magazine for Carvers - Building a Carving Arm

Building two more someone at the club.
Richard

[Sharon of the Dell]

Thank you Richard, Ed and Bob, much appreciated!
Richard, it darkens, but still real pretty from your pictures.
I like that carving arm. I somehow missed that article. Does the arm work good?
Looks like something I want!
I can already tell that the surface of my carving is starting to darken. But the fresh cuts are still yellow. Interesting wood and very hard, but it's nice to carve with sharp tools.

[jmischel]

So the Osage orange will darken, huh? The stuff was canary yellow when I cut it on the bandsaw. It darkened some when I applied the finish (Howard Feed 'n Wax), but it's still more yellow than orange. It'll be interesting to see how it changes color over time.

[TexasSteve]

Sharon, You might google Osage Long bows and see what you come up with, I know Osage is used to make some real nice long bows and I have seen some sealed so they stay the orange/yellow color. I will dig a little as well to see if i can find the article i read a few months ago. I purchased some staves to make walking sticks from next spring.

Steve

[TexasSteve]

One more thing, What changes the color of the Osage is sunlight and oxygen. So if you are going to display your piece, it will hold it's color better out of the direct sunlight. You can also slow the process if you use a finish that is high in UV protection. Something like a deck sealer is very high in UV protection and you can get it in a clear as well so it does not darken the wood when it is applied.

Just my two cents.