I searched on here and many other places and had not found one location that shows how to age wood the way I wanted- Like old barn siding, so I pieced it all together and here goes. First off cut the wood to the final dimensions- I used plain sawn red oak (reason is that the stain will not be on the cuts if you have to do it after you stain) Then get some white vinegar and steel wool. Rip the steel wool into small bits so the vinegar can disolve it easier. Place the ripped up pieces of steel wool in a bottle (I used a spray bottle). Then dump in the vinegar. Let it sit over night. Next you place your cut wood outside and spray or brush the vinegar stain on the wood- it goes on clear but right before your eyes it transforms. I would recommend trying this on a sample piece first to make sure the wood reacts the way you want. Here are some pictures of the process. This is the wood cut around the rear tubs (templates are towards the top) IMG00614-20120620-1656 by Malibob, on Flickr This is the final cut to piece wood for the bed- unfinished red oak IMG00659-20120622-1513 by Malibob, on Flickr This is with a coat of vinegar stain (it reacted too quickly to show the darkening) still wet on the boards IMG00662-20120625-1648 by Malibob, on Flickr This is after it dried out for a couple of minutes IMG00663-20120625-1701 by Malibob, on Flickr There it is. DSC_3264 by Malibob, on Flickr You can add cracks and knots too if you want it even older looking. A dremel with a cutting bit can add neat looking cracks if you follow the grain. If you want a knot, just find a spot on the grain where a heart is (looks like an oval) and with a hole saw drill in at an angle, when it is stained the vinegar mixture will fill these areas in darker because the grain is more open at those locations. If it isn't dark enough for your liking, paint it black. For all you guys with broken portions of wood you can do 1 or 2 boards and it should match up pretty closely- saving you from buying a whole new bed. There are tons of different ways to age wood but this is what I liked the best so far.
Good job, The tannic acid in the red oak reacts with the acetic acid from the Vinegar.The term I have heard used is "Ebonizing" Some guys will put a steel wool pad in the vinegar for a week to make the finish darker.
Now taks a 5 gallon bucket with coffee grinds, coffee, and coke, and soak a rusty old chain in it and start beating the boards! After your arms get tired dump the bucket of **** onto the wood, let it soak overnight then hose it off! Smells good and looks awesome! Your treatment came out nice! How green was the oak? Oak by nature loves to cup and check alot!
I might give this a try. Do you get this finish only on oak because of the reaction mentioned or will it work with any type of wood? I was told that taking a torch to the wood at a distance will give a darkened, aged look also. I've got 120 year old barn siding in parts of my shop, but the new door needs something like this to not look so out of place. Sent from my iPhone using TJJ app
Well I know it works on Oak, different woods will have different reactions. The torch effect tends to make only the end grain darker- so the grain in the board will darken but the rest will stay lighter. Go to a local shop and get a similar piece of wood to try it on.
It was kiln dried oak from a local yard. I overpaid but wanted it right away. I work for a millwork shop so can usually buy pretty good. I want it to age naturally from this point forward or I would have distressed it like you mentioned. Another trick is to run it through the planes and set the blade high so just the teeth from the autofeed come out. Kraftmaid used to have a wheel (about 10 in a row) with all different "junk" embedded in it. This would give a random distressing. You can also put bird shot in a shotgun and fire away for worm holes. If you plane it from there you get neat streaks from the lead.
Works on any wood containing Tannin, like Walnut. You can also experiment with bleach, to lighten the color. Don't remember what Lye does on Oak.
Keep in mind though Walnut by nature is already REAL dark. And REAL expensive. Lye dries it out, grays it a little but not enough for my liking. If you do this after lye it turns it purple.
Now put some sideboards on the bed and you'll have a 'bed' back. Since you don't have much depth this may be a way you can actually use the bed again. They are traditional.
If you want to bend oak or any other wood cheap try this; Take some black abs pipe cap one end ,insert wood and fill with equal parts water and Downey fabric softner. Cap the other end and place in the sun. Ive had peices to come out that will bend like a noodle. It can cause issues with getting a good color on finish.
Damn, most of us bust our *** to get nice looking wood and have a slick looking bed and here comes Malibob showing us how to make new wood look just like the wood we cut out of the truck and threw away. Hell, hauling a couple of loads of old greasy engine parts to the s**** yard with the truck would have given the same look and made you a bit of money in the process.
Difference is; the old wood is usually dry rotted. I wanted this look so I did it with new wood. Now I got the look I like and stability of new lumber!
Well folks, then keep moving- this thread aint for you. I haul shlt all the time in my bed too, so wanted something I could use. I didnt post this for critique, I posted it because it turned out how I wanted and figured SOME others would get use out of it. If you dont like it then move on. Plenty of other threads on here for you trolls to bust balls on! I didnt want a "shiny-new" bed because I use my truck- say what you will about the depth of the bed- I use it. I dont have a damned street rod here, its a truck and the **** that was in the bed before I didnt like so I did this. Last time I checked I am paying for my cars so I will do with them what I want. Feel free to start sending me money then I will build it how you like. That goes for anyone out there who wants to tell me what the F$ck to do.
Love it man! I'm doing the bed wood and stake sides on my truck soon and pristine wood just wouldn't look right. ...not to mention I'd hate to beat up a perfect looking glossy finish.
I think that the bed ought to work fine for you that depth! I had a flat bed truck for years with only a 2x4 border around it and I never lost nothin' out of it, not the spair, not fishing poles, not my dog, nothin'! Also, don't get your ******* in a bunch over opinions that are contrary to yours posted on "your" thread. You know what they say, "opinions are like a$$holes", and there are plenty of both on this site, that's just the way it is. If you want a list of friends to like, and agree with, your every life decision then try Facebook!
Old worked looking beds come from doing WORK with your bed. IMHO aging a bed is like rubbing dirt on a new tool before you take it in front of the guys at the job site. That being said, you did a nice job of it, AND it DOES look old, how YOU wanted it. Plus I had never heard of this method before so this thread is/will be very useful! Thumbs up!
THANKS for the aging tips!!! At least you have a few people on here that appreciate your post!!! (I do!) Don't worry, they busted my balls a few years ago when I tried (of all the nerve!!!) to ask how to age the rough sawn wood for my barn-find 49 Dodge flatbed... I finally gave up arguing in here and bought some Olympic deck stain from Lowes that was "Ebony" in color and did that. I'm not 100% happy with it, but it is better than arguing all day with these crotchety old guys who aren't happy unless they're criticizing other people. I was doing a barn-find, and exactly like you, the bed wood was rotted and crumbling and you wouldn't have been able to carry a coffee cup on it safely. Of course I COULD have gotten some imported Brazilian Teak from a rain forest and had it professionally cut, sanded, stained, and coated to a mirror finish and then had it professionally installed by a professional cabinet maker.... If only I could find someone to PAY for it for me!!! Thanks again!!!
Very neat idea! Don't worry I have a shallow bed too! And yes I haul stuff ( brake drums ) Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Sandblasting will give a real authentic barnwood texture to your wood. I found a piece of wood in the desert that was sand blasted by nature,and I was able to duplicate it with my sand blaster.
Just a word here about using this method. Be sure to mix up more than you need. The reason is that the second batch won't match the first. Want to guess how I found this out? Matt
You also have to be careful re-using the previous mixed stuff. There is a short time limit on it beofore it turns reddish. I found that out too.
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