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Lye reaction to wood

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Morgan:
I made a lye solution that would just float an egg to put a hide in. I used a hackberry off split to stir with. The wood immediately turned a bright yellow color and darkened as it dried out. I imagine a stronger lye solution would make a more drastic change. Would it be safe to use this as a “stain” on a bow? I know the dangers of lye, but would the dangers be present once dry. Here is a pic of the stir stick.

DC:
That's cool! Have you rinsed it off well? I can't see it being any more harm than fuming.

Pat B:
I don't think it would hurt anything but be sure to neutralize the alkali with an acid like vinegar and water. Same with your hide. And be careful around your skin and eyes.

Morgan:

--- Quote from: DC on November 04, 2018, 01:48:11 pm ---That's cool! Have you rinsed it off well? I can't see it being any more harm than fuming.

--- End quote ---
I haven’t rinsed it, using it to stir the hide in the bucket. I have a couple of nearly finished bows in the shop that I’ll try to play with. I’ve tried fuming hackberry and the results were so subtle that it wasn’t worth the trouble, with the lye though, the wood changed color the second it touched. It was a very vibrant almost neon yellow color at first.

Morgan:

--- Quote from: Pat B on November 04, 2018, 02:36:53 pm ---I don't think it would hurt anything but be sure to neutralize the alkali with an acid like vinegar and water. Same with your hide. And be careful around your skin and eyes.

--- End quote ---
Pat, you reckon the acid will wash the color? I’ll put the stick in the bucket of vinegar water when I put the hide in for an experiment.

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