# Cocobolo



## rightuppercut (Oct 8, 2008)

I turn, not a lot, but pretty much cocobolo. I think this is one of the prettiest pieces I have come across in awhile


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## thekctermite (Dec 23, 2007)

Great looking piece. Cocobolo is my favorite wood just because of the color variation that one piece, like yours, can have. The finials compliment the piece really well. :thumbsup:


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

really nice ... what kind of finish do you use? I LOVE cocobolo but find it unfriendly to the polyurethane that I use (because of the UV blocker) on my bowls


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## thekctermite (Dec 23, 2007)

Phinds, hit your cocobolo with dewaxed shellac first, then apply your polyurethane. Works great. :yes:


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## rightuppercut (Oct 8, 2008)

I usually wipe mine down with acetone, and then shoot 3 coats of lacquer on it. I was scared at first thinking it wouldn't stick but a guy showed me a piece of his that was several years old and still looking great. I've been doing it this way for a year or so now and have had no call backs


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

thekctermite said:


> Phinds, hit your cocobolo with dewaxed shellac first, then apply your polyurethane. Works great. :yes:


Thanks, I'll give that a try. I really hope it works for me as well as you say.

I've almost stopped using cocobolo in my bowls because while sometimes the poly goes on with no problem, it is often a SERIOUS problem. I had one bowl where it took me FOREVER to get it to stick. After all was said and done, I had applied 50 (I'm NOT kidding) coats, having to remove most of them for blotchyness over and over before I got enough even "first coat" to stick to do the rest.

I was very surprized to find that on the more recalcitrant pieces, acetone does not seem to help at all. Well, maybe they would be worse without the acetone, but I recall one piece where I wiped it heavily 5 times with aceton and the poly STILL wouldn't go on at all easily.


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

RUC,
Nice piece. Cocobolo is a nice wood to work with, turns and polishes up so nice.
Mike Hawkins


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## Jeff4woodturning (Feb 1, 2009)

Very nice Paul, cocobolo is one of my favorite woods.


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

thekctermite said:


> Phinds, hit your cocobolo with dewaxed shellac first, then apply your polyurethane. Works great. :yes:


terminte man you have made my day. been playing around w/ this and as you clearly already know, IT WORKS. Now I can start using cocobolo again. Thank you very much.

I DO have one issue w/ the shellac, but I'm going to start a separate thread on that so as to not hijack this one.

Paul


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## Dave (PacNW) (Apr 19, 2009)

I love the look of Cocobolo, but is not to be used where it it is in daily contact with skin. I quit usiing it for pens and duck calls a especially for Pepper mills after a close friend nearly died from using a Cocobolo mill I made him for his birthday. It was 6 weeks later that he had an allergic reaction. If he had been 5 minuets farther from the Paramedic's he would have been dead. He went through weeks of tests before they found out he was allergic to the oils contained in the Cocobolo family ( Delbergia) rosewoods and any other bean tree. Cocobolo is a sensitizer and every exposure is worse

It has been said, there are 2 types of people in the world--Those who are allergic to Cocobolo and those who will be!
Dave(PacNW)


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## Dudley (Jun 21, 2009)

Outstanding. I turn a lot of pens & bottle stoppers out of cocobolo. BZ


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