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PZC Chatometry

A standard system to measure wood chatoyance

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  • What is Chatoyance?
    • Curl
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  • The PZC method
    • Scale example 1
    • Scale example 2
    • Scale example 3
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    • Africa
      • Abura
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    • Europe
      • Alder
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      • Walnut, European
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    • North America
      • Ash, American White
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      • Osage Orange, Green
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      • Service Tree
      • Walnut, Black
      • Willow
    • Oceania
      • Agathis
      • Australian Blackwood
      • Cedar, Australian Red
      • Eucalyptus
      • Eucalyptus Regnans
      • Eucalyptus (River Red Gum)
      • Eucalyptus (Tasmanian Oak)
      • Maple, Queensland
      • Oak, Northern Silky
      • Spotted Gum
      • Tasmanian Myrtle
      • Walnut, Queensland
    • South and Central America
      • Angelim
      • Araucaria
      • Bloodwood
      • Bocote
      • Canarywood
      • Carapa
      • Cedar, Spanish
      • Cerejeira
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      • Cumaru
      • Garapa
      • Goncalo Alves
      • Granadillo
      • Imbuia
      • Ipe
      • Jacareuba
      • Jatoba
      • Jequitiba
      • Katalox
      • Louro Faia
      • Louro Preto
      • Mahogany, Cuban
      • Mahogany, Honduras
      • Massaranduba
      • Osage Orange, Argentine
      • Pao Rosa
      • Peroba Rosa
      • Podocarpus
      • Primavera
      • Rosewood, Cocobolo
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      • Rosewood, Kingwood
      • Rosewood, Santos
      • Timbauba
      • Tineo
      • Ziricote
  • Case studies
    • Roasting Curly Maple
    • Epoxy resin
    • Bleaching Sapele
    • Sapwood vs Heartwood
    • Different Materials
    • Sunlight & Weather
      • Sunlight exposure on purpleheart
      • Sunlight & Weather exposure on sweet cherry
      • Sunlight exposure on field maple
      • UV light exposure
    • Finishing
      • Finishing Maple
      • Finishing Curly Maple
      • Finishing Curly Maple – part 2
      • Surface preparation on Curly Maple
      • Incremental grit and finishing on Curly Maple
      • Finishing Okoume
      • Finishing London Plane
      • Finishing Blonde European Walnut
      • Finishing European Ash
      • Finishing European Elm
    • Progressive grit sanding
    • Ultra-fine sanding
    • Raw Veneer vs fine sanded
    • Quartersawn vs Flatsawn
      • Quartersawn vs Flatsawn on London plane
      • Quartersawn vs Flatsawn on Red Oak
      • Quartersawn vs Flatsawn on European Beech
    • Mud Curing on Osage Orange
    • No. 1 – Hawaiian Koa
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      • Large GIFs 8
      • Australian species
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    • From firewood to PZC results
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Finishing European Ash

This set of tests is aimed at understanding the effect of different finishes on European Ash.

A set of 6 consecutive veneer sheets (from “H” to “M”) were employed, each split into two samples (“1” and “2”); therefore, all samples ending with “1” are just consecutive layers of the initial log and start from very similar PZC values; the same applies for samples “2”. Samples “1” were left as-received (veneer), while samples “2” were sanded to 240-grit.

A special thanks goes to company Veleca for supporting us with finish samples.

We tested these finishes:
Veleca Palkerol (water based anionic polyurethane – floor finish)
Veleca Pinteco (acrylic emulsion – outdoor finish)
Veleca Mobil H (water based acrylic – furniture finish)
Veleca Nitrolux (thinner based ketone resin – classic furniture finish)
Veleca Tampoval (blonde dewaxed shellac – antique furniture finish)
Veleca Olio per Teak (Tung oil based – exotic wood finish)
Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO)
Blonde Dewaxed Shellac “Medium” (2 parts in 13 parts of Alcohol)
Furniture restoring oil
Transparent epoxy resin
Nitrocellulose spray lacquer (NCL)
Acrylic spray lacquer

It was concluded that:
1) chatoyance is reduced when sanding the veneer to 240-grit
2) chatoyance is increased by all these clear coats when starting from a sanded surface, while on veneer Oils and Epoxy resin provide no advantage
3) Nitrocellulose or Acrylic lacquers provide the best results
4) Some of these “clear” finishes significantly darken the surface


Tables below summarize the results in terms of chatoyance (PZC):

Tables below summarize the results in terms of brightness (fraction of white paper brightness):

Pictures below show the results:

Sanding to 240-grit – no finish (sample J2 – PZC = 8.1)
Sanding to 240-grit + 1 Palkerol coat (sample A2 – PZC = 12.2)
Sanding to 240-grit + 1 Pinteco coat (sample B2 – PZC = 10.6)
Sanding to 240-grit + 1 Mobil H coat (sample C2 – PZC = 12.1)
Sanding to 240-grit + 2 Nitrolux coats (sample D2 – PZC = 15.9)
Sanding to 240-grit + 3 Tampoval coats (sample E2 – PZC = 13.4)
Sanding to 240-grit + 3 Teak Oil coats (sample F2 – PZC = 13.8)
Sanding to 240-grit + 3 BLO coats (sample H2 – PZC = 11.3)
Sanding to 240-grit + 3 Furniture Restoring Oil coats (sample I2 -PZC = 10.9)
Sanding to 240-grit + 3 Nitrocellulose coats (sample J2 -PZC = 15.3)
Sanding to 240-grit + 3 Acrylic spray coats (sample K2 -PZC = 14.5)
Sanding to 240-grit + 3 Medium Shellac coats (sample L2 -PZC = 13.5)
Sanding to 240-grit + 1 Epoxy coat (sample M2 -PZC = 12.4)

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