Blasted Dublin With Cocobolo

[foggymountain]

I did a piece of sculpture once in coco bolo. Must say it is a beautiful wood and I liked working it. Years later I heard that the dust is toxic. I generated some dust in the sanding of it, but experienced no problems. Does anyone have more information about this? In reference to ejames' question, you don't stain that wood. It is too dense and waxy, but the color is such that you wouldn't anyway. It is a gorgeous purple when you work it and oxidizes to a beautiful dark gold brown.

 

[zack24]

Foggy, Cocobolo and rosewood (along with a few other surprises like walnut) have dust that can be toxic or act as a sensitizing agent. In my case, I developed an allergy to rosewood when I was 25- had a rash covering my entire chest and lost a fair amount of the pigment on my chest- took 3 or 4 years to get completely back to normal. Those toxins are what prevent the bugs in the jungle from eating the trees...It's also why you never use those materials in a pipe bowl...For some people with no sensitivity, it wouldn't be a big deal- for someone with an allergy to the wood, it would be very bad news....
...and your right about cocobolo- one of the prettiest woods around with a little buffing and wax....

 

[zack24]

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[ejames]

In reference to ejames' question, you don't stain that wood. It is too dense and waxy, but the color is such that you wouldn't anyway. It is a gorgeous purple when you work it and oxidizes to a beautiful dark gold brown.

I asked because I just ordered 20 cocobolo pen blanks and in the pics they had of the wood it didn't look purple.I've never used it before.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

That is a very cool pipe

 

[foggymountain]

Thanks Zack for the explanation. I have carved a lot of Brazilian Rosewood, and had no problem with that either. Rosewood is probably the ultimate carving wood. It is softer than cocobolo, ebony or lignum vitae, but harder than black walnut, and very predictable. This is the cocobolo sculpture:



The purple disappears when the wood is exposed to air for a while, and it turns this color.

 

[zack24]

Foggy, That's a really beautiful piece- I used to do a lot of wood sculpture years ago for a gallery in Gatlinburg, TN...