Turning Cocobolo?

[kenturkey89]

Hello guys,

I have recently considered buying some cocobolo to try turning a few pot calls with because I'm a big fan of dark woods and I would love to make a few calls out of this beautiful wood, but I'm somewhat worried about the allergic reactions it's known to cause some people.  What are some of your experiences with cocobolo, for those of you who have worked with it?

Also, how well does it turn?  And what types of finish work well with it?  I have only used Tru-Oil on my calls with good results, would this give a good finish to this type of wood?

Thanks in advance for any and all advise!!

Brian

[3inchstrutbuster]

coco turns great .if you have dust collecter use it and a dust mask..i turned a call the other day i used my dust collecter and a resperator thru the hole call and at last minute i decided th thin the lip on the pot and thought i could do it with out either mask or collecter my face is covered with contact dermatitus never had a problem with coco before. i use CA to finish the call

[spurman]

I have allergies, dust and pollen really get to me I can not handle the sanding dust, I have to wear a dust mask. I love the way it turns, lacquer finish usually sometimes just buff polish, never tried CA I can't take the fumes.  But so far no skin reaction to Cocobolo but poison oak or ivy do not effect me either.

[neal]

I have a good friend who is deathly allergic to it, the doctor told him if he turns it again and gets any dust in his lungs it could kill him, be sure to wear a mask and have your dust collector on if you have one. I break out terrrible and for a week from Osage.

[kenturkey89]

Thanks for the responses guys.  I think I'm going to pick a little up to see what it's like.  Hopefully I will have some pics of some calls with it posted soon

[merocustomcalls]

I use both Tru-Oil and Deft spray on Cocobolo but not without some preparation of the wood first.  I learned some very valuable info from a guy at Rockler in Minneapolis.  Once you get done with the sanding and the call is ready to finish you need to go over the entire thing with acetone.  This will dry the wood and remove the oil from the surface.  Next you go over the whole thing with Zinsser brand 100% wax free shellac.  Make sure it's 100% wax free.  Then you can use either deft spray or Tru-Oil finish.  The spray will dry faster but the Tru-Oil will still dry between 12-24 hours.  You don't have to wait any amount of time between these steps.  I use this same process on every kind of call I make and no matter what wood species I use.  Hope this helps. 

[Roost Wrecker]

Def where a mask. It dont bother me but East Indian Rosewood tears me up.

[triegel]

Where a good respirater if you have one, I just started turning it, and it was hard for me to breath. But it is a great wood to work with, I wish every wood was that great to work with!!

[JThomas]

I know a man who turned cocobola 1 time and has been battling skin problems for almost 1 year now.. bad stuff protect yourself.................

[DeWayne Knight]

I turned some Cocobola one time years ago and where it got on my skin it was like bad poison ivy!  Also made my eyes water, and made me sneeze and my nore run like bad pollen allergies.  Been afraid of it ever since...

[KryptoniteKills]

Coco turns like a dream but some people have reactions to the oils in the wood. Be SURE to wear a mask.

[shortyscustomcalls]

Ya what Neal said! 
Another thing you guys need to realize is that it's not just  Cocobolo it's the whole Rosewood (Dalbergia) family. So if you get a reaction to Cocobolo and think you'll just turn something different...say Blackwood. You can still get a reaction, because it's still in the Dalbergia family. And I turned the stuff for years before it hit me, but once it did. Each reaction got worse. Now I know if a wood belongs to the Dalbergia family or not before I turn it!


shorty