Identification method of red sandalwood soaked in alcohol

Red sandalwood is very precious. In recent years, this material has become less and less available. Therefore, some unscrupulous vendors often sell inferior products as good ones and use fake red sandalwood to deceive consumers. As a consumer, you can use certain methods to identify the authenticity. For example, you can use the alcohol soaking method to identify it, or you can use the alcohol cotton swab dipping method to identify it. These are relatively good methods. Let's take a look at this aspect.

Identification method of red sandalwood soaked in alcohol

1. The first method is to use a cotton ball dipped in alcohol. Gently wipe the surface of the red sandalwood with the alcohol cotton ball. If the cotton ball is purple-red, it means it is authentic red sandalwood.

2. There is also the method of soaking red sandalwood shavings in alcohol. That is, scrape off a little wood shavings powder from the red sandalwood, soak it in alcohol. If blood-red silk strips appear on the shavings, it is the real red sandalwood.

3. The last step is "Purple Air Coming from the East". Put a piece of red sandalwood directly into the alcohol liquid with a degree of more than 50%. After a while, you can find wisps of orange-red smoke slowly diffusing out from the red sandalwood, which means it is the real red sandalwood.

Identification methods

1. Take a piece of wood and scratch it on white paper. If it is red sandalwood, there will be purple-red scratches. Scratch it a second time, a third time, etc. with the same force. The scratch will fade and disappear. If there are scratches, proceed to the next step.

2. Put sawdust into a glass filled with clean water (the ratio of sawdust to water: volume ratio is about 1:3 - 1:10). If it is red sandalwood, you can see the top layer of water (visual effect: the top layer of water and near the wall of the glass are most obvious) has a blue motor oil-like fluorescence after 12 hours. The fluorescence is more obvious after 24 hours. This step is mainly used to exclude other rosewoods such as Dalbergia louboutinensis and non-red sandalwood woods; if there is fluorescence, proceed to the next step.

3. Observe the color of the sawdust water extract in the previous step. If it is red sandalwood, it will be purple-red (the depth of color is closely related to the part of the material, the amount of water and the length of soaking time); if it is purple-red or unsure, proceed to the next step.

4. Look at the distribution of pores on the cross section. If it is red sandalwood, the diameter of the tube holes in the entire growth ring are slightly equal and the distribution is relatively even; the cross section can be cut with a sharp knife in one cut, and it is best not to go back. You can apply some clean water when viewing it. It is best to observe it with a ten-fold magnifying glass or higher. If the distribution is relatively even or difficult to determine, proceed to the next step.

5. Look at the growth rings. Observe the growth rings on the cross section. If it is red sandalwood, the growth rings are not obvious. If the growth rings are not obvious or difficult to determine, continue with the following four steps.

6. Look at the color of the board surface. If it is red sandalwood, the new cross-section will be orange-red, and after a long time it will become dark purple or black purple, often with light color and purple-black stripes.

7. Smell the aroma. If it is red sandalwood, there will be a faint fragrance when it rubs against objects (similar to the smell of sandalwood, but not the same as the burning incense we smell in daily life). It will have a strong smell when it is filed with a file or planed with a table saw.

8. Look at the texture. If it is red sandalwood, the texture will be interlaced and some parts will be curled. Looking at the grain and color of rosewood, the cow-hair grain and gold stars are typical characteristics of rosewood, but the ducts of other woods should not be mistaken for the cow-hair grain of rosewood. The key is to look at the real thing more often, and after looking at it more often, you will get the feel for identifying the grain of rosewood.

9. Look at the oil texture. If it is red sandalwood, it will have an oily texture; if you can pass these four steps, proceed to the next step.

10. Cross section magnified 30 times. This is the last step of personal identification. Among the three sections of wood, the cross section provides the most abundant information. Carefully observe the characteristics of the cross section and compare them with the description and pictures in the national standard "Red Wood". If it is red sandalwood, it is consistent (if the conditions are not met, this step can be omitted).

If the above eleven steps of inspection can be passed, it can be determined that the wood is red sandalwood. If any of the steps is obviously not met, it can be determined that it is not red sandalwood. If there is still doubt, samples (mahjong size) can be taken and sent to relevant departments (such as the Chinese Academy of Forestry) for wood species identification.