I've used india ink, followed up by a coat of ebony stain…
See my post here
The one shown is Maple, but I made a second table just like that one out of pine and they look identical, until you pick them up and feel the weight difference.
There are any number of dyes out there… I've even heard plain old fashioned RIT dye for clothing works well on wood. Of course, if she really wants pure black, Ive use brush-on enamel with good results.
Minwax has ebony stain and wenge stain. Your local paint store could tell you also or may even be able to mix you some black stain. I know my local supplier mixes custom stains for you.
I have quart of black water based dye I can bring Thursday night if you want to try it… I used it on poplar… but I didn't get solid black… grain did show. Recall my yellow shaker table? Well, I have yellow and red and blue if she would like a little color…!
transtint black dye, seal with a coat of shellac, a coat of black transtint color tinted lacquer, and a couple of coats of clear lacquer polished and buffed will yield a look similar to Asian black lacquered furniture.
You should be able to get black lacquer, however, if you go for the glossy piano finish, be sure to spend plenty of time sanding and prepping the surface. If not, any imperfection shows through.
When I do black, I don't use stain!, I use a dye of some sort, alcohol based usually, but the india ink thing is worth a try. Whatever you use finish up with a quality wipe on poly and rub out the last coat.
I'm also a huge fan of using India ink and if you're looking for a DEEP BLACK.............you can't go wrong.
I gave up using dyes a long time ago; they just didn't go black, fast enough for me.
The base of the clock below is made from red oak and was dyed with India ink.
It took two coats of India ink and you couldn't get it any blacker if you tried.
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