Ebonizing Wood?

I like REAL India Ink. I’ve ebonized ash for several projects and it’s worked very well.

It can be found at Staples, and other office supply stores, as well as art stores. Test on scrap, and when you’ve found the good stuff, the test board will be BLAAAAACK, not dark indigo or purplish black. The cheap stuff won’t penetrate well and is not as black.

I find black Solar Lux to not stay black.

-- - Please help keep Lumberjocks an enjoyable escape by refusing to participate in political discussions. Simply spit out the bait and ignore the thread...

walnut looks great ebonized. It is a dark wood which also helps. I’ll post a photo in the Projects section of a mantle I did some time ago. It is of maple and ebonized walnut.

-- Oldworld, Fair Oaks, Ca

There was a posting here a few days ago abut using steel wool pads and mineral spirits I think. I haven’t tried it myself, but was really interested to try it when I read it. I think they called it steel buff.

Yep, here, look here—->>> steel buff

-- "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most logical explantion is that I was made for another world." -C.S. Lewis

You may consider aniline dyes as well.

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

There was an article in Popular WW or something it is around here someplace. I’ll PM when I find it.

-- "Not skilled enough to wipe jam on toast!"

coastal live oak ,spalted, rubbed with dark tungoil is a really dark lustrous hardwood that can be obtained locally. It has a lot of character and each piece is unique .

With oak, due to the high tannin content, you can go with a rusty vinegar. Just take some very rusty metal, stick it in a container with some vinegar (some people swear by cider vinegar, but I don’t think it matters), and let it sit for a few days. Make sure pressure can escape the mixture as gas is a byproduct of the reaction! After awhile, you can just paint it on the oak, and it will pretty much instantly turn an amazing color.
try here:
http://www.oldtoolsshop.com/z_pdf/woodWork/EbonizingWood-ne.pdf (this guy uses a bit more, gets GREAT color)
Allison here on LJ has a blog about it http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/Allison/blog/5831
or here http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/brian_havens/blog/6757

-- "That which has in itself the greatest use, possesses the greatest beauty." - Unknown Shaker

I would just go straight to using dye but do not thin it much. I use Sherwin Williams dye because it is $90 per quart instead of $18 for 2 oz.

Dye the wood and then put dye in the finish to get the black that you want. The wood tone will come through a little on dye alone.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

I’ve had good results with ML Campbell Woodsong Microton NGR spray – on-line price 55 bucks a gallon. Sold where ever MagnaMax sprays are sold. It can also be added to lacquer, pre-cat and shellac.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Believe it or not, I’ve had good success with RIT dye! It’s cheap, effective and doesn’t seem to fade.

d

-- If a man says something in the forest and there's no woman to hear it, is he still wrong?

Leather dyes work well also.

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

you think this will work?

-- San Diego, CA US Navy

The vinegar thing works well with Walnut too, makes it about jet black.

I saw a good project that used speedball like you posted. Depending on the desired outcome a really light sanding with very fine paper can be used to good effect to help reveal the wood grain, but keep everything nice and black.