Replies

1. 
   Jamie_Buxton | Dec 17, 2005 11:04pm | #1

   Black analyne dye.   Get it from Woodcraft or many other woodworking retailers.   It colors the surface, but penetrates only a little, so you need to do all your shaping and sanding before you apply it.   It also is challenging to control exactly where it goes, so it is is good to have the parts you want to ebonize separate from the remainder of the piece.  For instance, you can easily ebonize handles which you're later going to bolt on to a piece. 

   Dye will color almost any wood.

1. 
   Biker | Dec 17, 2005 11:36pm | #2

   Thanks!  I'll drop into Rockler and pick up some dye for a trial run.  I will be dyeing the slats on a head board but I can finish them before I do the assembly. 

2. 
   Neil | Dec 20, 2005 05:49am | #3

   I use Walnut that is soaked in a solution containing vinegar and steel wool. . Let it sit for a week so that the steel wool dissolves. The tannins in Walnut react with the iron and give the wood a black finish . I believe that this is the traditional method of ebonizing.  I generally give it a coat of black stain for good measure. 

    

   Metal acid dye would also work (see David Marks web site).

    

   I have also used real Gabon ebony.  It’s not cheap ($50 BF) ,but if you are just making small pulls, you don’t need much.  It’s weird to work with however, more like metal than wood.

    

    

   Neil

3. 
   SteveSchoene | Dec 20, 2005 05:58am | #4

   Michael Dresdner recommends straight India ink. 

1. 
   user-20323 | Dec 21, 2005 06:56am | #5

   The vinegar and steel wool only works on woods with high tannic acid like walnut and oak. India ink mostly sits on the surface and leaves it shinny, but it can be cut back with scotch bright. I prefer black leather dye. It penetrates the wood better and once dry can be top coated with just about anything.

1. 
   giametti | Dec 22, 2005 04:44am | #10

   Actually, the vinegar/steel wool soup works with many woods. A full strength solution will take cherry almost to black, allowing some of the grain to still show. I find it to be a very nice effect and use it a good bit. A diluted solution on cherry creates a deep tarnished copper color.Jim Eddy
   http://www.jameseddywoodworks.com

1. 
   PF | Dec 22, 2005 05:06am | #11

   I recently used an aniline dye to ebonize walnut - worked like a charm.  I used a product from Solar-lux (jet black). 

2. 
   WillGeorge | Dec 22, 2005 03:39pm | #12

   straight India ink.. DITTO..
   REALLY DARK!

1. 
   highfigh | Dec 25, 2005 08:25am | #13

   Another thing about India ink is that if it dries with drips or little bumps, you can use ammonia to remove what you want or to let the grain show. This is a lot easier to get the desired result without worrying about sanding through .
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

4. 
   jazzdogg | Dec 21, 2005 07:22am | #6

   The answer to your question is: it depends on the extent to which you're willing to obscure the wood grain, and the level of opacity you're willing to accept; beyond a certain point, it makes sense to use paint.

   Mordants, Dyes, Stains, and colored pore-fillers can all be used to apply layers of black, as can tinted top coats.

   Is the wood you plan to blacken a diffuse porous species like maple, or a ring porous species like oak? Lots of variables to consider.

   Good luck,

    

   -Jazzdogg-

   "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie

1. 
   Biker | Dec 21, 2005 11:03pm | #7

   Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.  At the rate I work, I'll have a couple of months to test out more than one method before I'm ready to actually finish my project (bed frame with the slats in the head board "ebonized").  I am going for a smooth, glossy finish - so I did think of paint.  However, I'm thinking a finish that penetrates a bit, like a dye, will hold up better, no chipping, and I can use the same top coat as the rest of the bed. 

   I'm going to be away from the computer for a couple of weeks, but I'll check back in case I get more suggestions for finishes to test (after all, the ones I try that I don't like for this project might be great for some project in the future!).

   Thanks again.

1. 
   Quickstep | Dec 21, 2005 11:30pm | #8

   For what it's worth, I recently had a project with black accent strips. After considerable agonizing, I used ebony. The color, feel and absence of grain is not simulated by any other substitute. My project is unfinished, but the ebony is quickly getting polished by the poeple who feel compelled to touch it.

2. 
   ohcomeon | Dec 22, 2005 01:06am | #9

   In response to jazzdog's comments, what is the best wood to use w/ aniline dye in an attempt to get the best results (ie. to look most like ebony)?