Replies

1. 
   joeyboy | Aug 18, 2023 04:27pm | #1

   I have not tried it myself, but doubt that ammonia fuming would have much effect on darkening ash or similar woods. The darkening occurs because of ammonia chemically reacting with tannins in the wood - but ash, unlike oak, does not contains much tannin. BTW, I've used ash in many projects and really like working with it.

2. 
   lat_axe | Aug 18, 2023 04:28pm | #2

   As I understand it, the fuming process sees a chemical interaction of the tannins in oak with ammonia. I've never done it as it seems a rather dangerous process and anyway, I prefer the naturally aging colours of oak.

   Ash doesn't have tannins in it like that of oaks. However, it does stain or dye very readily. (The stuff in Britain does, at least - I'm not sure US ash is the same thing). I've made many items in ash that I've stained with various browns to look oakish although, as you say, it's just the grain patterns that look something like those of oak - but no medullary rays.

   There was a fashion, at one time, for all sorts of coloured furniture. Ash was often the prefered wood because it dyes so readily; and it's pale, neutral native colour tends to mean any dye remains a predicable shade of whatever colour it is.

   Lataxe

3. 
   stantheman | Aug 18, 2023 06:25pm | #3

   I've always dyed ash. It takes a good even tone. Good wood to work with and stronger than cherry.

4. 
   phantomtrapper | Aug 20, 2023 04:16pm | #4

   Thanks, everyone, for your information. Dye it is then, and I do have a few Mohawk colours-I'll find one that works. And Lataxe, I saw hte photo of your Greene and Greene bed. Nice work, it almost changed my plans.

5. 
   geedubbee | Aug 21, 2023 09:08pm | #5

   +1 on dye for ash. It has a yellow base tone that can come out greenish if you use red-based brown stains on it. Dye tends to solve this. No help on fuming.

   
6. 
   Cayman | Aug 21, 2023 09:23pm | #6

   I have some ash my father as a child planted on the family farm in the early 1920’s. He and his brother harvested it in the 1990’s. I had never worked with ash but I made a number of projects with it including some clamp racks. It’s now one of my favourite woods.

   It does stain beautifully. The heartwood can be made to look like walnut. It cuts nicely with a sharp blade.

   I have some experience with water based aniline dye before stain on white oak and I would experiment on ash with that.