Replies

1. 
   donbutler | Mar 07, 2005 05:08pm | #1

   I haven't done any fuming, but I've done some 'ebonizing' (turning wood black) with RIT™ dye.

   If I was confronted with the need to do a project like that, I'd want to try different trials with different samples to see what really works best and what doesn't.

   The fabric dye works well with water, though it raises the grain, and a friend tells me he uses it with alcohol as solvent for dying violin parts. That doesn't raise the grain.

   Just another thought to stir in, here.

   Regards,

   Don

2. 
   tcalisto | Mar 07, 2005 06:02pm | #2

   Tom,

   Are you planning to fume the piece or ebonize it? These are 2 different processes.

   When fuming oak or other tannin rich woods you place the completed piece or components in a chamber with aqueous ammonia. The ammonia reacts with the tannin and imparts a greyish brown color on (and in) the surface of the wood. I will caution you that fuming does not effect sap wood and it does not react the same with planks from different trees. What this means is that you will still have to unify the color with some kind of stain if you get any sapwood on a visible surface or the planks do not react the same. I have attached a photo showing the effect of sap wood with fuming, If you look at the back panels you can see that the sapwood was not affected by the fuming process.

   When ebonizing wood you generally dye the timber in order to obtain a deep black color that mimics ebony. I have had good luck ebonizing oak by first applying iron oxide to the surface. Allow the surface to dry and denib any raised grain. Follow this step by applying black aniline dye until you obtain the depth that you desire. Allow the dye to dry and denib any raised grain then follow up with the top coat of your choice. In case you had questions on how to obtain the iron oxide, this is nothing more that shredded steel wool that has been sitting in white vinegar for about a week. Make sure that you strain this mixture before applying it to your piece so that you do not get any wool fibers embedded in the wood and poke some holes in the lid of your container while this stuff is brewing, the reaction produces hydrogen. Not enough to be a concern but if you were smoking and opened the lid it might get you attention.

    

   Good Luck,

   Tom

   
1. 
   AlanMikkelsen | Mar 08, 2005 02:44am | #3

   Tom, can post another picture after finishing?  Love the work!Alan & Lynette Mikkelsen, Mountain View Farm, est. 1934,  Gardens & Fine Woodworking, St. Ignatius, MT

1. 
   tcalisto | Mar 08, 2005 05:13pm | #6

   Alan,

   Thanks for the compliments.

   The piece was first fumed for about 24-36 hours using 28% NH3. I followed this by blending the sap wood with a dye stain. The top coat was garnetlac (brownish shellac).

   I wish that I had a better close up of the pulls, I made them from copper plate and bar stock. Initially I planned to purchase these but I could not find a suitable source so I resigned to make them myself. I am glad that I did. They are my favorite feature of the piece.

   I have attached two photos. I apologize in advance for the quality of the pictures. I have read all of Rob Millards tips on getting quality photos but I still come up way short of getting a decent picture. Maybe its time to invest in some equipment and training.

    

   Tom

   
1. 
   DougF | Mar 08, 2005 05:30pm | #7

   Tom,

   Nice piece.  The design is similar to one that I am considering for our guest bedroom so now I have something I can show my wife.  What tint or dye did you use to blend the sapwood?  Is the entire piece dye stained or just the sap wood? 

   Thanks - Doug

1. 
   tcalisto | Mar 08, 2005 08:56pm | #10

   Doug,

   I used a water soluble aniline dye to just touch up the sap wood areas. The color comes from the fuming and shellac.

   Good luck on your piece,

   Tom

2. 
   DougF | Mar 09, 2005 04:25am | #11

   Which color/mix dye did you use for the touch up?  My eye for color is among the world's worse.

   Doug

3. 
   tcalisto | Mar 09, 2005 05:03pm | #12

   Doug,

   I do not recall exactly which color I chose. It was some diluted brown shade so that I could creep up on the color I was looking for. I had made a sample board for the customer and I worked towards that overall tone. I am sorry that I could not give you more details. I only had to blend a few sections of the piece and the rest of the color came from fuming and the shellac.

    

   Tom

4. 
   DougF | Mar 09, 2005 05:36pm | #13

   Thanks for the effort.  I will get my knee pads on and try to sneak upon the little buggers.

   Doug

2. 
   AlanMikkelsen | Mar 08, 2005 06:51pm | #9

   That is absolutely marvelous, and especially with the pulls you made.  My biggest challenge is finding appropriate pulls and knobs.  I have a tendency to scale my A&C projects a bit lighter than most and the commercial knobs and pulls have a tendency to look too big for the drawer or door.  I think after seeing your work, I'm going to noodle around with some of my own designs for appropriate pieces.  Thanks for the inspiration.Alan & Lynette Mikkelsen, Mountain View Farm, est. 1934,  Gardens & Fine Woodworking, St. Ignatius, MT

2. 
   lwj2 | Mar 08, 2005 03:58am | #4

   I agree with Alan, great piece.Please post a pic or two of the finished piece.Regards,Leon Jester

3. 
   TomT226 | Mar 08, 2005 02:44pm | #5

   Thanks for the tips.  I had read in another post that "fuming" could turn oak almost black.  Guess I'll go with the iron oxide and aniline dye.  Just didn't want any migration of a stain to carry over to the maple panels.

1. 
   MarkRD | Mar 08, 2005 05:58pm | #8

   You can find a good artilce on Fuming in FWW 126, October 1997 p.46. Funny, It's sitting right here on my desk - my next project is an arts+crafts style sofa table - to be fumed before assy...Mark

2. 
   tcalisto | Mar 09, 2005 10:58pm | #16

   Tom,

   I guess that I never really answered your question. I am not a finishing expert by any stretch of the term but I suspect that dye migration may present a small problem particularly with blonde woods like maple. The solution: seal the maple prior to assembly, besides it is always a good idea to prefinish panels before assembly. With fuming color migration would not be a concern.

    

   Tom

4. 
   trcmag | Mar 09, 2005 09:58pm | #14

   Could you use this same approach to ebonize cherry or would you use a different method

1. 
   tcalisto | Mar 09, 2005 10:46pm | #15

   Marty,

   I have never tried it with cherry but I imagine that it would work well. It is not totally necessary to apply the iron oxide to the surface. You could just jump straight to dying the piece and depending on your dye strength and the number of coats it should produce the effect you are after. I use the iron oxide to get a head start on the color and besides what could be cheaper than rusty steel and vinegar. If you are looking to save a buck or two I would consider dying poplar in lieu of cherry. I don't think that the poplar would react as much to the iron oxide but poplar accept dyes and stains beautifully and I don't believe that you would be able to distinguish between the two after "ebonizing' them.

    

   Tom