I use a poor technique for making ebonized maple inserts.
My procedure is to cut out the “shape” in the base, cut the maple to fit that shape, sand and or scrape it level. I then remove the piece of maple and ebonize it using India Ink.
After a few hours drying time, I glue the ebonized maple back into the cutout. Since the maple swells when it is ebonized, it stands proud of the surface. I then scrape/sand it to the same level as the surface which of course removes most of the dye. Then I end up restaining the maple using the ink and a paint brush.
There has to be a better way.
Help
Thanks, Dave
Replies
There are anilyne dyes which don't use water as the carrier. They'd swell your insert less.
I've been told of another approach, but haven't tried it myself: use a pressure cooker to drive the dye further into the wood. This, I've been told, is how manufacturers dye veneer completely through. The pressure cooker will certainly distort the insert, but the idea is that the dye will penetrate far enough that you can scrape it back flat without encountering white maple.
India ink is a pigment, not a dye. It does not soak in appreciably. Pick a dye that differs from the finish you plan to use. Water-based for oil or lacquer, alcohol for water-based finish. That way the finish does not re-dissolve the dye. If the dye swells the insert permanently, sand the back before you glue it in. Pressure dyeing works, but be careful. You can get a used pressure cooker for a couple bucks at Salvation Army usually. If it leaks, you have a serious mess. Do it only with water-based dye, obviously. Alcohol and stoves are not a good combination. Simply soaking the piece in dye for a week will give you maybe 1/64th inch penetration. Not all the way through, even with veneer.
To ebonize wood, what steps need to be taken? I have not done any of this for so many years that I am at a loss. Thanks...
At the time of the postings, I was trying to ebonize maple to use as an inlay around a chess board. The problem I was having was the dye (I switched to a shoe dye) was water based, which swelled the wood. After put the piece in as the inlay, and trimming it flush to the surface, the piece was starting to show too much white from the underlying maple.I discovered that I was in too big of a hurry. If I kept the dyed pieces in an area of 50-60 RH for about 24 hours, the swelling due to the moisture from the dye was gone. So no more problems in that area.My procedure was to make the needed piece(s), swab them with the swab that came with the bottle of shoe dye, allow them to dry to the touch and use them. The procedure is very easy and almost fool proof if you allow sufficient drying time.Hope this helps.Dave
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled