Replies

1. 
   ring | Aug 25, 2005 09:15am | #1

   Hi Dusty,

   This might not be what you're looking for, but maple reacts well to the stain made with vinegar and steel wool. The steel wool is just an easier source of iron than nails.
   Of course there might be an altogether different stain I haven't heard of...

   regards,
   DR

1. 
   notDusty | Aug 25, 2005 10:18am | #2

             ring ,

                       We will try that out , thanks for your help .

                                                dusty

2. 
   Ringo | Aug 25, 2005 01:26pm | #3

   Ring (no relation) is correct about the recipe. I actually just finished a project with a vinegar/steel wool finish and it looks nice and black. One thing to note is that it doesn't work so well on maple. The solution works because the iron is reacting with the tannins in the wood. I used white oak because is high in tannins. I wiped it on some maple to see the results and it was a very pale black. I've read that you can add tannins by first applying tea (Lipton? who knows) but I've never tried it.

1. 
   notDusty | Aug 25, 2005 05:31pm | #4

      Ringo ,

                     Thanks Ringo , (no relation to ring)

                              dusty

3. 
   forestgirl | Aug 25, 2005 07:19pm | #5

   Dusty, from what I've read "recipe" might be a bit of an overstatement :-)  All you need is a pot of rusty water or vinegar.  Vinegar works faster.  Here's Bruce Johnson's recipe:  "To a quart of vinegar add a couple of handfuls of rusty iron:  nails, screws, hinges, and so forth.  Let the solution stand for two weeks, then strain it through a cheesecloth, bottle it, and store it in a closed cabinet."  The longer you let the metal steep, the stronger the stain. 

   He suggests brushing it on and letting it dry overnight, repeat if necessary.  For a wood low in tannin such as dried maple, you can treat it with "one ounce of tannic acid dissolved in one quart of warm water" or "a strong brew of tea can be brushed directly on the wood."  Leave the liquid on the wood overnight before treating with the iron mixture.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
   Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

1. 
   jazzdogg | Aug 26, 2005 04:10am | #6

   Hi FG,

   The mordant of acetic acid (vinegar) and iron oxide (rust) works most effectively in the presence of tanin; the higher the tanin content of the wood to which the mordant is applied, the more conspicuous the effect.

   In my experiments, rusty water or vinegar alone were ineffective.-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. 
   forestgirl | Aug 26, 2005 05:49am | #8

   "In my experiments, rusty water or vinegar alone were ineffective."  Hence this part of my post:

   For a wood low in tannin such as dried maple, you can treat it with "one ounce of tannic acid dissolved in one quart of warm water" or "a strong brew of tea can be brushed directly on the wood."  Leave the liquid on the wood overnight before treating with the iron mixture.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

1. 
   jazzdogg | Aug 26, 2005 08:21am | #10

   Hi FG,

   Sorry; I probably wasn't as clear as I should have been: even in woods like oak, with a naturally high tanin content, a mordant containing both acetic acid and iron oxide produced the best results; neither rust-water, nor vinegar, alone, provided results as satisfactory as the combined brew.

    

    -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

2. 
   notDusty | Aug 26, 2005 05:41am | #7

    forestgirl,

                        Thanks that is what we were looking for ,I think .

                                     regards     dusty

4. 
   mikegagne | Aug 26, 2005 07:51am | #9

   Vinegar and stell wool will make a great ebonizing solution (ferric oxide). If you want true black on your wood follow up with a black oil stain to get the pores black also. Ebonizing works well with woods that are higher in tannins. Maple may require a few applications to get the tone you want. Also, dont put a tight lid on the solution as it can explode. Have fun! aloha, mike

5. 
   WillGeorge | Aug 26, 2005 06:53pm | #11

   I have used India Ink.. Never on Maple though.. Try a test.. It gets REALLY black!