Ebonizing: What Works Best?

[Aaron Harris]

Some of the most intriguing turners I follow on Instagram do some beautiful work with ebonizing, so I thought I would try it (Dan Young for example). I did the standard 0000 steel wool in vinegar recipe, and got a good batch of the iron acetate. Problem is, the walnut I have tried it on I got very uneven, spotty results.

I tried it on the hickory bowl I'm finishing up by wiping on a few generous coats right before the 120-grit disc, and all I got was a sickly greenish yellow tinge to the wood after leaving it on for a few hours. I had to go all the way back down to 80-grit to sand it all off to its basic boring whitish color. Should I leave it on overnight? If I do, will that deathly-green turn to the beautiful smokey charcoal tinge in the figure? Put it on after sanding? Obviously it raises the grain.

I would appreciate any proven methods by ebonizers here. Thanks-Aaron

 

[Dean Center]

A. If you got uneven, spotty results, it's probably the wood. Could there be some finish or glue on it? Could you have compressed or burnished the wood in some areas? It would be really hard to have a solution with unevenly distributed chemical, assuming it had worked long enough for the steel wool to all be dissolved.
B. The result with walnut normally produces something comparable to ebony, which means it's not a solid, uniform color like latex paint. There will be variability in the color, with some areas more brownish that others, just like natural ebony. If you want African blackwood black, you will probably have to use something like Fiebig's boot black or India ink for the stain, which I have not yet tried.
C. Different woods take the stain differently, presumably related to the tannin content of the wood. Walnut is usually great. (Heartwood and sapwood will react differently) Cherry and alder can look a little gray for my taste. I've never tried hickory. YMMV.
D. You can 'paint' some brewed black tea onto the wood and let it soak in prior to applying the solution, if the wood has a low tannin level or you want a darker color.
E. One coat causes 85% of the color change, in my experience. A second coat can darker things only a little, and I've never noticed more coats having any effect.
F. If you feel the need to sand down the raised grain, use 600 grit or finer, lightly applied. The color is not deep and is easy to sand it partially or mostly off. That could produce a mottled final result, if you recoat.

Ebonizing is one of those things that is pretty straightforward and you mostly learn by doing. Many have tried it and few stick with it, so maybe the best it can do doesn't measure up to what is hoped for.

 

[Aaron Harris]

Thanks, Dean-No finish of glue in the wood, though I certainly could have some bevel compression in some areas. And I have the correct solution, I think-I shake it up before applying, and it looks and smells for all the world like liquid rust. So if I'm reading correctly, you apply it after sanding. And if so, will it soak in adequately at 400 or 600 grit? I really want to try it successfully, as I have seen some stunning results with it, especially with glossy black, highly-figured walnut. I might try that tea trick tooo to boost the tannin content. I'm not looking for AB or ebony black, as I have modest stocks of both of those when I want those woods. Just that deep, smokey charcoal accent to the figure that I find so intriguing.

I try to either learn a new skill or refine an old one every time I start on a new project in my shop.

 

[hockenbery]

it can be fun to explore home brew methods

if you want consistent black
Fiebings USMC black leather dye is fool proof
camphor background was Leather dye frogs airbrush paint
citrus
Cherry v

 

[R Henrickson]

Tannin content is crucial with the iron/vinegar ebonizing. If the wood is not rich in tannin, results are poor. There are other factors which can affect results. Sapwood will react differently (less darkening) than heartwood, even if the wood contains tannin. There can be differences even within heartwood in a single piece of wood. White oak usually will darken quite well, but only the heartwood; sapwood will tend to go grey. Red oak doesn't darken well, and may produce putrid greens or other unwanted shades. Density/porosity of the wood can have serious effects.

Perhaps the best advice I've found for this sort of ebonizing is from Brian Boggs

How To Ebonize Wood | Popular Woodworking

Ebonizing can be a lot of fun and it’s a great option to add to your offerings. Learn how to achieve a deep, rich black using household ingredients plus some powder from a South American evergreen.

www.popularwoodworking.com

I found that the quebracho he recommended for increasing tannin worked well, at least on some woods. This ebonizing is very much a coloring which sits on the surface, so sanding can easily remove it. On ash, it would remain in the coarse grain but barely take hold on the smooth close-grain between the rings. I've been happy with the results on relatively few woods. I can't comment on walnut since I don't use it at all since I react to it.

When white oak is involved, I prefer to fume with household ammonia. That darkens the heartwood nicely, with grain variation not completely concealed. If you want a uniform black, then fuming is not for you. For a uniform black Fiebings is probably your best bet.

 

[Aaron Harris]

Thanks again, guys-Al, my wife would love those kokopellis.

And thanks for that link, R. Hendrickson-I definitely got the putrid greens on hickory. I'm not looking for a uniform black, just trying to deepen the colors and contrast on some highly-figured woods. I guess I could try stains too, but I've never gotten consistent results with stains even following the instructions. I might have to try that ammonia fuming. If I remember correctly, that was discovered in barnwood that stood for decades over animal urine fumes. I'm really just experimenting at this point.

 

[Dean Center]

The Popular Woodworking article has some very good tips and clearly the author has lots of good experience.

Don't forget to wash the oil off the steel wool. When the bubbles stop, it's done reacting. I recommend a glass jar, as all plastics are not the same but glass is always non reactive. I prefer to filter the tiny residual bits of steel wool out before applying to the wood and a coffee filter works fine for this.

BTW the horns in my avatar are ebonized walnut.

 

[Hugh]

You can always add tannin to your turnings.......there is dried tannin available, but black tea should work also.
Add the tannin before you try the vinegar solution.
But, Hockenbery has the perfect solution......Fiebings USMC black dye. Do not forget to wear your latex gloves.

 

[Bob Sheppard]

I've used India ink to ebonize wood pieces. It works quite well. Sometimes, you need to apply more than one coat, but it does make the wood black.

 

[Chris Lawrence]

I bought some aniline wood dye that i use to faux dye wood ebony. The pack was a powder in all the primary colors plus black and brown. I mix the black with a tiny bit of brown to give me something close to ebony. Lately i have been applying it with an airbrush to get an even coat.

 

[Kevin Jesequel]

The best results I've had with iron acetate has been on this cherry bowl. Even on this, it did not penetrate/react strongly with the side grain. I decided that it didn't detract from the bowl. I tried the same batch of solution on a white oak hollowform and was not happy with the results at all and ended up going over it with black leather dye, as others have mentioned. Another note, the ebonizing will look terrible until you burnish it with 4/0 steel wool or a white scotchbrite pad.

 

[Dave Landers]

I've had wonderful results with the steel-wool-vinegar stuff on walnut. Then, I've had some pieces that just didn't work at all. Tried pre-wash with tea, mixed results.
Finally decided that I really like the result - when it works - but it was just too unpredictable for me.

I now use India ink.

 

[Aaron Harris]

Thanks, all-Lots to try here. And I love experimenting and trying new techniques, so we'll see what I can make work.

 

[Glenn Lefley]

Add tannin acid solution first before your wash, or use black leather dye. That will make everything black from the moment you open the bottle.

 

[Tom Gall]

Or........you can use acrylic paint (thinned or not). Brush it on and wipe it off until you get the desired effect. This technique can also be used with white paint to get a bleached wood effect...without all the chemicals!

 

[robo hippy]

Is the Fiebings dye light fast? I used it in the 80's for making custom footbags (more commonly known by the brand name Hacky Sack). Leave a died piece in the sun for 5 minutes and it would bleach out very noticeably.

robo hippy