A question for the dying experts- Steve?

[Ray Bell]

I want to make a pedestal for a rather large bowl. The pedestal will be somewhere around 5" tall x 6" dia at the bottom. I want this to be black, or very dark brow. Looking on the web for African Blackwood, or Ebony, any thing this size is prohibitively too expensive. Would it be feasible to turn a more common wood, and dye this dark? What wood and dye would you use?
TIA, Ray

[Steve Schlumpf]

Ray - I'm not an expert but I have dyed maple black with no problem. So, I would think you could use whatever wood you have on hand and then just dye it.

[Ray Bell]

Ray - I'm not an expert but I have dyed maple black with no problem. So, I would think you could use whatever wood you have on hand and then just dye it.

Thanks Steve. Dye it with what..Rit?

[Greg Ketell]

American Woodworker just had an article on finishing. Their "ultra black" was a wash of tanin followed by two "coats" of a steel-wool dissolved in vinegar. Makes it dark black but allows the grain to show through nicely.

[Prashun Patel]

I'd use aniline dye or india ink. I recall a thread John Keeton did a little while ago where he did this with some lessons learned. He has pics.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=135758&highlight=ebony+ivory

[Steve Schlumpf]

Ray, when I dyed mine I used RIT and it worked. I seem to remember that it needed a couple of coats to get it to the deep black that I wanted.

Since that time, we had a demo at our turning club meeting and Marc Himes used the vinegar/dissolved steel wool solution that Greg mentioned and within 10 minutes the wood was as black as anything I have ever seen! Then you just sand it back a little to get the grain to show through and apply the finish of your choice.

The RIT I used was dissolved in DNA and applied (twice) using 1" foam brushes. Just apply the dye until the wood is saturated - allow to dry and then apply again. Will have a dark gray appearance once dry but when you apply the finish, it will turn black.

Have fun! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

[Ray Bell]

American Woodworker just had an article on finishing. Their "ultra black" was a wash of tanin followed by two "coats" of a steel-wool dissolved in vinegar. Makes it dark black but allows the grain to show through nicely.

Steel wool dissolved in vinegar...interesting. Where do you buy tanin?

[John Keeton]

Ray, one of the best articles on the ebonizing process using the steel wool was done by Brian Boggs here (http://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/Ebonizing_Wood/). It has some good info.

Also, if you can get some holly, it turns very well, and will dye very black with India ink. I have not tried to ebonize it using the steel wool method.

[Ray Bell]

Thanks John, bookmarked.

[Gary Herrmann]

As another option, I've used black india ink with very good results before.

[Marc Himes]

I have used the vinegar and steel wool on oak and it does work well. The more tannin in the wood the better. Cherry turns gray. I have added a black aniline dye to make the wood darker after ebonizing if it wasn't dark enough. I haven't been able to get a really good black with ebonizing with woods other than oak. My next step was going to be India ink. I have used black magic marker on the rim of some of my bowls and find that to work well also but have not used it on a larger surface. Good luck.

Marc Himes

[Roger Chandler]

There is a running joke amongst the turners in our local club. We have some members who cross the state line and come into the valley here from West Virginia, and they are quite accomplished turners.

Some of them use what we affectionately call "West Virginia Ebony" :D;)
which is plain black shoe dye, that you can buy in any store. It really will make wood black and look like the real thing, and when fully dry, you can shine it up really well!

Some of their turnings with this have been very well done!

[Ray Bell]

The india ink, or shoe dye certainly sound like the easiest methods. Can you polish the ink without it coming off?

[Tony Kent]

Hello
Here is a youtube vid that Russ Fairfield did on shoe polish and other things...hope it helps. I found it very interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGjvoU9Bi3U&feature=related
Take care and let us know what you do and how it turns out :)
Tony
Oh and PS if you use aniline dye use gloves it won't wash off.....

[David E Keller]

Pear makes a great wood for ebonizing with India ink. Once it's dry, you can finish it normally.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ray I also use india ink or transtint dye. Both work very well and walnut seems to get the darkest. Jet black.

[Ray Bell]

Thanks again all. Interesting video Tony.