ebonizing update

[Stephen Pereira]

For those who are interested I thought I'd share my experiences.

This project began with the PW article on ebonizing wood. I liked the look so I thought I'd give it a try. I follwed the article's receipe..tannic acid bark followed by vinegar/steel wool followed by another coat of tannic acid bark. The results were spectacular..deep coal black.

My efforts in pre rasing the grain didn't work.. the wood surface was extremely rough and the large open pores of Ash did not accept the ebonizing cocktail. After a little research on this forum I decided to do the following: sand with 220 grit and apply black tinted glaze. I used Sherwin Williams water base glaze because their glaze can be mixed one to one with colorant.

I applied the tinted glaze using a rubber squeegee to remove the excess. The results were quite good..nice coal black color that still allowed the wood grain to show through. I then sanded with maroon synthetic pad to smooth things out. I had a problem with rub through on a few edges so I used a small paintbrush and acrylic paint..that worked well..blended in beautifully.

Now I'm about ready to apply the finnish coat. I'm still contemplating filling the pores on a few of the surfaces a person would ordinarilly run their hands over but for the most part my ebonized bed project is coming along nicely.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Stephen - perfect timing.

I'm closing in on the build start for a couple hall tables, where I want the legs and aprons to be ebonized. Not a PW guy, so very appreciative for your timely reference. Got it now, though.

Question for you: I am hoping that even with the ebonizing, the wood grain will still be visible. Comments?

FWIW, I'll be using QSWO - the article makes it sound like "maybe, maybe not" on the simple ebonizing schedule, but sounds like his approach makes it bullet-proof, which seems good since I doubt all the components will come from the same board/tree.

Thanks

Kent

[Tony Bilello]

Other than for tradition's sake, why would you go through all of this trouble? All that water on the wood will raise the grain. I just spray black lacquer (or whatever color I want) and then clear coat it. If you dont spray, just use a black tint to make your finish black. Whatever finish you use must be a thin film.
When the average person uses the term "ebonized", they are referring to the 'look' and not the process.




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[Rob Sack]

Black lacquer is a good choice. However, on open grain woods like oak or ash, it may not turn the pores completely black. If that is the case, I will apply a water based stain made from a black colorant. If raising the grain is an issue, first pre-wet the piece with water, let dry, and sand smooth. Then stain. Follow with thin coats of black lacquer, just enough as to turn the piece complete opaque. If the black lacquer is too heavily applied or too thick to begin with, it will fill the pores and reduce the open grain effect. Topcoat with clear lacquer, preferably from the same manufacturer as the black lacquer.

[Stephen Pereira]

Question for you: I am hoping that even with the ebonizing, the wood grain will still be visible. Comments?

Thanks

Kent

Kent..yes this process does allow the grain to be visible..at least on the QS ash I'm using. I would suggest making a few test pieces to see for yourself. I will say that the endgrain, sanded to 320 and filled with Dap, follwed with glaze and BLO came out very nice indeed..try it for yourself and you be the judge.

To answer Tony's question.."why go through all this work" Good question ..all I can say is that this is my first attempt at ebonizing and the PW article captured my interest. My research on ebonizing with tannic acid and iron acetate seems to suggest that this method is more colorfast and "richer" in color than other methods. Maybe yes..maybe no The Homestead finishing forum has a thread on this subject. SMC rules prohibit a link so Google it for yourself.

Thanks to Rob and Tony for suggesting alternative methods..I don't have spray equipment at the moment..someday perhaps.

[Stephen Pereira]

Oh..onemore thing. A fellow Creeker posted his thoughts on pre rasing the grain. He seemd to feel it was a waste of time..that one does not need an absolutely smooth surface at each stage of one's finishing process. I think his comments deserve more attention and discussion. I"ll see if I can find the thread and revisit the discussion.

[Tony Bilello]

..... where I want the legs and aprons to be ebonized......Question for you: I am hoping that even with the ebonizing, the wood grain will still be visible. Comments?
Generally speaking, "ebonizing" means leaving the wood grain visible. If you filled the grain, you would have a black painted finish and someone would not be able to tell if you painted wood or steel or plastic. This type of finish is usually referred to a black lacquer finish only because lacquer is the most common furniture finish. Tony B.

FWIW, I'll be using QSWO - the article makes it sound like "maybe, maybe not" on the simple ebonizing schedule, but sounds like his approach makes it bullet-proof, which seems good since I doubt all the components will come from the same board/tree.
White oak is not a good choice for an Ebonized finish. White oak has a fairly tight grain with relatively closed pores and once painted most pores would be filled and grain would not be noticable nor consistent. Normally red oak is used.Tony B

Thanks

Kent

I dont think this is what you wanted to hear, but I do this for a living.

[Stephen Pereira]

Tony,

I'm not so sure WO is a poor choice for ebonizing. Real ebony is extremely dense and fine grained..Real ebony piano keys and carvings look like plastic. In addition, it will be difficult to completley fill the grain to the extent that you can't tell your project is made of wood and not steel or plastic... so basically you are attempting to mimic real ebony.

The best thing to do is try it for yourself before you commit to any finishing schedule. I happen to like the look.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I dont think this is what you wanted to hear, but I do this for a living.

Tony - It's not something I wanted or didn't want to hear. I appreciate the insight. My objective was to get something that is as stable as possible - these need to be "pass down to the kids" quality. I have QSWO, and I use QSWO a lot, comfortable working it, and I also have a BUNCH of things I'll be building out of it [dining chairs x 8, for example], so I have to buy a bunch of 8/4 QSWO already.

All of the repro and derivative A+C/Mission stuff I've built - usually with a water-based dye step in the process - means I don't get at all cranked about raising the grain. And - I use the water based v alcohol because I don't have a sprayer, and don't need to go there - not yet, anyway.

I don't really care for grain/texture of red oak, to be honest. That else ya' got for me, Tony? Open for alternatives/ideas to try out. I do want to be able to see the grain thru the finish - subtle, of course, but visible.

And - re: black lacquer or painted - thanks for the insight, but......naaahhhh. :D