Black wood

[Steve McKee]

I have a customer that is requesting some pieces be made in Black wood. Now I know Colorado Heirloom sells a Black stained Maple but I don't think that's what the customer is looking for. Is there a wood that is Black(ish) that would be available in 1/8th inch strips, 4 to 5 inches wide?

Thanks in advance for any information.

Steve

[Sean Hughto]

ebony would do it, but it's not cheap.

[Mike Null]

Sean is correct and it would be a bear to engrave. Go over to the finishing forum and inquire about ebonizing a wood.

[Chuck Stone]

African blackwood? Or you can 'ebonize' most any wood black by putting some steel wool
in a jar of vinegar (completely covered so it doesn't rust) for about 48 hours. Strain the
vinegar through a coffee filter and apply it like a stain. 2-3 coats should blacken most
any wood pretty well.


oops.. Mike beat me to it

[Lee DeRaud]

Peruvian walnut is another option: it starts out nearly black and darkens with any finish.
Vector-cuts very nicely, but I've never tried engraving it since the color is so dark, it wouldn't show anyway.

[Mark Conde]

There are many "black" woods (species) out there.
Ebony, Black African, Wenge (kinda)......

Most are exotic and that means a bit expensive. And they most all would be hard to vector cut and even raster engrave. There is absolutely nothing wrong with dye-ing maple black. This would seem to be the most logical choice to keep the price reasonable and the profit acceptable.

I recently tried to cut some ebony on my laser and it was a no go. I am not sure how much laser watt power would be needed to get the job done. My little 30W was not up to the challenge.

Just manage your customers' expectations and it will be all good.

[Steve McKee]

Thanks for the info guys. I might try that ebonizing process, had not heard of that before.Steve

[Dan Hintz]

I would try ebonizing some White Oak...

[George M. Perzel]

Hi Steve;
How much do you need?
Best Regards,
George
Laserarts

[Steve McKee]

Wish I knew George, customer hasn't really given me much detail. Do you have something available?Steve

[Paul Grothouse]

You can buy real Blackwood (there are about 3 types) from Exotic Lumber in Gaithersburg, MD. They will ship smaller quantities they are a real professionial organization. Ebonizing is fine, but it in not even close to the complexity of real Blackwood lumber. It's like saying you can stain maple to match Brazilian rosewood, kind of like lipstick on a pig.

[Mike Null]

I disagree with that description of the results of ebonizing wood. Ebonizing is an old and well used process in the wood working business. Certainly some are better than others but that is dependent on the skill of the finisher. It is not the same as staining maple to match Brazilian rosewood.

I realize wood is your business but I have seen excellent examples of ebonizing.

[Paul Grothouse]

Ebonizing is certainly a great method of finishing and we use it often. But is not the same, it does not match the complexity of real wood, the hues and differences in the grain are not easily repeatable with stains or dyes. Particulary a species such as Black wood. A decerning customer who asks for "Black Wood" as a species will likely not be satisfied with ebonized wood.

[Mike Null]

I can't argue with that.

[Jim Beachler]

Why are you worried about the cost? If the customer requests Blackwood, give it to them. Obviously, since they asked for a particular wood, they know about it. If not, educate them.

Also, I wonder why you do not have more information concerning amount of wood. I request all of this info up front so that I can make a reasonable estimate of costs and time.

[Lee DeRaud]

If the customer requests Blackwood, give it to them. Obviously, since they asked for a particular wood, they know about it. If not, educate them.What he said.

Step #1 is to determine for certain whether they meant "Blackwood" or "black wood".
(Or, for that matter, "dark woodgrain-finish substrate".)

Step #2 is to make sure they understand that, regardless of the answer to step #1, whatever gets engraved on it will be nearly invisible anyway.