How to use India Ink

[Thomas Wilson80]

Hello - I just turned this little box/hollow form from my box of unknown scraps (some purchased in bulk for small boxes/finials) and have put one coat of Watco DO on it. I was planning on making a small lidded box, but was surprised to find that it was a burl once I started rounding it on the lathe. Now I am thinking I want to put a dark finial on it and was going to use some black walnut, but wonder if an even darker (black) look would be better. I don't have any ebony but have read several posts on using india ink, but have never done it before.

Are there certain types of india ink to buy or can I just get whatever Amazon sells? Do certain types of wood work better? I have a scrap of maple and sycamore that I could use, but don't have enough of either to test it out. Any recommendations on wood type to stain with india ink?

Thanks,
Tom

burl box.jpg

[Jamie Buxton]

You can think of india ink as very thin paint. [It really is. It is black pigment in a mostly-water carrier.] Traditional india ink is water-resoluable, but you can buy waterproof india ink. Being waterborne, it does raise the grain a bit, so be prepared to denib. You can paint it on fine-grained wood like maple, or on more open-grained wood like oak. In the latter case, the pores telegraph through the paint; it is a very thin paint.

I bought a pint bottle from Speedball. It is going to be a lifetime supply.

[tom lucas]

I've read that black leather dye works better. I bought a bottle but haven't tried it yet. I have used the iron acid wash method on Walnut and it can make it really dark, but not really black. More very burnt umber.

[Chris A Lawrence]

Ebony is not straight black it has a hint of brown in it. I picked up some powdered dyes from amazon that i can blend colors and mix in water or DNA. India ink is not thin paint it soaks into the surface i use prefilled markers with it in them to make basket weave illusions and if i make a mistake it takes quite a bit of scraping wood with an exacto knife to get it off. The longer before i realize the mistake the more wood i need to scrape off.

[Robert Hayward]

Transtint sells a black dye. I have used it and it works well.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

Are there certain types of india ink to buy or can I just get whatever Amazon sells? Do certain types of wood work better? I have a scrap of maple and sycamore that I could use, but don't have enough of either to test it out. Any recommendations on wood type to stain with india ink?

Thanks,
Tom

burl box.jpg[/QUOTE]
Decades ago, I had a small side business buying, refinishing and then selling off bits of furniture. I worked in a shop for about two weeks before that guy died and the job ended. We used India ink on all kinds of pine furniture to make it look like ebony. The shop purchased india ink by the gallon. (We used more than just black too) When I went on my own, I used the same stuff, mail ordered from a huge Art supply warehouse. (Utrecht, maybe) Stripped the old finish, sanded well, painted with India Ink and then a very very light sanding again. Back then Homer Formby stuff, but lately I use wipe on poly or (brush on) over top. I comes out looking more like a cheap oriental black lacquer than ebony, not quite as smooth and shiny. I also use red ink for some wooden stuff. It soaks into the wood a short distance compared to paint which lies on the surface. The wood grain still shows through slightly. The same WOP when the ink is dry. I no longer do furniture, but still go through a small bottle of India ink every year. Another trick is an acid treatment that works best on Maple, a weak nitric acid chemically changes the outer layer of wood to a sorrel color. Chromic acid turns it a dark brown almost black, but depending on minerals in the wood, can turn the maple a funky dull dark greenish brown. The acid is how colonial long rifle builders treated the stocks they made. Somebody mentioned leather dye. My experience has been a dark brown dye on light wood. It is an alcohol containing dye. The pigment still lays on the surface like a stain and doesn't cover the wood uniformly.

[Peter Blair]

I use leather dye on almost any wood that lends itself to the thinner needed for a small finial. Then a bunch of coats of rattle can black lacquer.

[Thomas Wilson80]

Thanks for the info everyone. I ordered some india ink and black leather dye, so will see what works best. As always, I appreciate the help from the forum!

Tom

[John K Jordan]

Nice shape and beautiful wood!

I know people who "ebonize" often. The preferred wood with some seems to be Holly. The preferred colorant is black leather dye. Holly is fine-grained and can take incredible detail AND takes the dye well.

That said, get some ebony for finials! Or african blackwood (it's a Dalbergia, a rosewood.) Both are a joy to turn and need no finish - just polish the bare wood. I like to get both from Big Monk Lumber - I call up Pete and he sends out a box.

Cedar and ebony.

cedar_and_ebony2_IMG_7528.jpg

African Blackwood

pod_box_comp.jpg blackwood_box_IMG_8158.jpg

Another species that might look good with your piece is Bloodwood:

urchin_ornament.jpg

JKJ

[Thomas Wilson80]

Nice shape and beautiful wood!

I know people who "ebonize" often. The preferred wood with some seems to be Holly. The preferred colorant is black leather dye. Holly is fine-grained and can take incredible detail AND takes the dye well.

That said, get some ebony for finials! Or african blackwood (it's a Dalbergia, a rosewood.) Both are a joy to turn and need no finish - just polish the bare wood. I like to get both from Big Monk Lumber - I call up Pete and he sends out a box.

Cedar and ebony.

cedar_and_ebony2_IMG_7528.jpg

African Blackwood

pod_box_comp.jpg blackwood_box_IMG_8158.jpg

Another species that might look good with your piece is Bloodwood:

urchin_ornament.jpg

JKJ

Thanks for the suggestion John. I just checked out their website and looks promising. I'm still fairly inexperienced and have avoided buying wood as I was always afraid I'd blow it up and waste the money, but I think I'm getting comfortable enough to purchase some wood for specific projects. That wood is beautiful and there is something to say for natural (not dyed) wood!

Tom