[Woodcarver] Re: Ebonizing Question

[Joe Dillett]

Hi Bill,

Excellent comments. It is my opinion that commercially available products
have been designed and tested to meet specific needs. Using shoe polish or
vinegar and steel wool may yield the same results but has not been tested
over time under all conditions so why take a chance on your work degrading
with time.

Taking samples of the colors you are trying to match along with the wood you
are working with to the local paint store and they will mix a die or stain
to match. I make sure that my sample pieces of wood I take to the paint
store have as much exposed endgrain and texture as the piece I'm finishing
to make sure I get the same results. If the product fails you have a store
to go back to. If you are a customer, especially a frequent customer they
will bend over backwards to satisify you.

Joe Dillett
The Carving Shop
645 E. LaSalle St. Suite 3
Somonauk, IL. 60552
(815) 498-9290 phone
(815) 498-9249 fax
http://www.thecarvingshop.com
jdillett at thecarvingshop.com
http://www.carvingmagazine.com Carving Magazine web site and Readers Forum
http://community.webshots.com/user/joe_dillett
http://www.citizenactions.org
**************************************************

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill" <woodcarver at dslextreme.com>
To: "woodcarver" <Woodcarver at six.pairlist.net>
Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2004 10:54 AM
Subject: [Woodcarver] Re: Ebonizing Question




I've tried using the vinegar and steel wool on a couple of items and it
worked pretty well.. but there were a couple of projects that it didn't work
well on.  This is a process of chemical oxidation and it can be less than
stable, IMO.  Similar to taking baking soda and applying to redwood to give
it that aged look.  The baking soda and the acids in the redwood will gray
the wood.. but it can be significantly reduced if it gets wet.

That said.. I was watching a woodworking show on DIY network the other day
and the guy building the table top used a dye to come up with a beautiful
ebony color.  He showed the difference between some stains and some dyes..
and what a difference.  The project was completed with an analine dye and
the result was excellent.

The wood he used was a very fine grain.. ebony is a very fine grain.. I
think if one were to use it on a pine, for instance, the results would not
be akin.  One suggestion he had during the show was to make trial strips out
of scrap wood from the project.. and try different products on them.. good
idea before compromising a nice carving that took many hours to complete.

Bill Splaine, Healdsburg, CA
Woodcarvings: www.picturetrail.com/chips