Anyone have experience with ebonized oak?

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Haynie

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This is not pen related. My search for reclaimed wood has not been successful. People in town horde it like gold and the closest salvage yard is a 5 hour one way trip. One of the many hassles of living in the boonies.

I did however stumble on a guy demonstrating ebonizing oak on a website. It looked pretty cool and would suit what I am planning. I do have a couple questions though, for folks who may have done this.


  1. I have read that the more you ebonize the darker it gets but nothing I have read says how deep the staining goes. How deep does the process penetrate?
  2. Does the process work equally with red oak and white oak?
  3. I want the grain to be subtle. Some images I have seen have super pronounced very light grain others have very dark subtle grain. Is this controllable?
  4. Does the ebonizing last or does it wear off with use? This will be on a coffee table?
  5. Do you finish the wood in the same manner as you normally would.
  6. Is there a way to mask off to avoid certain parts becoming ebonized?
Thanks
 
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Haynie said:
This is not pen related. My search for reclaimed wood has not been successful. People in town horde it like gold and the closest salvage yard is a 5 hour one way trip. One of the many hassles of living in the boonies.

I did however stumble on a guy demonstrating ebonizing oak on a website. It looked pretty cool and would suit what I am planning. I do have a couple questions though, for folks who may have done this.


  1. I have read that the more you ebonize the darker it gets but nothing I have read says how deep the staining goes. How deep does the process penetrate?

    In my experience not very deep, it will sand off the hard spots but not out of the pores. I will get more intense with more coats. I let dry between coats, I'm assuming your using the vinegar/iron type solution. I use an oil type finish as it darkens to very black from the grayish color after the solution is applied.
  2. Does the process work equally with red oak and white oak?

    Yes, any wood with a high tannin content, you can purchase tannin powder to use first for woods with low tannin content.
  3. I want the grain to be subtle. Some images I have seen have super pronounced very light grain others have very dark subtle grain. Is this controllable?

    Yes, number of coats.
  4. Does the ebonizing last or does it wear off with use? This will be on a coffee table?
    It's pretty thin, I would top coat with poly or some other protective finish.
  5. Do you finish the wood in the same manner as you normally would.

    I apply an oil finish first to darken the color.
  6. Is there a way to mask off to avoid certain parts becoming ebonized?

    Haven't tried this but guess it would work as long as the solution doesn't soak under the mask
Thanks
Click to expand...

From my experience!
 
Here is a red oak bowl that was turned green and sanded then let dry. Then a tiny bit of sanding and ebonized with the vinegar/iron solution. Finished with a few coats of Liberon finishing oil, buffed and waxed with renassiance? wax.

The bowel went slightly elliptical when it dried. I do the wet turning and sanding often on my bowls, many people like the elliptical look. When asked how I make them ellipitical, I tell them I'm very fast with my tools!, just kidding:biggrin:

EbonizedRedOakBowl.jpg
 
Ahh Iron Acetate. I have made a couple of pens that I used it on. you want to treat it more like a weak dye verses a stain. In saying that it is basically a water base dye. It reacts with the Tannins in the wood. The higher the tannin the darker the wood will become. I am sure red oak will be just as good as white. Cherry, Black Walnut really gets black within seconds of application.
The trick is to have the wood pores open. so if you turning sand at 80 grit then apply the Iron Acetate. and let it dry completely. sand using the next grit then apply again. Remember it acts like a water base dye.

I make Iron Acetate with a pint of distilled vinegar and washed pad of 4 ot steel wool that I cut up. and let it sit until all the steel wool has basically dissolved. then strain it off with a paper paint strainer.

Hope this helps
 
Boonies? I thought Page Arizona was on the other side of boonies...

Even if you vacuumed the stain into Oak, you aren't gonna get too deep but that would still be the way I would try to get the stain into the wood.



Haynie said:
This is not pen related. My search for reclaimed wood has not been successful. People in town horde it like gold and the closest salvage yard is a 5 hour one way trip. One of the many hassles of living in the boonies.

I did however stumble on a guy demonstrating ebonizing oak on a website. It looked pretty cool and would suit what I am planning. I do have a couple questions though, for folks who may have done this.


  1. I have read that the more you ebonize the darker it gets but nothing I have read says how deep the staining goes. How deep does the process penetrate?
  2. Does the process work equally with red oak and white oak?
  3. I want the grain to be subtle. Some images I have seen have super pronounced very light grain others have very dark subtle grain. Is this controllable?
  4. Does the ebonizing last or does it wear off with use? This will be on a coffee table?
  5. Do you finish the wood in the same manner as you normally would.
  6. Is there a way to mask off to avoid certain parts becoming ebonized?
Thanks
Click to expand...
 
A good friend of mine uses that method a lot when he turns wet hollow forms. He has a big barrel full of white vinegar and rusted pieces of steel and wire wool. When he finishes the piece he dips it into the solution for a couple of seconds and when taken out it turns black almost instantly. Forms - Emmet Kane
 
Yeah vinegar and steel wool.

So not deep, got it.

What would be a durable finish good for a coffee table that will take abuse? I have two boys one of which climbs on everything. Plus I like to put my feet up.

I did find an image where someone masked off the piece to make a design. No explanation how though. I would be afraid of painter's tape bleeding.
 
Haynie said:
Kieth

Your pal's work is way cool.

Great avatar by the way.
Click to expand...

He loves ebonizing the fresh oak or holm oak he turns. If it is a dry piece he is working on he sets it on fire and scorches it. He's well known for that and has demonstrated it a number of times in the U.S.
 
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