Black Finish (white vinegar & steel wool) Update...

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JackLeg

New User
Reggie
Re: Black Finish

Is this the same Jeff Mills that gives me heck for suggesting that painting is anathema? LOL!
:rotflm:
 

woodlaker2

Ray
Corporate Member
Re: Black Finish

If you want something seemingly a little off the wall, try tar or black ink. I know, I know but last year Alan Noel (who has run a refinishing business for 25 years in Atlanta and writes for Highland Woodworking on finishing techniques) put on a 2-day finishing class sponsored by the TWA up in Raleigh last year and he used both of those materials to blacken wood. Sorry I couldn't find my notes but maybe you know someone in the TWA group who will remember the process or who can give you Alan's e-mail address. I do remember the class members disbelief until Alan showed us the results...they were pretty effective....and simple! Good luck.
 

nelsone

New User
Ed
Re: Black Finish

There was an article in Pop Wood recently that gave the ebonizing process it good detail. If i remember correctly Brian Boggs wrote it who's a member. Maybe you should shoot him a PM.
 

eyekode

New User
Salem
Re: Black Finish

Jeff,
A process I have used with some success is to use both dye and stain. Start with transtint dye. This will leave it quite dark but with a slightly purple-ish tint. Follow it by a black stain. This will really deepen the black and removes the purple tint. When done you can still see the pattern of the grain.

I have used wipe-on poly over this and really like the results.
Best wishes,
Salem
 

CrealBilly

New User
Jeff
Re: Black Finish

Same here.

I figured I would give the home brew a chance. After seeing what steel does to fresh sawn oak, I figure it might just work. Red Oak smells a lot like puke anyways so what's a little vinegar going to hurt?

If the home brew don't work - I got lots of other things to try thanks for all the tips. Although I am surprised Fred didn't chime in about dragging broads around a mud hole or something...
 

rbdoby

New User
Rick
Re: Black Finish

Jeff,

Here's a picture of 2 chairs I finished last weekend. The pieces for both chairs were split out of the same red oak log. One I left natural the other was stained with a solution of white vinegar and steel wool. Finished both with Danish oil and used binder cane to weave the seats.

Let a wad of steel wool set in a pint of white vinegar overnight, strained it with a coffee filter. Applied the solution with a spray bottle. It only took about 20 minutes for the red oak to turn black. I let it dry for a couple of days to let the vinegar smell air out before I applied the Danish oil.

2_chairs.jpg


Hope this helps.

Rick Doby
 

CrealBilly

New User
Jeff
Re: Black Finish

Jeff,

Here's a picture of 2 chairs I finished last weekend. The pieces for both chairs were split out of the same red oak log. One I left natural the other was stained with a solution of white vinegar and steel wool. Finished both with Danish oil and used binder cane to weave the seats.

Let a wad of steel wool set in a pint of white vinegar overnight, strained it with a coffee filter. Applied the solution with a spray bottle. It only took about 20 minutes for the red oak to turn black. I let it dry for a couple of days to let the vinegar smell air out before I applied the Danish oil.

2_chairs.jpg


Hope this helps.

Rick Doby

That looks like it's about the shade I'm trying to achieve.

I have a couple of newbie questions...

1) did your steel wool disolve or was it still in bottom of the jar?
2) will multiple home brew coats turn the oak blacker?
3) will RO sapwood also turn black?

Thanks
 

rbdoby

New User
Rick
Re: Black Finish

That looks like it's about the shade I'm trying to achieve.

I have a couple of newbie questions...

1) did your steel wool disolve or was it still in bottom of the jar?

The steel wool did not dissolve and was still in the bottom of the jay. I had washed the steel wool with dish detergent to remove the oil from manufacturing. After sitting for a couple of hours I used a piece of red oak scrap to push the steel wool back to the bottom of the bottom of the jar. It had gas bubbles in it and had floated to the top. Went and fed the cat. When I walked back into the shop I noticed that the stick I used to push the steel wool to the bottom of the jar had already turned black. About 15 minutes. That stick actually turned blacker than the chair, so I don't think you need to let the solution set overnight and allow the steel wool to rust.

2) will multiple home brew coats turn the oak blacker?

I sprayed the chair with the solution until it was dripping wet and let it soak. I didn't try a second coat because the first coat gave me the results I wanted. If you look closely at the wood you can see that the softer parts of the grain turned black but the harder parts did not. You can see red streaks in the wood. Multiple might turn them black, try it and let us know.

3) will RO sapwood also turn black?

This stuff reacts with the tannin in the wood. If there is enough tannin in the sapwood it should turn black. I had my chair on a outside on a bale of straw when I sprayed it. It turned the straw black.


Thanks


This was the first time I had tried this finish. You may want to do some testing on you own. Be careful. LOML now wants me to build 8 more chairs for our dinning room table with this type of finish and cane seats.

Rick Doby
 

CrealBilly

New User
Jeff
Re: Black Finish

I'm actually a little disappointed in my initial home brew results. Steel wool and a couple of rusted steel chunks has been in the vinegar for a little over 24 hours now. The brew does turn RO black but not completely... you can see "red" in the grain lines I was hoping it would turn the grain lines black and perhaps shade the spaces in between the grain lines various shades of black and purple. The home brew does the opposite :( Also the sapwood was turned more gray than black. Here's a few sample pics - I purposely grabbed a RO chuck that was 1/2 heart/sap wood so I could see how it worked on both.

Anyone have a good source for India ink?


Endgrain
P1010131.JPG


Heartwood face
P10101301.JPG


Sapwood face
P10101291.JPG


Heart/Sap wood side
P10101272.JPG


Thanks
 
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