"INTARSIA TIPS ON-LINE" - #2

           NEW TIPS FOR EBONIZING WOOD

             Recently I’ve experimented further with the ebonizing walnut technique and tried it on other species of wood.

            The ebonizing solution is made with two common products: vinegar and steel wool. A plastic jar with a plastic lid is best to use because the lid won’t rust (see Photo 1).

                    Photo 1

 New and improved

             To make ebonizing solution put a coarse steel wool pad in the jar and pour in enough vinegar to cover it, loosely screw the lid on the jar. If the pad is not totally submersed rust will quickly form on the portion exposed to air. After about twenty-four hours pour the vinegar in another jar. Don’t squeeze the vinegar out of the pad or you may get bits of metal in the liquid, which will rust, then just brush the solution on the contoured project pieces you want ebonized

            I’ve found the best results come from mixing a fresh batch of solution as you need it, rather than saving it for a long time.

I don’t know if this solution is toxic but it certainly can’t be a good thing to ingest so be sure to label the jar and keep it out of the reach of children.

Interesting effects

            Besides ebonizing walnut you can get interesting results on other species of wood (see Photo 2). It surprised me how many species of wood turned black, and the open grain of oak had a nice two-tone effect.

                Photo 2

            Diluting the solution with water creates a lighter shade of grey on maple (see Photo 3). On the top of the curly maple block shown I mixed two parts water to one part solution, while the bottom was treated with full strength solution. You may want to experiment further with this.

                Photo 3

Finishing

            After applying ebonizing solution with a brush, I let it dry overnight. If the grain is raised, lightly go over it with a non-woven abrasive pad or a sanding mop with 180-grit abrasive. The only finishes I’ve used over ebonized wood is Delta or Krylon spray, they both worked fine. If you prefer using another type of finish try it out on ebonized scrap wood first.