[OP]
Contributor
Any advice on fuming sapele? I see commercially available veneer available that says it is fumed with ammonia. The look can be almost black. I have some up coming projects that my wife wants to finish in black… as in paint. Trying to avoid a painted project if possible. I might experiment with a small project first. She says if not painted, it has to be really dark.
Last edited by Christian Hawkshaw; 06-28-2023 at 10:40 AM.
Contributor
Haven't done this, but I'm interested in seeing your experiment.
I think fuming might give a more interesting look than a straight black color.
Contributor
Originally Posted by Christian Hawkshaw
I've done fumed quartersawn white oak in the past - looks nothing like the fumed sapele I see when I google it.
Fuming has its own issues, as you might know - you have to use the industrial strength stuff - like used in blueprint machines - home-use stuff will not work, AFAIK. Need heavy-duty rubber-ish gloves, respirator, - serious stuff. And then it has to be in a wide-surface holder like a pie plate for max evaporation, and in a relatively air-tight enclosure. I really liked the way it turned out, but had no interest in the process.
Have you thought about ebonizing? That's simple. It will still show the "shadow" of the wood grain, if you pick the right wood. Get some GF or other ebony dye stain. Follow those directions. Then I use some dark-ish shellac of whatever is extra/handy - like garnet. Pad on a few coats and I'm done. I assume other topcoats do the same , but have not tried any others
Gate-leg dropleaf table. Sideways [??] I don't understand how this happens - correct-wise in my PC files.
Ebonized hard maple base, with most likely 2# garnet shellac.
Curly maple top and aprons.
.Drop Leaf 04.jpg
Drop Leaf 05.jpg
When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.
Contributor
+1 on what Kent said.
Fuming can be dangerous, ebonizing is easier and provides much the same result.
Just follow all safety precautions if you decide to fume.
Contributor
India ink (shellac based) works great for ebonizing. Seems like a lot less hassle.
[OP]
Contributor
I have ebonized red oak with iron acetate (steel will in vinegar). It worked pretty good. Could try with Sapele.
Contributor
That's how I did the sides of this set of stereo cabinets.
A coat of India ink, sand to eliminate raised grain, another coat of India ink, then GF's Enduro Clear Poly. The grain shows through beautifully. The wood was white ash, so you can see how effective the India ink is. And it's cheap. Something like $20 for a large bottle. SpeedBall was the brand I used.
John
Contributor
go to a stain company and if they know there stuff they will give you options. If you were in Toronto id say Goudey. Pro stuff. there are endless choices with stains and combos of them
Contributor
It wasn't really black was it? Most of my work with that recipe are kind of an off black with some open pores that show a tiny bit of near natural oak color. Solvent based leather dye is what I use on turnings that I want dark. To fume you really need a high concentrate ammonia. Nothing sold in stores. Back in the day we used the high potency ammonia for blue prints. Not even sure if that technology still exists. If she wants black and you don't want paint, dye is the way to go. You won't see any build on the surface at all. Absolutely experiment on scrap. A finished piece of furniture is absolutely no place to experiment with a finish!
Contributor
Yep same here. Speedball and white oak, then pre cat lacquer.
table 2.jpg
[OP]
Contributor
No, not really black as you can see the hues of the red oak peeking through…which is ok. I am not necessarily looking for jet black. My wife liked the look ok. I always experiment with test boards when doing something new.
[OP]
Contributor
India may be too jet black for me..I was thinking about ribbon (quartered ) sapele and the India ink may diminish that effect too much. Might have to experiment some.
Contributor
Yeah, you will lose all of the chatoyance. Only dye will change the color without losing that feature.
John
Contributor
Transtint makes a black dye thats black as you can get
< insert spurious quote here >
Member
Next time I have a “black” request for a project I want to try India Ink or Speedball ink. Looks good from what I can see in this thread.
I had a dining set commission last year that called for black and I went the traditional iron/vinegar/quebracho bark tea process as per a great Brian Boggs article on Ebonizing in Popular Woodworking. I used white Ash and it turned out great for the look the clients wanted, which was dark, black-ish, but not as dark as Oak gets when Ebonized. Topped with Rubio 2c on the chairs and a 2k low sheen poly from Milesi on the table.
The traditional ebonizing process that I followed was extensive and took quite a bit of time and steps, at least at that scale (10 chairs and a dining table)…not sure I want to go through that again anytime soon and would certainly try ink.
How long does it take for the ink to dry in order to be touched / flipped over or top coated? I have done some ink relief printing artwork with wood and speedball type acrylic ink and it takes forever for the ink to dry even on the paper and the wood seems to just stay wet forever.
A few photos of Ebonized Ash.
Still waters run deep.
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