Ebonizing with Vinegar - Never again

[Chip Sutherland]

Thanks for the tip. I haven't felt the need to try ebonizing with steel wool/vinegar. I'm lazy. Give me anniline dye or leather dye any day. I've never tried ammonia fuming oak either.

[Nate Davey]

Have any of you guys tried vacuum dying with a paintpot or caped sealed section of 8" pvc with a HD truck tire stem. You can ad ball valves and set the system to vacuum the the dye right out of it container into the tank. and back without getting dye on your self. Indian ink works bst for black. Printer dyes of all colors can be used and they dry fast.

Have any pics of such a contraption? Interested in the PVC self extracting idea.

[Stephen Pereira]

Have any of you guys tried vacuum dying with a paintpot or caped sealed section of 8" pvc with a HD truck tire stem. You can ad ball valves and set the system to vacuum the the dye right out of it container into the tank. and back without getting dye on your self. Indian ink works bst for black. Printer dyes of all colors can be used and they dry fast.

This sounds interesting. for small pieces. How deep does the dye penetrate?

IMO vinegar/bark solution give you the best deep coal black color..way better than leather dye. The main problem I've run into is the grain rasing effect. When you sand to correct
you have to be very careful not to sand through. As I stated in previous posts I used black tinted glaze to touch up problem areas. Over all I'm satisfied with the result but it was a lot of work.

I've got one more bed ready to color..this time I'm going to color the slats a rosewood and ebonized the rest. I used brass plugs to hide screws and shop made brass bed bolts..I like the contrast between brass and black wood.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Michael you can get india ink from Hobby Lobby or Michael's. I use it or leather dye.

[Bill Boehme]

The major problem with this process: There is very little acetic acid in vinegar to react with the steel wool to produce FERROUS SULFATE. This compound is actually the "ebonizer." You can usually find FS in garden supply stores

Jim

Ferrous Sulfate? Not from vinegar and steel wool. Neither of those contain sulfur. Pure vinegar (acetic acid) molecules consists of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. The various types of table vinegars have very small amounts of various other ingredients. Distilled vinegar and iron will produce iron oxide (or ferrous oxide) -- not quite the same molecular structure as rust which is ferric oxide. In this form, it is essentially black in color and would be equivalent to a dilute black dye with the added disadvantages of being messy, smelly, and not very consistent when applied to various woods.

BTW, Ferrous Sulfate found at the hardware store or garden center is also known as copperas. Copperas is sold in crystalline form and has a bluish-green color (it has nothing to do with copper, but the color looks like the patina on metals such as bronze that contain copper). When it gets wet and then dries, it will leave a rust colored residue.

[Martin Braun]

I have used it for various projects in the past. I used the cheap white vinegar from the grocery store, and I don't even remember where the steel wool came from. The first thing to keep in mind is that it won't necessarily turn the wood black, and in my experience, even with high tannin content it won't completely 'ebonize' the wood. Folks recommending other products to do that are on the right track in my opinion. If one is looking for a cheap way to change the color of the wood and experiment, then this is a fun option.

I have gotten eucalyptus red gum to turn almost black - it had still had plenty of nice grain, and great chatoyance with some clear lacquer applied after it dried. I also have used it on flatwork - a toy chest and a book shelf (both of pine), to provide a great deep brown, aged look. I put shellac as a top coat on those. Keep in mind on pine, it takes some time for the color to develop. Your first reaction may be 'oh my, I ruined it!' But that's why the say to experiment when tinkering with finishes. I have experimented with red oak, and did not like the effect. I have thought about doing it to mesquite, but why ruin perfection ?

I have not noticed the smell that the OP referred to. I have made probably half a dozen batches over the years. That said, there is a reaction going on, so keep the container vented, use a coffee filter to strain the fines out of the solution before applying to the work. Use a generous amount when staining, and don't be afraid to do 2 or 3 applications.