Those are precisely my thoughts. The last time I botched this, the first coat actually looked damn good. Some light specks could be seen where the ink hadn't quite penetrated deep enough in some areas but great coverage, no stealing or blot homes. Then I applied the second coat....
Interestingly, all of the tests that I did on small pieces of the same milled ash turn out great with multiple coats...it was only when I was trying to coat an entire waterfall leg tabletop that I ran into issues with the second coats.
I've used India ink on maple to make a guitar pickguard and it turned out well. I ebonized some oak once but rather than ink I used Minwax Ebony Oil Stain. It worked exceptionally well. I made sure to blow out the wood pores first. I've had fine sanding dust block stain in the past and blowing out the pores can make a big difference.
Sharp solves all manner of problems.
Ash rails for baby gates - sanded to 180, no effort to raise grain - wiped on 3 coats of Speedball (shellac listed on label) making an attempt to work ink into grain. No problems with each coat drying overnight in a climate controlled shop. All grain pores completely black after third coat. Arm-R-Seal topcoat.
Chuck,
Until this thread appeared, I had not noticed that the label mentioned shellac. I bought Speedball online because it was so much less costly than the India ink at the statinery store, and available in a larger quantity. My tests included dyes and stains and ink - the ink provided the best coverage, and I was planning to topcoat with varnish. The advertising said it cleaned up with water, and I failed to look closely at the label for other ingredients. I purchased a pint, now looks like I have a lifetime supply - it covers a lot of surface.
Steve
I see. I used speedball because it was leftover from a shopmate’s project and they gave me the leftover. After doing my own research, I’m very interested in using a NGR next time around. Mohawk deep penetrating black seems to have good reviews.
Honestly though, its gonna be hard to convince me out of black milk paint or a dark tea and iron oxide in the future.