jch4v Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 I read a few posts about using vinegar to ebonize wood. Well, last night, I stuffed a mason jar full of 0000 steel wool, poured a bottle of white vinegar in and closed the top. That was about 15 hours ago. I expected to see some change in the color of the vinegar this morning, but it's still as clear as it was originally. Is there something I am missing in this formula? I know you're supposed to leave it for a few days, but I expected to see some change... Thanks! J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 I think you are missing this in your formula.... Seriously, there are a lot of things you can use to ebonize woo, but this is the best thing you can get. I have used 100% puse stain and it doesn't cover as good as iot should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 (edited) Yup, I use that exact dye and it works really really well. Just rub a good coating on your wood. It will turn your ebony JET BLACK. Edited March 26, 2006 by Godin SD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jch4v Posted March 26, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 I think you are missing this in your formula.... Seriously, there are a lot of things you can use to ebonize woo, but this is the best thing you can get. I have used 100% puse stain and it doesn't cover as good as iot should. Have you used this stuff before? I want the board to be JET BLACK! Also... will this stuff stain the shell too? I don't want that. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 Yes it will stain the shell too. If it is shell what you got... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jch4v Posted March 26, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 Yes it will stain the shell too. If it is shell what you got... I have abelone shell... though I haven't put it in yet. Should I stain the board black and then put the shell in? Or somehow try to mask the shell off? I could drill the holes for the shell (dot inlays) and then stain and then put the shell in. The only problem I see with that is when I go to sand the shell down a bit, wouldn't I sand off the stain? What should I do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrummerDude Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 I read a few posts about using vinegar to ebonize wood. Well, last night, I stuffed a mason jar full of 0000 steel wool, poured a bottle of white vinegar in and closed the top. That was about 15 hours ago. I expected to see some change in the color of the vinegar this morning, but it's still as clear as it was originally. Is there something I am missing in this formula? I know you're supposed to leave it for a few days, but I expected to see some change... Thanks! J I made such stain an year ago. It needs time. I used crystalized vinegar acid that I dissolved in water. (crystalized vinegar acid is used for cooking here). Even though the solution was really strong and concentrated, it took the acid 5 days to dissolve the steel wool. The result was a dark gray liquid. I never used it on wood, though. I gave away the idea since it looked and smelled bad. If you leave it for more than a week, it will become grey/white and a clump of hard white carbide (or something like that) will form at the bottom. Just buy wood stain from the DIY store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 I've done it, and it works; some vinegar, bit of steel wool, and give it a few days. Make sure it's oil-free steel wool, because otherwise you're in for a slow time. The finer the better (the faster it'll dissolve) as well. It's not a very controlled thing, though; the irons you get could be Fe++ or Fe+++ (if I'm remembering high school chem right), meaning either a greyish or a reddish solution, in part depending on the oxygen content. I forget what the other 'straight up' chemical that can be used to darken wood is, but I can look it up if you want (I want to say permanganate, but that seems wrong, somehow. Dichromate?). You need to filter the stuff, and then test it on scrap; what it does is react with the tannins in the wood, so it reacts differently depending on species (maple has very little, mahogany or oak a lot of tannin) and the individual piece. It's cheap, easy, and works pretty well. This said, I doubt I'll ever bother using it again. Honestly, if your bit of ebony has streaks, use it as is. It's wood. A natural material. Accept it. Don't fake jet-blackness with stains. IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cole Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 try shaking the jar, somtimes the steal wool will be breaking up but you dont know. I just did this with some actually heavier grit steal wool and it works, you might jut need a few more coats than the stew mac dye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liquid_gabe Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 I've had interesting results with a similar process, but I was advised to let the wool rust first. I used it on an oak furniture project. One coat turned the wood a nice grey, but I didn't try to do anything deeper. The smell didn't last long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.