Cthulhu

[komodo]

And routed.

If I had done this first, the jack would’ve been located further away. Since the retainer is flush with the body,  and the jack scoots around a little bit and has some minor adjustment, the jack plate can overlap it, or be just touching like the pic. Also I could leave the retainer polished or chemically turn it black.

It’s not pushed in yet, cause once it’s in it’s probably not coming out.

[Prostheta]

I like it a lot. High mass hardware is a thing I've always preferred. 

[komodo]

It’s black now.

It bubbles some with the vinegar reaction, and then dries to an ugly splotchy greyish. You can see on the one pic where its still wet inside the neck pocket. Last pic is the test piece with a couple quick coats of the hardwax oil on the left and the raw on the right.  Easiest finish ever.

[Prostheta]

Wow. Crazy active reaction eh? Does it heat up or produce hydrogen? 

[Andyjr1515]

I like that string retainer!  So much more 'engineered' that ferrules.  Lovely job. 

Totally intrigued by the finishing process, too!

[komodo]

8 hours ago, Prostheta said:

Wow. Crazy active reaction eh? Does it heat up or produce hydrogen? 

You take me for a scientist, sir.

I'm assuming that the enchanted juice releases the spyrit from within the wood. As soon as it reaches the surface it is communicated with the atmospheres of hell which freely float among us - to then produce the infernal burning and ash coating of eternal damnation.

[ScottR]

I'm confused. It starts black, dries grey, and goes back to black with the oil?

SR

[komodo]

1 hour ago, ScottR said:

I'm confused. It starts black, dries grey, and goes back to black with the oil?

SR

Yes it does. Or at least the test piece did. Part of the greyness is trying to photograph total black. Quite possibly harder than photographing total gloss. Which I know you know a thing or two about . . .

[ScottR]

Okay. It is definitely a black black.

SR

[komodo]

Back in black.

Here you can see how the grey goes back to pitch black when the hard wax oil is on it. Its super hard to photo. Once the coats are dry and I can handle it, I’ll get it into some light and do it better. Easiest finish ever, I wiped it on with an old sock in 5 minutes.

[Prostheta]

That's super nice! It doesn't seem to have as much of a colour cast as many steel wool/vinegar solution finishes tend to. I like it. By the way - stick a dowel or whatever between the two halves of the wire holding it in the air to hold them separate; that way the wire isn't touching the newly-finished surface at the back of the heel.

I think if we're not careful, the price of Quebracho tannin solution will end up going up in price....is the stuff you have destined for the leather tannery trade? The Wikipedia article discussing the solubility of the tannins mentions something added to help it go into solution better being a potential carcinogen in mice. Just thought I'd mention this since you clearly have lots of mice involved in the finishing process. 

[komodo]

@Prostheta I'm not 100% of everything in the Qubrachos ingredients, but it came with a warning sheet and was sealed in a bag, in a bag, in a bag! I'm full respirator when I even open it up because it's such a fine powder. I've handled it like it was deadly poison. 

You are right about the color cast. That was my number one concern, as no black is really black. There's always a blue hue, or something unexpected especially as you thin it. This process, to my delight, is absolutely dead black like carbon lamp black. Once the hard wax oil builds layers and hardens it will be satiny but that's just fine and my intended result.

The beauty of this is the incredible ease and forgiveness. At this point, even if I see an area that needs sanding or tweaking, it's no big deal to do that and touch it up. So far the hard wax oil easily beats Truoil for me and goes on similarly. I've got a small guitar finished in Truoil that had a guitar cable laying on it, and it melted into the finish long after it was cured. The hard wax oil is made as a floor finish, and so far it feels like it's up to that level of protection.

[Prostheta]

It's not that bad from what I can tell, however you can never be too safe beyond the rough baseline that you are aware of.

Good choice on the satin, however they always tend to polish up through to a gloss over time if built up. Most oils will add a degree of amber cast to reflected light, but thin films like yours are better in this regard. It's the way to go for sure. I might even try the Quebracho route myself if I can source it this side of the pond.

I take it that this hard wax oil is the Osmo Poly-X stuff? That's probably as pale an oil as I've seen which will help with preventing the chances of introducing any additional cast.

[komodo]

Mine is the Fiddes. I did look at the Osmo but couldn’t get it and this Fiddes rated highly. You only need a very small can, 250ml. 

This is very different from other oils. It dries quickly and really hard.

Here’s a slightly better pic with about three thin coats. 

 

[ScottR]

I may have to try some of that stuff.

SR

[Gogzs]

Interesting process, looks stunning in that raw black... what a crazy threat from the beginning. 

[komodo]

It's got at least three coats of Fiddes on now, they go on as easy as Truoil, but it dries quickly and a lot like filler. It's doesn't seem like much, but dries rock hard. That's the good. The bad is that with wiping on, it can get "wipe marks" if you aren't careful and apply thin. Sometimes there are little spots, like dust or lint that makes a tiny raised bit. Before the last coat I decided to give it a super light scuff sand for a smooth final coat.

After drying and putting it in really good light, I can see areas that don't look solid black. So, either 1) the scuff process took off some black, or 2) it created lighter areas that didn't go black again, or 3) they weren't solid black to begin with but appeared to be.

1) isn't likely. I sanded a test piece to get to bare wood and it was TOUGH.

2) imagine sanding gloss black, you get a kind of lighter matte grey where you sand. I don;t think this was the case, because the splotchy areas look almost brownish underneath.

3) most likely. After the tannin and vinegar process, it's very chalky and wet or damp it's impossible to judge. When dry you saw how it was grey, and then wet again with the hard wax oil makes it go ultra wet black. But, if the "finish" was not as as solid in an area you may not know it. I coated it with tannin tea several times, and the vinegar solution makes it go insane black. Maybe the hard wax oil mixes and smears that coating? Maybe the first coat needs to be put on very carefully? It's also possible that certain parts of the wood just don't take as much as others. Considering next steps.

[Prostheta]

Compelling reasoning. I presume that wetting the grey surfaces prior to oil (and letting dry, obviously) is bad somehow? The oil does seem to become a commitment without fully knowing how it might react. 

[komodo]

8 hours ago, Prostheta said:

Compelling reasoning. I presume that wetting the grey surfaces prior to oil (and letting dry, obviously) is bad somehow? The oil does seem to become a commitment without fully knowing how it might react. 

You lost me there.

Tannin tea goes on and dries. Then vinegar/rust goes on and dries. While wet, that's very black and it gradually turns even blacker. When it fully dries, it's greyish and kinda chalky. When the hard wax oil goes on it becomes very black again, very similar to how dye looks lighter and matte and then goes translucent and shiny with lacquer on it.

All of that was done in various ways on test pieces. I'm starting to think that the splotchy non-total-black areas are from a more watered (DNA) down tannin application. When you mix the tannin powder it likes to settle in the jar. It was always stirred, but there seemed like a thicker concentration towards the bottom. When it's thinner, it's a lot like tea. When thicker, it's kinda resiny and sticky. I was thinking that the tannin tea soaks into the wood, but it looks like the thicker stuff created a more opaque layer on the surface. This meshes with my previous ebonizing experience with oak, in that it still allowed the grain and some color to show through almost like it was a rosewood.

Sorry for the long-windedness. I'm trying to document results here in case someone from the future is reading.

Options:
1) sand and try it again. Sanded test pieces show that once through the hard wax oil (HWO) you get to the chalky/matte layer. Oil is more a surface coat. 
2) sand and lay on a coat of black some thing. Since I'm doing matte/satin and no grain fill, this is pretty forgiving. It could literally be a coat of spray can lacquer.
3) leave it. It's mostly black, the brown areas really only show in string light. But they are not natural looking.

[Prostheta]

I was on the tablet when I wrote that, so I don't write as clearly sometimes. I meant that I usually wet down surfaces with something like say, alcohol, prior to applying any sort of finish to preview how the surface will look. When dry, I have no idea how this would react with a minor solvent like alcohol or even water, but I'd suspect it would mobilise some of the iron tannate from the Ash and cause blotching/edging where the solvent flashes off.

This is an interesting read which I'm sure you'll enjoy:

https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/35351/iron-chemistry-acetates-for-ebonizing-wood

....that makes me want to refine and experiment with Quebracho tea solution and various forms of reactant from iron/vinegar.

 

From how you describe the tea, it sounds like it hasn't been modified to make it more soluble which is the one that causes cancer in any mice you might have in the workshop. That you're left with a chalky residue on, or "feel" to the surface makes me wonder whether it would benefit from a no-grit Scotchbrite burnishing between applications. There's room for so much experimentation and refinement here, however I do think that mid-project isn't the time to be doing it. Let's hit the finish line (no joke intended) and use hindsight whilst kicking back with a beer after the fact, right? It sounds acceptable to move forward as it stands in spite of the slightly brown (but natural) areas. To me that sounds positive anyway. The wood isn't being suppressed from being what it is. Don't risk screwing up the oil you've already got on there unless you know that it's forgiving enough to allow it.

[komodo]

Closing in.

[ADFinlayson]

That is looking exceptional, soooo metal

[curtisa]

That is monstrous.

In a good way, of course

[Bizman62]

Monstrous indeed! (In a good way as well)

And twisted! Like the minds of those who've met Cthulhu...

[ScottR]

Danmme.

I do believe you nailed the look/finish you were looking for. Probably surpassed it.

The inlay, the design, the finish, the construction, the details.....I'm in awe. I hope you have huge hands; I couldn't pretend to play that thing.

If you don't, hang it on the wall. put old master lighting on it and a price tag with 5 digits.

SR