maple to ebony

[nekshot]

I need to finnish a stock and it needs a forend and grip cap with ebony. Only problem no ebony but I do have nice tight maple and birch. Has any one have solid ideas how to change these woods to black. I think I once heard use black paint with alcohol and soak it a while, but I am not sure.

[jhrosier]

Brownells has ebony blocks for making forend tips:

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=21674/Product/EBONY_FOREND_BLOCK

If I was going to try to duplicate the ebony, I would start with a darker wood, like walnut. Perhaps black leather dye would penetrate if thinned a bit with laquer thinner.

Jack

[gnoahhh]

I will preface this by saying I never actually did it myself, but I've seen it done and the results are outstanding.

Years ago my grandfather was a professional restorer of turn-of-the-century steam cars (Maldens,Whites, Stanleys, etc.) and when he needed to make a new black ebony-like wooden part (brake lever handle, tiller grip, etc.) he would first turn it out of walnut and then suspend it on a piece of wire in a hot bath of linseed oil. It was nothing more than a small sauce pan on a hot plate, oil kept hot- just short of boiling. He kept it in there for several days until it was blacker than black. My job was to keep an eye on it- it truly is a safety hazard. (If I were to do it today I would set it up outdoors away from anything that could burn.) After reaching the desired blackness he would then let the part dry for a couple of days and then buff it to a shine on a dedicated soft muslin buffing wheel. They looked like black plastic, but if you looked closely you could see the wood grain. IIRC he always used European Walnut for it's small tight pores. I don't know if he did this ebonizing technique because that's what the original manufacturers did, or he couldn't get good ebony, or what. I can swear to the results though. (As an aside one of his cars, an 1898 Malden, is on display in a transportation museum in Istanbul, Turkey, and judging from the photos, the 40+ year old ebonizing still looks good.)

[Russel Nash]

If I was you, I would send the link to this thread in a PM to Duke Nukem. I think he knows his way around a woodshop and probably even around period furniture.

Besides Brownell's, I would think your next best bet for, for real ebony would be any luthier (violin and cello maker) supplier. IIRC, the pegs that are used to stretch the violin's strings are made from ebony.

[nekshot]

You guys are great. GNOAHHH you jogged my memory from seeing my father who had a great reputation for his wood work and ability to match grains and stains. I was too smart as a teenager to watch every thing closely, just joking. I saw him and another man stain(change) the color of wood fiber kinda with your way and alcohol. I simply want the tight grain if i can get the piece to take, however I do have some very dark walnut I might darken to see how it goes.

[GLL]

How large a "chunk"of ebony do you need to start with ?

Jerry

[scrapcan]

Look up ebonizing for furniture or piano restoration. I can assure you it has and is being done. I am not the one to ask, however a piano/furniture/cabinet mechanic is doing it right now to an old upright for my wife.

[nekshot]

I only need a piece about 2x2x3 inches. My dad had skads of exotic woods for inlays but they are long gone. By the way my neighbor timbered last year and told me I can have the fire wood. I am getting some nice walnut pieces with real neat figure. I am having trouble with full stock length but very good 2 pc potential.

[swheeler]

Not too many years ago Brownell's sold EbonX, a died wood tp look like ebony. I bought gabone ebony from them just recently for less ,IIRC than the fake stuff was. Worth a look , 2x2x3 was 12 dollars.

[GLL]

nekshot:

Drop me your address and I will send you what you need.

Jerry

gllewis@pasadena.edu

[EMC45]

Not too many years ago Brownell's sold EbonX, a died wood tp look like ebony. I bought gabone ebony from them just recently for less ,IIRC than the fake stuff was. Worth a look , 2x2x3 was 12 dollars.



Ebonics....Nice. Brownells started it all!!

[yondering]

FYI, I've bought ebony blocks (2x2x12) from Penn State Industries for ~$9 a few years ago. It's good stuff. One block was enough to make a long forend tip and a nice set of 1911 grips, with enough left over for another set of grips if I get ambitious.


Oops, never mind, I just checked, the price is up to $29 now!

[Bret4207]

I will preface this by saying I never actually did it myself, but I've seen it done and the results are outstanding.

Years ago my grandfather was a professional restorer of turn-of-the-century steam cars (Maldens,Whites, Stanleys, etc.)

I'd have liked to talk with Gramps. Steam always fascinated me, especially the cars.

[c3d4b2]

Here is a place that sells exotic woods

http://www.woodcraft.com/Category/1001073/-E-.aspx

[legend]

gilmer wood company,mt st helens rd,portland.

ask them to look in thier junk bins.


good people.

[stubshaft]

I use leather dye to color the wood. It penetrates good and you can thin it with denatured alcohol. It is also not affected by different finishes.

[GLL]

I still have a 2x2x3" ebony block ready to ship if you are interested !

Jerry

[nekshot]

GLL , sorry about the delay I had to wait for my daughter to come home from college to send a message. I am not computer savy. pm sent , thanks

[GLL]

I will ship early next week !

Enjoy !

The cost will be a posted photo of the finished product ! :)

Jerry

[swheeler]

Ebonics....Nice. Brownells started it all!!

Now that was funny, good one.

[stocker]

One of the hazards of using an oil based product to change the wood color is that the oil may affect the glue joint between tip and stock adversely. A black analine die dissolved in water or alcohol will do the trick nicely. Years ago I used India ink to blacken some wood parts and it worked quite well and still allowed a good glue bond.

Use at least one dowel and preferably two to strengthen the bond between tip and stock. It's hard to beat acraglass without the floc as a glue to hold it all together. You can add black die to the acraglass to match the tip color.

If you get the ebony that has been offered by GLL be sure to wash the side facing the stock end with acetone to remove wood oils from the ebony to improve the glue bond. Also, don't leave the ebony unprotected from drying if you don't complete the job quickly. Ebony is so dense that it does not dry completely (ever, as far as I can tell and I'm using some that I acquired 45 years ago) and exposing new raw ebony surfaces to air can lead to tiny drying checks quite rapidly. Even a heavy coat of paste wax will help prevent this from day to day as you work on it. I coat with melted parafin if I'm going to be away from the job for a prolonged period.

[nekshot]

Thanks stocker about the heads up about the quick dry out. I never worked with ebony and I knew for glueing I can not use petroleum based stain. I built a machine to duplicate stocks years ago and this year I have been placed on disability. So I am starting to mess with this stocking thing again, in between the buzz from the pain medication. I dare not run any equipment for 16 hours after taking pain killers. I still have all 10 fingers and I want to keep it that way.

[Just Duke]

All is well nad thanks for the compliment Russell.