No Agonizing Over Ebonizing Anymore

[Lawrence L'Hote]

...certainly ebonizing using India ink has been suggested here before. FWIW I tried the steel wool in vinegar, black leather dye and India ink on some white oak. India ink is vastly superior to the other two. When you go to the ink shelf in the store there several brands and types of India inks to choose from. Some are waterproof and some are water resistant and others have shellac. I got the largest size(2 oz.) they had in the Speedball brand Super Black India Ink. India ink is a pigment and will cover the wood grain completely but if you buff it a little some of the grain will show through depending on your diligence. YMMV

Larry

[NorthIdahoWWer]

Have you experimented with what finished that work well over the India Ink? Lacquer, urethane, etc.?

Thanks for the post... I've not had the need for ebonizing but who knows down the road?

Will

[Lawrence L'Hote]

I'm ebonizing the base for one of my coat-hanger wire 'creations.' Probably, I'll just buff it a little to show a little grain and then add a coat of Johnson's wax.

Larry

[Patriarch]

"Lawrence L'Hote" wrote in news:S31_d.75077$Ze3.74528@attbi_s51:

I did the back panel of a memorial flag case, using maple plywood, and Behlen's Solarlux dye. Let it dry for a couple of days, and then waxed it up with Butcher's paste.

The bottle had been purchased for a project on which my daughter-in-law changed her mind. There's plenty left over.

Patriarch

[Todd Fatheree]

I used India ink to ebonize a maple table base and finished it with Bartley's Gel Varnish. I was happy with the results.

todd

[Leon]

The latest WoodSmith magazine has an article on ebonizing with India Ink.