Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | May 28, 2009 12:01am | #1

   The first question is why stain cherry black?  You can get the same effect by dying soft maple black, and spend a lot less for the wood. 

   I recommend aniline dye, mixed to a stronger concentration than the normal recommendation.  Several coats may be needed.  This depends a lot less on the chemical make up of the wood, which can be variable, especially if you can't be sure that all the wood is from the same tree.  You also can choose the particular black that you want--from warm to cool.  And, remember you can't tell the real color until you apply a top coat, though the effect while wet with mineral spirits would give a fairly good approximation. 

1. 
   mapleman | May 28, 2009 03:09pm | #3

   Hank:

   Try an aniline dye - transtint is a good brand. Thee are some other concoctions out there beside the vinegar and india ink - but the aniline dye is the easiest to reproduce consistently.

   With a little more info on what it is you are trying to achieve it is likely that someone could provide a better or cheaper alternative.

    

   Lee

1. 
   SteveSchoene | May 28, 2009 04:29pm | #4

   TransTint is great to mix into finishes to be used as toners, though if more than a light tint is used, I think toners should to be sprayed to give an even coloration.  TransTint also works fine as a dye when the topcoat is sprayed.  Spraying avoids the problem of having the dye redissolve into the top coat. 

   But used as a dye with hand applied finishes, TransTint is widely soluble in water, alcohol, and oil meaning that just about any topcoat can redissolve it, thus causing the dye to bleed into the top coat.  Hand applied finishes are worked on the surface enhancing the problem.  I'd use TransFast or other powdered water soluble dyes instead.  That way it is easy to chose a top coat, or barrier coat, that uses a solvent other than water to avoid redissolving the dye. 

1. 
   mapleman | May 29, 2009 06:42am | #7

   Steve,

   You're absolutely right about the trans fast. I spray all of my topcoats but didn't think about what the OP would be doing.

    

   Lee

2. 
   WillGeorge | May 29, 2009 08:05pm | #8

   You can get the same effect by dying soft maple black, and spend a lot less for the wood.  ..

   Sorry all. I had to bump in my question... My local supplier has a bunch of what they call Cherry Sap wood? Looks nice to me and at a good price. Any thoughts on using some?

   And soft or hard maple around me is about the same price...

1. 
   SteveSchoene | May 29, 2009 09:47pm | #10

   That's a good reason.  Cherry sap wood is often discarded because of its color--if you are staining black, you might as well use it.  That's just not what most people think of when you say cherry.   

1. 
   WillGeorge | May 30, 2009 07:05am | #11

   My thoughts of the Cherry that is so called Junki..

   
2. 
   Gretchen | May 28, 2009 03:29am | #2

   STeve beat me to it. Why do you hate wood so much!!  ;o)

   Gretchen
3. 
   calden | May 28, 2009 04:58pm | #5

   Hank:

   Couple of ideas:

   -I've got some alcohol-based dyes that I used for staining wood for a mandolin finish. The nice thing about them is that the stain won't bleed out with other finishes. These also come in water-based powders, too. You just mix them to your desired consistency:

   http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproducts.asp?CategoryName=Dyes&NameProdHeader=Aniline+Dyes+Alcohol+Soluble

   -There's an excellent article on ebonizing wood from someone that really knows his stuff in the latest issue of Popular Woodworking (June) by Brian Boggs. It's well worth reading - he goes through some of the "works well" and "doesn't work so well" aspects of using the ferrous tannate process. The author uses a vinegar solution like you referred to, but he first soaks the wood with a tannin solution. Woods like oak have natural tannin, but cherry needs some first - then will turn nicely black when the vinegar is applied. (Thanks to David Keller of SMC forum for this suggestion.)

   Carlos

   
   

   ---

   Edited 5/28/2009 2:10 pm ET by calden

4. 
   HowardAcheson | May 29, 2009 12:51am | #6

   If you want a true black, I have found the best process is to first use an ebony or black water based dye stain. When it has fully dried, apply an ebony pigment oil stain.

   Howie.........
5. 
   RW | May 29, 2009 08:32pm | #9

   FYI I had the chance to try some of the Lockwood stuff this last year http://www.wdlockwood.com and their black is truly the most effective black I've ever run across. I love the transtint for a lot of things, but black hasn't been one of them.

    

   Real trucks dont have sparkplugs

6. 
   Lastcart | May 30, 2009 06:07pm | #12

   Hank,

    Normally I would mix a tablespoon of Lewis Lyle and a quart of water, ajust the mixture to get the shade you like. Works great.