Replies

1. 
   NOTRIX1 | Feb 20, 2003 09:31pm | #1

   Hi,

   There is a "product" called Ebon-X which is ebonised walnut. I have not been able to find a source for it but notice it as used alot on furniture descriptions of woods used.

   I have no idea what it is-if it's dyed or what but it would be nice to have a jet black material that works as niceley as walnut and is more stable than ebony at a good price. ALL the ebony I find around here-the 2/4-3/4 variety is aways heavily split.

   Wish i could tell ya more but I'm curious as well.

   N

2. 
   tck | Feb 20, 2003 10:24pm | #2

   Check this month's FWW.

3. 
   UncleDunc | Feb 21, 2003 02:24am | #3

   Have you looked for scrap ebony, or shorts? I bought a piece of ebony out of the scrap bin at a hardwood dealer in Denver several years ago. It would have given me two or three sets of feet for under a dollar.

   I used to get a catalog from somebody who sold shorts of lots of different exotics by the pound, but of course I don't remember who it was.

   Have you looked on eBay? Here's an eBay search string that pulls up about 60 auctions, most of which are selling raw wood.

   ebony -banjo -cello -guitar -(hair*) -paul -piano -violin -yarn (blocks,lumber,slabs,pound)

1. 
   dpw32 | Feb 21, 2003 05:09pm | #5

   Thanks for the response.

   My source for exotics does have scraps (mill ends).  They are generally pretty thin <.75" and always of a very irregular shape.  Getting these to a point of having two flat sides to deal with would be difficult at best.  Also, even these scraps are very expensive, $8.50 to $10.00 per BF for pieces that are "tallied" at .2 to 1.0 BF.

   Maybe I'm dealing with the wrong lumber supplier (Paxtons in Dallas).....

   Dave

4. 
   bill_1010 | Feb 21, 2003 06:25am | #4

   Ive used dick blicks black india ink before. Available at art stores.

1. 
   dpw32 | Feb 21, 2003 05:11pm | #6

   Hey Bill,

   Thanks for the tip.

   How does that ink penetrate?  What types of finishes will it take?

   Dave

1. 
   bill_1010 | Feb 21, 2003 05:25pm | #7

   I used a blonde shellac as finish when i tried this.  Its a water based pigment stain/ink.  I think india ink is really finely ground/pulverized carbon.  

5. 
   BobLang | Feb 21, 2003 05:28pm | #8

   I've had good luck using walnut, treated with a solution of white vinegar and rusty metal. I usually take a pad of steel wool and soak in the vinegar for a week or so (do not use a sealed container) filter through a coffee filter and brush on.

   Bob Lang

   Bob Lang

   http://www.craftsmanplans.com

6. 
   Vic | Apr 24, 2003 02:01pm | #9

   We're now in April but maybe someone will be interested to know that in South-East Asia it is common to use black shoe polish to simulate black ebony wood.  Sometimes they use ebony which isn't black and darken it with the shoe polish, and in worst cases they use a different wood, like teac.

7. 
   Shepherd1800 | Apr 24, 2003 03:29pm | #10

   The best wood to ebonize is holly, once colored it looks remarkably like ebony.  Use water or oil based India Ink, it is available in large containers at art supply stores.

   Stephen Shepherd

   http://www.ilovewood.com