# Cheap ebony stain



## cowboy joe (Sep 14, 2003)

I did some white oak turnings and intended to use ammonia to create a smoked oak effect. Well, sadly, some of the white oak these days is actually bleached red oak which removes most of the tannins...ammonia fuming doesn't work well without the tannins. I remember something about soaking rusty metal in vinegar so i looked it up. (The technical term is iron acetate.) Basically, take some rusty metal parts, add enough vinegar to cover the parts and let the concoction soak for a few days. After that, pour off the liquid thru a coffee filter into a clean container. To use, brush on to the wood & let dry. The moisture raises the grain a little so a light sanding may be in order before applying finish.

I gave it a go on the same 'white' oak I tried to smoke....wow, it turned ebony / black. I also tried a bit on maple...black again but not nearly as dark as the oak. Think I'll try a second coat to see how much darker it gets. I'm also curious to see how both woods looks after finish is applied. 

Thought I'd share...stain is expensive. Vinegar is cheap and I have enough rusty parts around to make enough iron acetate to last a life time...


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## dsmythe (Apr 21, 2013)

I saw a show on Craftsman's Legacy, they used steel wool and vinegar, It turned out as you say, WOW. Thank you for sharing. Did you brush or spray the finish on?
Dsmythe


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## Ryss (Nov 29, 2011)

I saw that same episode dsmythe. Thanks for sharing cowboy joe. I have been trying to figure out a color for a bathroom cabinet. This might just be the ticket!


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

I just saw the episode on season 4 of Craftsman's Legacy.
Here's a link, but I was having a playback error, probably because I don't do "updates" on my software, lol.

http://www.craftsmanslegacy.com/craftsmen/SEASON-4/Mark-Whitley

The simple ingredients are to drop a steel wool pad in a jar of vinegar and let it sit with the cap loose for a few days until it dissolves. Then brush tannin water on the wood right before applying the ebony solution.
He said to not to apply to a burnished finish, so it may need to be sanded lightly after 1st coat and reapply 2nd.
But the finish on his table legs looked like black wrought iron.
Very, very cool........


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