# 1st Attempt at a Black Finish (sample pics)



## Nickbee (Nov 9, 2007)

Looking for comments / suggestions here. Overall I’m happy with this 1st attempt. 

This is a sample of maple finished with:

2 coats of India Ink (flooded, wait 1 min, the wiped off).

1 Coat GF seal a cell

5 Coats GF wipe on gloss poly

1 Coat GF wipe on semi gloss poly

Final buff with steel wool / wax

I think I can skip the seal a cell step. I’m not sure if it adds anything with the ink being applied.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Nick

You may want to take a peek at the links below,,,I'm not a big fan of India Ink 
Black can look neat but it must be done right from the get go.. 

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Duplicating_a_black_lacquer_finish.html
http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Opaque_lacquer_finish.html
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=47097


The box below is a lacquer job, it's not black but a clear lacquer job.

===========


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Nick., I'm not sure what kind of result you were after, Low sheen Ebony type or lacquer type high sheen, I feel that you're results don't quite fit into either category. For the latter I've had success spraying matt black paint followed by several coats of high gloss lacquer, I've done this in black and white. For an Ebony finish I would try the matt black followed by several coats of low sheen clear lacquer. It's important of course that both finishes use the same solvent! When I make boxes that are going to be painted, I use pine, often from FREE packing cases!


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## Nickbee (Nov 9, 2007)

The idea here was a low sheen semi gloss or satin finish but still being able to see some wood features (color and grain). I'm not sure if paint would allow that. As far as laquer is concerned is that always high sheen? 

Thanks for the replies guys!


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Nick., spray lacquer is available in gloss, semi gloss, satin and matt. Semi gloss is 60% gloss level and satin gloss 30%, I don't know what matt is.
Be daring, try everything, that's the best way to learn, one's own experiences!


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## jerrymayfield (Sep 25, 2004)

Oil based paint is the same as varnish with the addition of pigment. Maple has very little color or grain. Why not simply us black oil based paint in whatever sheen you desire. It is always a good idea to do test boards,before using your project as test sample. Keep it simple and enjoy the process.

Regards

Jerry


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## Nickbee (Nov 9, 2007)

I agree Harry! Figured I'll want a black finish on something one day. Time to try things out now! 

So will laquer still show some grain? 

Also since I don’t know the 1st thing about lacquer how is it applied? 

Thanks!


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## Hamlin (Dec 25, 2005)

I hope you are a big fan of "dusting". Black shows dust quite well unfortunetly. Not trying to discourage your efforts/attempts. Just stating from experience from a black end table my grand mother used to have.


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## challagan (Feb 7, 2006)

Nick any black lacquer I have seen in the past is opaque for the most part. Lacquer can be applied in a number of ways but the most effective way is spraying it for your application. Just FYI, use in extremely ventilated areas. Nitro Cel lacquer prodects are about as bad as anything you would want to breath. Can really mess up your nerve system from extended exposure. I have a buddy that use to do guitar repairs and sprayed a lot of lacquer... nasty. If I understand what you want to do you want basically a black wood look with little gloss. I like the India ink method myself. There is also a concoction you can mix to ebonize the wood... David Marks has used it. For what your looking for, Jeremy's suggestion sounds interesting. 

Corey


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Nickbee said:


> I agree Harry! Figured I'll want a black finish on something one day. Time to try things out now!
> 
> So will laquer still show some grain?
> 
> ...


Nick., I read you're post several hours ago but couldn't give you a definitive answer, so, between a day of gardening I managed to sand a piece of scrap Pine, wipe it with a tack rag, spray a liberal coat of matt black, go back to it a couple of hours later and spray a coat of matt Poly. followed a couple of hours later by a second coat.
If I was for instance making a coffee table consisting of a rectangular frame with a glass centre, I wouldn't hesitate to finish the frame as described. There is a feint hint of grain, in other words it's obvious that it is wood and not plastic.
Regarding lacquer, I have used both aerosols and a low pressure gun but the latter is not economic for small items, a lot of thinners is required for clean-up. I do feel that you used far too many coats in you're test sample and spent a lot of time on it compared to no more than a total of about five minutes on mine. By the way, for a slightly higher finish, a rub with furniture polish would be all that is needed.


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## Nickbee (Nov 9, 2007)

Thanks Harry! I need to go pick up some spray laquer and give this method a try. I already have a can of satin poly sitting around. Great stuff!


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 6, 2006)

Harry, that looks like a simple and effective KISS method. Even a clutz like me couldn't mess that up.
I hope you aren't planning on putting any shrimp on that barbie any time soon.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

George, after just looking at you're post on the stool restoration, would you please remove the word clutz from you're vocabulary.


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## George II (Nov 8, 2007)

What about in Wax Ebony? I have used it and the only problem was the fact highlighting the marks caused by my random orbital sander. I will correct this and finish the project on the next pretty day or when I find my round-tuit.


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## George II (Nov 8, 2007)

I ment MinWax Ebony. sorry! :'(


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Sounds interesting George II, what exactly is MiniWax Ebony, something like black boot polish?


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 6, 2006)

Harry, MinWax is a brand name. They make all kinds of stains, paint, poly, etc. So I think it's a stain.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

George, you've hit the nail on the head, ebony stain, why oh why didn't we consider the obvious. I tried a little earlier applying some, in fact two coats well rubbed in and when dried, about 15 minutes, gave a spray coat of matt Poly, unfortunately, with plenty still in the can, it ran out of puff so I couldn't get to see the result with two coats. I think the result is more like Nick had in mind, the grain can be clearly seen, however I prefer my yesterdays effort.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

I thought this subject was finished with but whilst taking a break from my third day of gardening, I did a Google search and found that the most popular method of ebonising wood is to dissolve wire wool in white vinegar (a couple of weeks?) and paint this solution onto the timber which causes a chemical reaction with the tannins in the wood, several coats can be applied to achieve the desired colour. There is even an ebonising product here in OZ called "Newts" Enhancing Ebonising Solution and claims to be "brewed from fermented spirits" and sells for $9.50 for a 500ml bottle. There was also mention of bleaching wood. I just knew that you guys would want this information!


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 6, 2006)

*Ebonizing Wood*

Nick, I ran across this web site and thought about your post. Hope this helps.

http://www.wkfinetools.com/cc_how/woodFinish/jThompson-EbWood.asp


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## nzgeordie (Oct 22, 2006)

Harry. This Newts product "brewed from fermented spirits". Could this be the origin of the expression "P.ss.d as a Newt"?  
I do like the idea of the wire wool/vinegar solution. I'll definitely give that a try.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

I've had some wire wool in vinegar since my last post, and other than going pale green, I can't see any sign of dissolving, so I will give it another week or so then see if it turns wood black. Standby for updates.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Georges link confirms all that I read about but the idea of rusty steel makes a lot of sense.

Re the newt association Geordie, you could could actually be spot on, thinking of names for things isn't easy, so in desperation it's amazing what one could come up with.


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 6, 2006)

Harry, I was just wondering if the wool might have a rust inhibitor of some sort on it and a good cleaning would help before inserting it in the vinegar? Just a thought.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

You're not just a handsome face George, you could well be right.

I've just had a thought, I didn't clean my metal lathe after making the last bushings, I'll pop into the shed right now, in spite of it being 10.30 PM, and stuff some turnings into the jar.


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## Nickbee (Nov 9, 2007)

This is great! I'm looking forward to seeing how your experimenting goes Harry,,


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