Thread: Ebony Finial?

Bob,

Solid black Corian is as scarce as hen's teeth but for you if you want a bit of black Corian for finials let me know. The only problem with it is that it's only 12 mm thick so it is only good for thin finials.


Peter.

Originally Posted by Sturdee

Bob,

Solid black Corian is as scarce as hen's teeth but for you if you want a bit of black Corian for finials let me know. The only problem with it is that it's only 12 mm thick so it is only good for thin finials.


Peter.

Thanks for the offer Peter. I will contact you after Christmas. It would be good to get together and discuss our box turning experiences.

Bob

Originally Posted by Oldgreybeard

_DSC2935.jpgNot so

Several of the boxes in Chris Stott's book "Turned boxes - 50 designs" include ebony finials. With the price of ebony locally at $8.00 per 125mm x 19mm square blank, that is a bit rich for boxes which are 'just for practice'.

This is from an offcut of Liquid amber, stained black using Wattyl Tradition Stain - Black and sprayed with 2 coats of automotive clearcoat acrylic lacquer. I noticed that Peter (Sturdee) has used black corian in some of his boxes, but I have not found a supplier locally willing to sell small blanks, hence the experimenting with staining cheap timber and lacquering.

I think it is an attractive alternative to ebony - but please don't try and pass it off as ebony of any description.

Bob

Bob

$8 per 125 x 19mm square blank sounds reasonable compared to the cost of decent hinges for a box

Originally Posted by Oldgreybeard

_DSC2935.jpgNot so

Several of the boxes in Chris Stott's book "Turned boxes - 50 designs" include ebony finials. With the price of ebony locally at $8.00 per 125mm x 19mm square blank, that is a bit rich for boxes which are 'just for practice'.

This is from an offcut of Liquid amber, stained black using Wattyl Tradition Stain - Black and sprayed with 2 coats of automotive clearcoat acrylic lacquer. I noticed that Peter (Sturdee) has used black corian in some of his boxes, but I have not found a supplier locally willing to sell small blanks, hence the experimenting with staining cheap timber and lacquering.

I think it is an attractive alternative to ebony - but please don't try and pass it off as ebony of any description.

Bob

Hi bob,
Have you tried using spirit stain?
It dries In minutes, has a matt finish, just
spray with a laquer for gloss finish, comes In
lots of colours too.

Originally Posted by smiife

Hi bob,
Have you tried using spirit stain?
It dries In minutes, has a matt finish, just
spray with a laquer for gloss finish, comes In
lots of colours too.

That is very similar to the Wattyl stain. It is dry almost as soon as it is applied, but I allowed it overnight before spraying.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Bob

Originally Posted by ian

Bob

$8 per 125 x 19mm square blank sounds reasonable compared to the cost of decent hinges for a box

Ian, you are right. If the box was for sale or a present, I would not complain. But just for practising, I think it is a was of money particularly when I might do several versions, but still want the 'ebony look', to assess the different designs.

Bob

HI I have used black leather die it penetrates quite deeply takes spray very nicely, and I have also used lance wood you can get a nice shine sanding through the grits to 600 and then EEE cream and shellawax glow john t.

Originally Posted by Oldgreybeard

Ian, you are right. If the box was for sale or a present, I would not complain. But just for practising, I think it is a was of money particularly when I might do several versions, but still want the 'ebony look', to assess the different designs.

Hi Bob
so what you are really after is a wood that turns like ebony, regardless of the underlying colour

for colour you could try using black shoe polish -- add a tiny bit of water on a rag and it should polish to quite a high gloss

In regard to your finial ,
I love it ,it looks fantastic .
Very sharp but fluid like .
I just finished one awhile back in ebony .
Wish it looked half as good as yours.

Here is a couple of ideas to try....

1. For making thin fine finials choose a reasonably straight grained timber and split it with a mallet and chisel or a tomahawk. That will ensure the grain is straight and is less likely to break when turned.

2. Soak a couple of pads of steel wool or dozen steel nails in a cup of vinegar for a two of days. Then paint the residue onto the finial. The degree of blackness will depend on the amount of tannins in the timber. To create a more intense black, or to allow for a low tannin content, (not all timbers have a high tannin content), soak 3 tea bags in a cup of boiling water. When cool let the finial soak in the tea for two hours, then apply the steel/vinegar solution. All this will raise the grain so make allowance to re-chuck the finial for light sanding. This way you can use almost any timber.

A bit of mucking around, but is good for learning a bit more about wood and is a cheap process. I have achieved a colour so intense that very few people picked up the difference.

Good luck...

Jim

I'm also interested in staining timbers.

Perhaps we can borrow a trick from pen turners and use vacuum pots? Put the Nasty Solution in with the victim, apply an intense vacuum on and off overnight a few times to really suck it in, let dry for "a while".

One could do many at the same time.

Would a hard vacuum draw the stain in quite a way?

Jim, Ian, John T, Thank you all for your suggestions. I will try them all. tea bags, shoe polish and leather polish are options I would probably never thought of.

Bob

Originally Posted by Evanism

I'm also interested in staining timbers.

Perhaps we can borrow a trick from pen turners and use vacuum pots? Put the Nasty Solution in with the victim, apply an intense vacuum on and off overnight a few times to really suck it in, let dry for "a while".

One could do many at the same time.

Would a hard vacuum draw the stain in quite a way?

I have not used or even read anything about using vacuum pots in this way. My first thought was that the vacuum would 'suck' any moisture out of the wood and that one would probably use a pressure pot to push the "nasty solution" into the wood.

Have you had success with this technique? Perhaps some of the pen turners might be able to explain how it works and whether vacuum or pressure is the better technique.

Bob

Originally Posted by Oldgreybeard

_DSC2935.jpgNot so

Several of the boxes in Chris Stott's book "Turned boxes - 50 designs" include ebony finials. With the price of ebony locally at $8.00 per 125mm x 19mm square blank, that is a bit rich for boxes which are 'just for practice'.

This is from an offcut of Liquid amber, stained black using Wattyl Tradition Stain - Black and sprayed with 2 coats of automotive clearcoat acrylic lacquer. I noticed that Peter (Sturdee) has used black corian in some of his boxes, but I have not found a supplier locally willing to sell small blanks, hence the experimenting with staining cheap timber and lacquering.

I think it is an attractive alternative to ebony - but please don't try and pass it off as ebony of any description.

Bob

Google Solomon Islands Queen Ebony, theres a guy in Brisbane that imports it. I bought chunk 100x100x 700 for around $100 plus postage a couple of years ago.
Failing that pop into Bunnies and pick up some black japanning spirit its a round $8 for 50ml and stain your favourite timber.