Thread: Softwoods that are dark/black in colour?

Welcome to the forum

Hi 12berr, when we write "softwood" as one word, it implies wood from conifer trees (pines, firs, spruce etc.). "Hardwoods" implies woods from broad-leafed trees. But I take it that you are looking for a soft wood that is dark brown to black. There are no members of the softwood group that I'm aware of that are darker than medium-brown. Of the 'hardwood' goup, all of the woods that are deep brown to black that I know of that are readily available are also pretty hard. Ebony is the traditional wood for the black pieces, and is not super-hard, but might be a bit daunting for a beginner, plus it's poisonously expensive!

My advice would be to source a "good" carving wood like White Beech (Gmelina sp.) or the imported Jelutong (Dyera costulata), both of which are pale, carve both sets from the same wood & dye the black pieces. If anyone you know is removing a citrus tree, the wood of most citrus trees is dead white, very fine-grained and quite nice to work. Stained black it would be hard to distinguish from ebony..

Cheers,

Welcome to the forum. Just a tip when you are searching - softwood is a technical term not necessarily meaning a wood that is soft or easy to carve. Basically it is wood from a conifer or more scientifically gymnosperm plants. You will often find our North American friends mistakenly associating this with evergreens because most of their hardwoods (angiosperms or flowering plants) are deciduous).
Some softwoods are quite hard and some of the softest woods - like balsa - are technically hardwoods.
Putting pedantic to one side - I also think ease of carving has as much to do with grain as softness.
Australian Red Cedar would be one option for a soft dark wood that is easy to carve. Look in demolition places for doors and architraves from old houses.
I also know some woodturners who stain or dye the pieces after they are made. This has the advantage of keeping the light and dark pieces similar in weight etc.
Bruce

Thank you,

Sorry for the technicality regarding 'softwood'.

Yes, I think just dying the white pieces is sounding like the best option for me now.

I find Australia a bit lacking in "black" woods (blackwood is a misnomer - it's nowhere near black). Beautiful whites and reds, but no blacks. Walnut is the black timber of choice in the northern hemisphere. It's a hardwood but soft as far as working with. Exotic timber suppliers should have it.

You can also ebonize timber with vinegar and steel wool

Originally Posted by yoboseyo

I find Australia a bit lacking in "black" woods (blackwood is a misnomer - it's nowhere near black). Beautiful whites and reds, but no blacks. Walnut is the black timber of choice in the northern hemisphere. It's a hardwood but soft as far as working with. Exotic timber suppliers should have it.

You can also ebonize timber with vinegar and steel wool

There are Australian woods that are as "black" as Gabon Ebony but the recovery rate of a consistent colour is very poor, and very difficult to source. Other timbers such as Black Penda would be a good contrast in colour but a real PIA to carve. Another wood that comes to mind is "Ancient Kanooka" if you can source some.

As a beginner it is perhaps best to stick with the one wood species and dye one set.

Here's a link to Chad Stanton's ebonising formula. It has an extra ingredient from the recipe above which seems to make quite a difference.

Homemade Ebonizing Stain Formula - YouTube

Originally Posted by yoboseyo

...... Walnut is the black timber of choice in the northern hemisphere. It's a hardwood but soft as far as working with. Exotic timber suppliers should have it......

Black walnut (Juglans nigra) is no "blacker" than good Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon), I'm afraid. Both are very dark when freshly sawn, but both mellow to a dark/mid-brown after being exposed for a while.

Just as a point of interest, black isn't really a plant colour, no plants make any black pigments, those woods that are truly jet black are that way courtesy of some fungi which produce pigments that are chemically similar to melanin, the black pigment made by animals (including us).

As Mobyturns sez, you probably wouldn't be too happy "carving" any of the Pendas they are all members of the genus Xanthostemon, same as Solomon Is. ebony), & hard-as. But it depends on how literally you mean "carve" because you did say it was to be a "minimalist" set, for which you could do most of the shaping work with say, a coping saw, modeller's rasp & sandpaper. That's pretty much the only way I'd contemplate carving Penda!

SIE (& presumably black Penda?) finishes beautifully if you put the work into them. Here's some "carving" I've done with SIE (with saw, rasps & sandpaper)....Horn & grip mod b.jpg 9 SIE knob & tote.jpg

The pics were taken when freshly finished, it darkens a bit more over time....
Cheers,

I seriously doubt that you will find another wood as dark as ebony. Core heartwoods from many species, even things like apple,
are very pleasing shades of medium to dark brown and that's about it.

Staining
1. An old fashioned style of stain consists of pads of steel wool dissolved in a liter of common vinegar. Takes maybe a month.
The iron acetate reacts with the tannins in the wood to go quite dark but certainly not black. So as you might expect, this works really well with the red oak and the white oaks (Quercus sp). The effect can be enhanced by painting a very strong black tea (for the added tannin), allowing that to dry then use the iron/vinegar stain.

In my estimation, the stain simply makes the wood look dirty. You should have washed your hands before you did the carving.

2. The real ebonizing process is a stinker, best done out doors. In medieval times, the ammonia was sourced from stale sheep urine.
In this day and time, buy some ammonia bleach. Chlorine bleach does not work.
Out doors in a bin bag, put a soup plate in the bottom and half-fill it with bleach. Add your wood workings. Come back tomorrow and from upwind, open the bag to inspect the staining. Keep your beak out of the fumes.

I have a French carver acquaintance who makes a living restoring and replicating old art and furniture. He's good.
He uses this ammonia ebonizing process and the results are stunning. Test some various woods first.
= = =
Have a go at them, your results may be a lot better than mine.

Blackwood which is only medium hard can be darkened quite a bit by fuming in a sealed container with some ammonia in it.
Ive used this a bit and the fuming is more than a surface effect.
Holly is a great dense white timber and privet is also from memory.
Also a rare Oz timber called Ivorywood.
H.

Very good explanation for newbies! Thanks!

To Ian's list of suitable timbers I would add powlonia. Very white, very soft, straight grained hardwood, and readily available.

But it might be a little too soft for actually playing chess with - think I would prefer a citrus timber.

As for darkening, try googling "ebonising" and "japanning". Heaps of material available.