Use a "tea" made from one of the traditional tanbarks like oak, elm or
hemlock for a higher tannin content. I imagine the process of penetration
is self-limiting, in that the areas adsorbing the moisture expand, blocking
the passage of further moisture.

Or - http://www.labdepotinc.com/chemical_...pid~T1013.aspx

Try the India ink or Rit dye methods?

wrote in message
...
so my current project has a number of small details that call for
ebonizing. the furniture is walnut. millwork to date has produced
various scrap already dimensioned to some of the parameters of the
details, so I figured I'd try ebonizing that.

I made a batch of vinegar-and-steel wool. I left the steel wool in the
vinegar until it completely dissolved, then ran it through a coffee
filter. tested a sample of walnut in it. it came out nice and black. a
through cut reveals that the color doesn't penetrate far though. as an
experiment I tried treating the wood with strong black tea first, then
the vinegar/steel wool solution. it produced a slightly, but
noticeably, darker color than the vinegar/ steel wool solution alone,
so that was the process I chose. if I try ebonizing a light wood like
maple or birch I'll play with even stronger tea solutions.

SNIP