"Nate Perkins" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

I recently built a small box of birdseye maple, with Jewitt's early
American finish on it. The pulls are carved from ebony. I'd like to
make a base for the box, but a base of ebony would be impractical for
me due to the cost and availability of the wood.

So I'm trying to figure out the best methods for ebonizing wood. Both
Flexner and Jewitt's books recommend black dye stain. I tried that
method on a piece of scrap holly veneer (using Behlen's jet black
aniline dye), and it oddly imparted a slightly purplish cast to the
wood.

A Google search here shows that folks have often used steel wool and
vinegar.

Does anyone here have a favorite method?

Thanks in advance,
Nate

I used india ink recently to dye maple black for just this purpose. I was
happy with the results. In my case, it took two applications to get an even
black color. Keep in mind that most india ink (from what I'm told) is
water-based and will raise the grain, so you might want to pre-raise it
first.

todd