Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
another ebonizing question
keith zimmerman, Normal IL
>Has anyone tried ebonizing or just tinting turnings with thinned oil paint?
I was thinking that oil paint, thinned with mineral spirits or turpentine, would work as a medium. I was thinking that thinned black oil paint could be used to ebonize light woods.
keithz
Re: another ebonizing question
Ron Sardo in PA
>I have never tinted any turnings with oil paints.
But...
I have tinted on the flat side using artist oil colors and linseed oil. Works well. Mineral spirits, would probably work better too. But if you want "black" I don't think you would get it "dark" enough this way.
You might also try india ink straight out of the bottle.
Re: another ebonizing question
John Trant (aka Boxes-n-Bowls)
>Absolutely, it will work. Commercial stains are essentially a mixture of dye and thinned paint. I have used it often. Just make sure all scratches and bruised fibers are eliminated otherwise they will be very prominant. The specific problem you will have is that black paint (and dyes) will often look dark blue upon significant thinning (i.e., thin enough to regain some translucence). I would use full strength dye (clothing, wood, etc), multiple coats of thinned paint, chemical treatment, or black wax (shoe polish, e.g.).
John