It's been many years since I've messed with black any suggestions on black dyes for RO?
Thanks
Thanks
Same here.
Jeff,
Here's a picture of 2 chairs I finished last weekend. The pieces for both chairs were split out of the same red oak log. One I left natural the other was stained with a solution of white vinegar and steel wool. Finished both with Danish oil and used binder cane to weave the seats.
Let a wad of steel wool set in a pint of white vinegar overnight, strained it with a coffee filter. Applied the solution with a spray bottle. It only took about 20 minutes for the red oak to turn black. I let it dry for a couple of days to let the vinegar smell air out before I applied the Danish oil.
Hope this helps.
Rick Doby
Although I am surprised Fred didn't chime in about dragging broads around a mud hole or something...
That looks like it's about the shade I'm trying to achieve.
I have a couple of newbie questions...
1) did your steel wool disolve or was it still in bottom of the jar?
The steel wool did not dissolve and was still in the bottom of the jay. I had washed the steel wool with dish detergent to remove the oil from manufacturing. After sitting for a couple of hours I used a piece of red oak scrap to push the steel wool back to the bottom of the bottom of the jar. It had gas bubbles in it and had floated to the top. Went and fed the cat. When I walked back into the shop I noticed that the stick I used to push the steel wool to the bottom of the jar had already turned black. About 15 minutes. That stick actually turned blacker than the chair, so I don't think you need to let the solution set overnight and allow the steel wool to rust.
2) will multiple home brew coats turn the oak blacker?
I sprayed the chair with the solution until it was dripping wet and let it soak. I didn't try a second coat because the first coat gave me the results I wanted. If you look closely at the wood you can see that the softer parts of the grain turned black but the harder parts did not. You can see red streaks in the wood. Multiple might turn them black, try it and let us know.
3) will RO sapwood also turn black?
This stuff reacts with the tannin in the wood. If there is enough tannin in the sapwood it should turn black. I had my chair on a outside on a bale of straw when I sprayed it. It turned the straw black.
Thanks