Difficulty: Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
- 00 steel wool
- glass jar with a lid
- white vinegar
- oak or cedar
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Step 1
Glass JarGet a clean glass jar with a lid, such as a small jam jar, or a small salsa jar.
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Step 2
White VinegarGet some white vinegar, the kind used for cooking, and fill the glass jar half way with the vinegar.
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Step 3
00 Steel WoolTake a full piece of 00 steel wool (very fine), and stuff it into the solution. Use authentic steel wool, and not synthetic steel wool.
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Step 4
Let the solution sit for three day to a week. The longer it sits, the darker the solution will get.
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Step 5
To ebonize the wood, all you have to do is brush the solution onto the wood, or soak the wood piece in the solution. When the color gets dark enough, just brush on some ammonia to neutralise the reaction and stop the darkening.
Comments
korbinnoise said
on 8/21/2008 Lemon juice works great. Thanks!
bmerritt said
on 8/11/2008 That is a great idea to use this on a chess set. I would recommend first to make sure that you gently sand off any protective coating on the set using a fine grit sandpaper like 200, and then using 400 to smooth out the wood. I have heard that if you do not like the look, you can actually reverse the ebonizing process by applying lemon juice to the wood, but I have never tried it. Let me know how this turns out!
Heart-C said
on 8/10/2008 I think this is simply perfect for sprucing up an otherwise bland chess set... Just imagine the change in worth if the process turns out fine. 5 * to your great tips!
bmerritt said
on 8/8/2008 I did not write in here that you can also bleach wood simply by putting it into household bleach as well overnight.
DUSTYMILLS said
on 8/8/2008 Amazing! I need to try this....