A black stain and shellac finish

[Dengue]

I have been asked to do a high gloss black finish on a board, so that you can see the grain, and was thinking of a deep black stain followed by several coats of shellac.
Can anyone please recommend a suitable stain?

[clear out]

Do you want to see the grain at all or just the marks of it in the finish.
As in dead shiny black or opaque?
If black just add black to you shellac and fad up to a shine.
Ive still a paper bag of the stuff but having a senior moment remembering what it is.
Im sure one of the pro French polishers on here will chime in with that info:rolleyes:
Probably same stuff I used as a patternfakir to delineate the different bits on the wooden patterns we made back then.
Heres a couple of iPad shots of a chair I did over thirty years back as you can see it doesn’t fade or but doesn’t like the rivets in jeans.
H.

[Dengue]

Thanks clear_out. You raise an interesting point.
Should I just add black spirit based stain to my shellac and brush it on? I make my own dewaxed white shellac, usually a 1lb cut

[clear out]

What I used was a filthy black powder.
As I said I can’t remember what it’s called.:doh:
I mixed it with DNA and then added shellac to it to the right consistency.
H.

[auscab]

Dyes-Aniline : Dye, Aniline, Powder, SPIRIT (ALCOHOL) Soluble, Black, (https://www.thewoodworks.com.au/shop/consumable/dyes-aniline/dye-aniline-powder-spirit-alcohol-soluble-black-detail)

Get some of that Spirit Black. 1 Tea spoon full will make a very strong black mix in 250ml of metho . The addition of a little red turns it from a blue Black to Jet black.
I use this for the red in it .https://www.thewoodworks.com.au/shop/consumable/dyes-alcohol-soluble/dye-aniline-powder-spirit-alcohol-and-water-soluble-bismark-brown-detail

The blueness of it isn't really noticeable in the jar but sometimes it makes a difference to a job. To test it put a dab of the black mix on a piece of glass and view it with light behind . Then add a tiny amount of red, (Bismark Brown) a drop, and you will see what I mean.

If The timber your using reacts to an iron oxide stain its a good idea to do that first otherwise just go with the stain. Iron oxide stain. Dissolve steel wool in vinegar over a day or two in a jar. Water treat the board first by wetting and sanding , then apply Iron oxide stain. That will turn the wood black if its Oak or Blackwood . Woods with a high Tanic acid content is what does it I think .

Lightly sand again .

Then stain black with the spirit mix, mostly metho with 5% shellac added with the powder. Then use spirit mix in your normal shellac mix when giving it some body . Then finish with clear shellac at the end .

Rob

[Dengue]

Get some of that Spirit Black. 1 Tea spoon full will make a very strong black mix in 250ml of metho
Thanks for this helpful advice, Rob.
Are you referring to powder here?
I always thought aniline powder was very carcinogenic

[auscab]

Thanks for this helpful advice, Rob.
Are you referring to powder here?
I always thought aniline powder was very carcinogenic

Yeah Its a powder when you buy it . like in the link.

Read up on how toxic it may be . I just saw this .

https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tfacts171.pdf



like a lot of stuff in my polishing cabinet . I avoid ingesting it in any way.

[taz01]

I was planning on trying this method which seems completely safe.

Homemade Ebonizing Stain Formula - YouTube (https://youtu.be/n36eSiFS_jI)

The results look pretty impressive

[woodPixel]

Osmo 3590 Black Oil Stain will do this.....

509309

edit - Two coats, light rub between, buff once dry.

I also do the handles of my Japanese knives with it. It uses a rather evil smelling thinner, which also acts as a brush cleaner. The stuff in the can is ever so slightly thick, not a fluid like alcohol, but more like a good Thai poosin sauce :)

[woodPixel]

I was planning on trying this method which seems completely safe.

Homemade Ebonizing Stain Formula - YouTube (https://youtu.be/n36eSiFS_jI)

The results look pretty impressive



Quebracho powder!

Magic stuff. Magic.

[homey]

wP,

Thanks for the heads-up on the Osmo Black stain. I’m a fan of Osmo products and I need a very black black.
May I ask what timber you used in your pic above?

Many thanks,

Brian

[woodPixel]

This is the blackest black you are going to get without it being a physics project.

It is Oak.

The work is by an Instagram artist I follow. Ill try to find the source and update this post. We had a good chat about his work and he went down the "black hole" and found this was the blackest black one could achieve.

I've also tried the Quebracho, India ink, soot-black and aniline inks. I also gave other stuff a crack that was no good - printers ink, dyes from China and RIT clothing powders.

This stuff by Osmo is the best.

[homey]

Thanks, wP. You’ve saved me a heap of experimentation. I’ve just ordered some Osmo to make a couple of black boxes to go with this top panel:

509439

It’s thick celluloid used on guitars - thought it could make an interesting box.

Dengue - apologies for temporarily hijacking your thread :)