Ammonia fuming Oak??

[Jaze]

G'day all,

Just wondering if anyone here has tried darkening oak by way of ammonia fuming. I've liked the colors I've been seeing on the net and am thinking about having a crack myself. if you've tried it, how did it go? Has anyone tried it with veneer board?

Cheers,

J.

[thostorey]

Why don't you just give it a try? I think..place a small piece of your oak under an air proof dome of some sort with a small bowl of ammonia. I would also place a piece of cloth in the ammonia to act as a wick to maybe hurry the exposure. I'd be interested in your experience

[Manuka Jock]

I'd forgotten about this old trick , thanks for the reminder

Found this method .


I'm trying it on a wee half done oak bowl now . Just pored some onto as a jar and sat the bowl on top.

(Its' janola , not sure if its ammonia based , can't hurt to try , if it doesn't work I'll get some ammonia tomorrow)

[ubeaut]

Fuming oak with household strength ammonia is pretty much a waste of time as it is only 5% strength. You need to use 25% - 30% Industrial ammonia (also known ammonium hydroxide) and it isn't too easy to get hold of.

Don't want to scare you off but..... You need to use a high quality respirator, not simply a dust mask, also good quality eye protection. You really needknow what you are doing as ammonia is very powerful and corrosive and need to handle with extreme caution. Ammonia fumes can cause skin irritation and burns, inhaling it is unpleasant to deadly and getting any in your eyes, even the fumes is painful to blinding.

There are much safer ways to colour oak.But if you must do it, don't just rush into it headlong without knowing exactly what you could be letting yourself in for.

You can get similar and often more beautiful effects using chemical dyes like potassium bichromate and others chemicals which are also dangerous but are by far the lesser of two evils.

Cheers - Neil

[Rifleman1776]

Yes, that ammonia bit is something to avoid, IMHO.
Also popular is fine grade steel wool in vinegar. Let set a week or two the brush on the oak.
Word of caution. Do not store on a metal shelf or near tools. The solution has a tendancy to 'creep out of the jar and will corrode. DAMHIK

[thumbsucker]

I did some experiments with fuming oak, if you have a very small object like a pen, then you can actually use house grade ammonia. However for larger objects you need industrial ammonia. Primarily because the volume of air surrounding the object is far greater, and therefore you need a stronger ammonia solution to fully saturate the air.

You can see some experiments I did on my blog here. I tried the vinegar and rust approach it did not work anywhere as nicely and the visual affect is different.

The problem with ammonia is getting some. I have been told that years ago you could buy pure ammonia gas in a canister, now days its getting even hard to buy 80% liquid ammonia.

The only other advice I have to give is that your work needs to meticulously clean. Finger prints and glue will inhibit absorption. It is therefore important to wear gloves while sanding and to fumigate you piece in an assembled state, however not glued. Once the desired colored is reached, you can do you glue up and apply the final finish.

I very much like the affect, and I think it gives pieces a very contemporary black look if you leave it long enough.

[Manuka Jock]

I tried looking at your blog but the photos did not come up. .

Janola does not work ....... bugga

[Jaze]

Thanks for the feedback folks,

as a few of you said, the stronger ammonia is difficult to come by. Plus i was hoping to fume enough timber to make a whole entertainment unit, perhaps a little too ambitious.

I'll keep sussing it out and try it on something smaller to begin with, as it doesn't seem to be as easy as i first thought.

Cheers,

J.