![]() ![]() You can increase the effect quite dramatically if you make a nice strong brew of black tea.īrush the cooled tea over the surface and allow it to dry before you apply the vinegar/steel solution. With some timbers (for example, beech) this solution won’t work at all, but mostly it will, especially with Tas oak species.īelow we have instant ebony – half hour after vinegar/steel solution is applied. Application of the mix will turn many timbers significantly darker quite rapidly depending on the tannin content in the timber-the more tannin, the darker it becomes. Now we have a chemical that looks and smells exactly like brown vinegar. Use enough vinegar to cover the steel wool, screw the lid on and leave for a week to 10 days to allow the metal to dissolve, then strain the mixture to remove any tiny bits of undissolved metal. You can buy these or reuse an old food container or similar. You need to use a lidded plastic container for this. Supermarkets often no longer stock the stuff, but you can usually get it from hardware stores. ![]() In a litre of white vinegar dissolve a large hunk of old fashioned steel wool. Some parts of the helmet have been left their original colour to match the blonde plume, but the helmet body has been ‘ebonised’ through a simple process. #India ink on wood seriesHere you can see two of a series of ancient Greek war helmets that I have been making, mostly using Tasmanian oak (eucalypt). There is an easy and inexpensive way to fake it. Ebony is a hard and durable timber that blunts tools quite rapidly, but it’s also very attractive and finishes well. My local timber man informs me that ebony is rare and expensive in this country and is normally sold by the kilo. Words and photos by Anthony Warfe I would venture to guess that the only ebony most people can recall seeing would be the black keys on their grandma’s piano, though it’s also often used by luthiers for the fingerboards on stringed instruments. ![]()
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