black finishing techniques

[Mark Potter]

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Hi Sarah -
 
First, you seem to be worried about fading quite a bit.... is this because the finished pieces will be exposed to direct sunlight on a regular basis?  If this IS the case, I think your options certainly become very limited, very quickly.
 
If instead these finished pieces will live a somewhat normal indoor life, my first impulse would be to use black Transtint Dyes, a metallic dye that is very lightfast and extremely easy to use.  You buy it super concentrated, and can dissolve it in practically anything - water, alcohol, lacquer thinner, mineral spirits(I think), etc... I would be inclined to play around with the solution strength until I got the proper balance of color/transparency, which should be simple enough, then spray or wipe a water-based finish on to achieve the build and lustre you are seeking.  
 
Transtint Dyes are available at wood hobby shops, and in my area (central Ohio) they can be found at Woodcraft and Rockler (who just merged with Wood Werks Supply).  They can also be ordered directly from Homestead Finishing.
 
One way to go...
 
Mark Potter

Sarah Fox <sarah@graphic-fusion.com> wrote:
Dear wood finishing gurus,
 
I'm hoping y'all can give me a bit of advice.  I am wanting to use a tight-grained wood, such as poplar, and placing a thin, black, satin finish on it that shows the grain.  I'll be doing a lot of this work, so it would be great to avoid highly volatile lacquers and such, insofar as possible.  A local paint products manufacturer suggested an acrylic paint which I tried (skeptically).  As carefully as I apply it, it is still appears just a bit too "paint-ish."
 
Another tech on this list once suggested using black shoe dye on wood (for touching up the keysticks on the sharps), but I'm leary of dyes, considering the possibility that they might fade.  (Of course paint will do that too.)  Even so, one likely solution might be to dye the wood black and then use a wipe-on clear finish of some sort (water-based polyacrylic?), to achieve the right luster.  Potential problems include the dye absorbing deeper into the wood over time, leaving a lighter color and, as I said, a fading of the dye from light exposure.
 
Another possibility might be using India ink to color the wood.  India ink is pigment (soot/carbon) based and is probably therefore more immune to fade.  Unfortunately it's also rather expensive.
 
Do any of you know of a pigment-based colorant, perhaps carbon-based?  Have any of you made such a substance?
 
Any thoughts?  Suggestions?  Favorite products?
 
Thanks for your advice!!
 
Peace,
Sarah
 
PS The table saw and the dado set are working great.  I'm really putting together a nice looking product, after a lot of trial and error.

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