black finishing techniques

[Sarah Fox]

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Hi Mark,

Cool stuff!  :-)  I'm not sure it's exactly what I was after, though.  =
Can the TransTint dyes make the wood completely black?  When I said I =
wanted to "show the grain," I was referring more to the thickness of the =
finish (i.e. texture) than the depth of the stain (i.e. color). =20

Someone suggested an "ebony" stain, made by Olympic, that is apparently =
quite black -- or perhaps an off-black.  That might work too.  Any =
thoughts about fading with this product???

And yes, I *am* concerned about lightfastness.  This stain will be used =
on a new "standard" frame stock that I am developing for my photography. =
 (Sorry, it's not a piano!  <blush>)  I don't know where my customers =
will be hanging these things or how they'll be treating them.  I go =
through great pains to make sure my printed images are as lightfast as =
possible (lasting a century or more in normal interior lighting without =
any noticeable fade.  I need to take the same measures with the frame =
stock.

Thanks for indulging me me on this general wood finishing question, =
especially since I'm not applying this technique to a piano.  Then =
again, I have a very large, very ugly brown piano that will soon get =
refinished in black lacquer, so I'll be asking some more piano-related =
refinishing advice then.  ;-)

Thanks!

Peace,
Sarah

  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Mark Potter=20
  To: Pianotech=20
  Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 4:48 PM
  Subject: Re: black finishing techniques


  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. =20

  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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