A Great Way to Ebonize Ash for Woodworking Projects

You can get a magnificent effect by making ash totally black - also known as ebonizing. That's because the wood has a large open grain, much like red oak, and you can make that texture show through while ebonizing the wood. The result is an astonishing mix of a 100% black color with the nice visual warmth of beautiful wood grain texture.
True, there are several ways to ebonize ash. This is just one of them. In this short video we show how fast and easy it is to use a pre-mixed jet black wood dye, and then follow it up with a black oil stain. The strategy here is to employ the best of dye and the best of stain. Dyes do a great job coloring the surface of wood, but have trouble coloring deep down into wood pores. Conversely, oil stains color pores very well but don't color the surface of wood much. So use them both, then simply apply your favorite clear finish for protection.

[@ChiTownJerry]

Short and sweet! I love it! This is something I have struggled with for years.. a good deep black finish that still shows the grain a bit. Thanks!

[@hhattingh]

Thank you for sharing! I was hunting all over for a this exact look in finish, for my guitar fret board

[@AnthonyPrechtl]

Your videos are immensely helpful. Thanks.

[@gerardozg9700]

This is a great combo, dye stain to penetrate the wood and a pigment stain to fill the grain. Very effective, well done!

[@tommyd1659]

Love your finishing videos, it's great to see examples and how to's before purchasing products to finish my projects with.

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Thanks, Tommy! That's the whole idea. I'm glad you find them useful.

[@edmundoferreira-rocha7400]

Can't thank you enough. Superb!

[@dannychane]

Thank you for this informative content!

[@appidydafoo]

This is so awesome, thank you very much

[@SmokinGun55]

The same look can be achieved by using just India Ink and then a top coat. I've used it before and I got the exact same look as you show here.

[@thespire3989]

hi. i love this, it's very great. nice comparison too for easy visualization! may i just ask if there's a way to achieve this level of blackness while having it in matte finish? thank you very much in advance.

[@SteremyJeele]

Would this work well for a guitar body? If so, what would you recommend for finishing that would hold up to arms/hands rubbing against the body? Would some sealer and a few coats of clear cover it, or do you think something else would be in order?

[@mrpoolplayer6379]

I bought these products & I plan to use them very soon. I want to use them on some 7/8" wide x 1/16" thick Walnut banding material. Then I am going to inlay the banding. Will these staining or dyeing materials prevent a good solid glue up with another piece of Walnut.....? If they are mildly clear coated, will that prevent any bleedout to piece of maple..? Thanks

[@DestroyerOfWorlds6]

Great information! I've been looking for the solar-lux dye online and i'm having trouble finding one that ships to Iceland for a decent price. Is the one you're using a non grain raising dye-stain, and not just a dye? Thanks in Advance!

[@HailKingCeezer]

I was so excited to try this after sanding all day and having driven 1 hr round trip to buy this product. I'm almost out of the bottle and my red oak looks chocolate brown, not even close to black. Why is this? Was it a bad bottle?

[@michaelnushart477]

I know this video is a few years old but have you tried the Old Masters Carbon Black wiping stain? Any difference in the results between that and the Spanish Oak?

[@andreicharpentierquesada4530]

Great, i prefer mordants but great

[@genesnodgrass]

If I did this kind of a finish to a guitar, could I seal it with something like Tru-Oil?

[@adolfii1893]

Could I finish the dye with Tung oil?

[@Eddie-97]

Can I use this to stain a bass guitar? And Secondly where do u get the old masters spanish oak I can't find it anywhere?

[@iajhy]

Dude, that middle one is gorgeous!! I'm searching a nice method to stain an ash wood guitar body, but where I live is pretty hard to find those products. Thanks for sharing your techniques! Oh, little question, can I apply tung oil on top of it?

[@bwrijus9864]

Anyone know if this same technic would work on plywood as well?

[@asdfxuiop]

I used that jet black dye on some beech and the result was sort of a dark iridescent maroon. I wonder if the poly will make it sufficiently dark, but I'm leaning toward getting some of that spanish oak just to be sure. Thanks for this video series btw, very helpful.

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

+asdfxuiop Dyed wood can be deceiving until you put the top coat finish on it. Do a test with the black dye and then your finish -- then judge the color outcome. You might not need the stain too.

[@areyouavinalaughisheavinal5328]

old comment I know, but black dyes and inks aren't always proper black. sometimes it's just a very, very dark blue or purple. put very dark blue onto a brown, which is essentially a red color, and you will end up with anything from maroon to purple. so it's not a bad idea to test the blackness of inks and dyes by mixing with something else to see what the result it.

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

True. If they're too blue or purple or red, you can just apply another coat or two. That will ultimately end up black.

[@lucaswood7602]

Hmm I wonder if I used grey stain with black dye if the grey would show?

[@daleyoung87]

Would this work on rosewood?

[@iDTecKt]

Will this work with an oak veneer?

[@starburstlime]

Great Video! I am trying to do this to some poplar shelving. Do you think I would need to start with Wood Conditioner to prevent blotching? Would finishing with Wipe-on Poly be the right move? Thanks

[@user-kv1ns5te2r]

Best to try it on a piece of scrap first.

[@rosgembrun]

I have ebonized an oak drop-leaf cart with India ink. Am on second coat drying. Will apply third coat, as you suggest. I want to apply liming wax for a ceruse effect. I've read that I should apply a clear finish before using the wax. What do you recommend? I will be using the cart as a coffee table. I want to be able to set wet stuff on it and not have stains or rings.

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Yes, you should do the finish before the liming wax. You'll get a good, stark contrast that way. More importantly, a clear finish won't adhere well (or at all) if you do the wax first.

[@espresso1967]

Jet Black Seems to be discontinued any alternative?

[@josephalvarez6233]

Can you apply danish oil to this dye / stain combo once cured? Or will it lift the color back out?

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Danish oil will work.

[@nikzel]

Hey, thanks for this. Would this technique work well with oak as well?

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Yes, absolutely

[@brandino2325]

By top coat does he mean another coat of dye and stain ?

[@zpfriem]

Does this process only work on Ash? Or will it be effective on other species, such as pine? Additionally, If used on a table, would a conversion varnish set up correctly? Thanks!

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Sure, it'll "work" on other woods.The purpose of this process on ash in particular is to get the effect of a black wood but with a pronounced grain pattern. But you can definitely make pine 100% black by using this process. For a project as big as a table, apply the dye with a fresh kitchen sponge to get good, fast coverage.

[@brianboing2432]

Can the dye be applied after staining? I wish I saw this before I put the stain on my project (only to find out after 2 coats it's still not black). So I am really wondering if the dye can be applied in reverse of this video or if I have to strip it and start over?

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Brian Boing Unfortunately, no. Stains have a binder in them that somewhat consequently act as a sealer. Putting dye right over it probably won't do the job well. But you can just sand the stain off. I know . . . it's not a fun prospect. You probably don't need to sand so far as to extract the stain out of the deep open grain, just get it off of the surface, the areas that didn't stain well. Then dye it. Since you're going for black, don't be afraid to hit it with 2 or 3 coats of dye for good measure. But when it dries on the ash, it'll look a little gray or midnight blue. That's normal, and it blackens up when you apply your topcoat finish.

[@brianboing2432]

Cool. .. as long as I don't have to strip it to bare wood I can deal with it. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks!

[@oris81]

Great job Man...I'm going to do that on my guitar (alder body)! So the main difference between stain and dye is just that one is based on alcohol and the other is based on oil ?

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Sort of. The main difference has more to do with how they behave with wood. Stains deliver particles of pigment to the wood pores whereas dyes deliver a translucent color to the surface of wood. Woods that are very closed in grain like maple, cherry, pine, and alder accept oil stains very poorly -- because the pigment has no place to go. Dyes on the other hand, color those woods flawlessly. In this video you'll see that the black stain only colored the surface wood slightly, but darkened the ash grain very well.

[@oris81]

Yes, I got it. Maybe I'll go only with dyes... are there any problems if I end the job using wax?

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

No, I think wax will be fine. I should clarify. Probably still want to seal the dye and/or stain with shellac or another sealer. Then wax.

[@oris81]

Yes, of course I'll seal before waxing it. Thank you a lot for all these informations!

[@nrsmith83]

How long should you wait after using the dye before you apply the stain? Should the dye be completely dry?

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Yes it should be completely dry which will only take an hour or so. Depending on a couple of factors. You can let it sit overnight if you want.

[@nrsmith83]

@@WoodworkersSourcecom Thank you! I can't wait to get started this weekend.

[@anacarolinaceragiolisantos1593]

@woodworkerssource Can I do that on mahogany as well? Thanks,

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Yes it will work out great

[@darklordsquirrely8131]

What happens if I dye wood that’s already stained?

[@Dreamdancer11]

Does this also seals the wood?I was thinking that something like that would look great for a guitar body finish but i dont know if there are more you need to do if you wanna seal it completely.

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Dreamdancer11 This does not seal the wood. After the stain dries, it's ready for your top coat finish though (like lacquer).

[@Dreamdancer11]

Woodworkers Source Cool...thx a lot for the info.

[@Eddie-97]

Wait that means I can't use this to stain my bass??

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Eddie Coronado Actually you can use it. The video only covers the coloring part. After the stain dries, finish it off with a clear protective top coat.

Is this food safe? I want to put in a countertop island using this method. It would be where my sink is and the dishwasher. Do you have any recommendations

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Use a better top coating like a urethane and it’ll be better for that purpose

[@markdancer3501]

Hi. You've shown stain over the dye, but did you try the dye over the stain? Is there a difference?

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Major difference. Dye really needs to "bite" into the wood to achieve the color. The binder in stain more or less prevents that. It works okay for touch up work in small spots, though, to blend in errors like sanding through.

[@markdancer3501]

Thanks for the helpful reply, much appreciated.

[@blakesam123]

how do you think indian rosewood would take both dye and stain?

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Blake Mccloskey I've never tried it.

[@matte8433]

does it matter the order you stain and dye?

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Yes, dye should go on first.

[@toanu]

Can I use it for guitar fingerboard? Does it cause dark and dirty fingers after play on it? It can last permanently ? Thanks alot.

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

A fretboard is a "high traffic" area. It would wear off eventually from use, at least in the frets that get used the most. some guys would see that as a cool charm of age, others wouldn't. Up to you, though.

[@gtguitarshop2438]

+Woodworkers Source Thanks you alot. I'm still loonking the best method for ebonizing fingerboard. Could you give me some suggestions?.

[@yuvallahav]

Very good video, thank you! also, a question, can I use shellac as the top coat? Thanks!

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Test it first. You could definitely spray the shellac. But wiping or brushing it miiiight cause some problems -- not 100% certain that it will, though. Shellac and dye (the one in this video) use denatured alcohol as a base. So if the stain hasn't completely sealed off the dye, it's possible that if you wipe on the shellac it could pull up the dye a little bit. Spray the shellac if you can.

[@yuvallahav]

Woodworkers Source Yep, thought as much... thanks for the very quick reply!

[@Eddie-97]

Where did you buy your jet black solar lux I cannot find it in stores and don't want to order it online do you know any stores that sell it or an alternative to it?????????

[@Eddie-97]

Woodworkers Source​

[@WoodworkersSourcecom]

Eddie Coronado A woodworking store or art supply should sell it.

[@CheeseBae]

Don't ebonize ash. It's an endangered species.