Ebonizing Wood with India Ink

So I decided to try and dye wood with India Ink after turning some pieces of what was supposed to be ebony but was either not and dyed or almost completely sap wood. The kiddo also wanted in on this and tried dying a bowl red, purple, and black.

After it worked so well on that little piece I decided to try some other colors and wood types. I made a little bowl made out of Boxelder that I used for the initial experiment of red and black. I forgot to take a before picture of this one.

Then today I decided to try a piece of Elm to see how it would turn out. Elm has very pronounced grain that I think is very pretty.

As you can see it had quite the impact. I think it looks pretty good and the grain is still very visible. I may keep trying this for other things. While I don’t think the best use is on bowls since, or at least those that will encounter food, I think it could have a great effect on say a decorative piece. There are a multitude of India Inks out there in different colors. Now I’ve just got to experiment and find the ones I like.

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