Thread: Finishing ebony and repinning, washers or not?

oh I forgot another finish I just tried is general finishes wood turner finish. you can apply it with a paper towel, do a coat or two or build a film to gloss. it dries fast and comes in about2oz 8oz pints and quarts and is food safe when cured. awesome stuff it looks like .CA when you build it up and is water based you can use it as a sanding sealer too.

hey Neil I posted a thread in the workshop with some pics of the stuff and a set of curly bubinga scales I used it on if anyone is interested in seeing how the stuff looks. the scales aren't finish sanded and buffed, but should give a decent idea of what to expect.

I used CA on my scales for Ebony. WIPE with acetone, 3 Thin coats then sand down. A few more Medium thickness coats and buff... Looks like GLASS!

Ebony, being what ebony is,looks it's best with no finish IMO.highly polished and Ren-waxed.

As already stated above Ebony is fine grain wood and doesn't need much of anything..

I am quite taken with the Danish Oil for these types of woods then Ren-Wax,,, Probably not needed but it works pretty well, a thin oil designed for penetrating tight grain woods works easy, I use a Vacuum chamber with them now, but it works just as easy with a rag

I was given the tip about finishing oil on ebony from a brush maker - maybe it is more important when the wood is subject to immersion in very hot water but I worked on the principle that if it was good for a brush then it was OK for scales as well.

Originally Posted by UKRob

I was given the tip about finishing oil on ebony from a brush maker - maybe it is more important when the wood is subject to immersion in very hot water but I worked on the principle that if it was good for a brush then it was OK for scales as well.

Submerging the handle of any brush in hot water is not a good thing,no need to do so IMO.

Thanks to all for the tips, it sounds like my best bet is to keep it simple with either no finish or a simple waxing as my usual go to Tung oil isn't going to do much good!

I made some wax polish a while back from beeswax and natural turpentine and might give that a go to shine up the surface, but as some of you have said the natural buff from sanding down is really good enough and isn't going to go away or need much attention. It's remarkable wood, almost like plastic to sand down, amazingly tight grained.

True, jet black Ebony looks great with just Some fine Oil and wax.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

True, jet black Ebony looks great with just Some fine Oil and wax.

They look amazing, great Ebony and nice turning - your work? Particularly like the one on the right, I like a bit of a curve to rest on the scuttle!