Suggestions for 'old time' dark/black stain or dye?

[Flint62Smoothie]

FYI, my friend @tarawa1943 on here just picked up this fishtail-stocked matchlock with a nice dark stain on it. Such early arms were often 'blackened', for lack of better words.

Anyone have any suggestions for such a dark or black dye/stain from real world experience?

Thanks in advance!

 

[tarawa1943]

Minwax ebony stain used to be available.

 

[ead]

Fiebings leather dye.

 

[Rudyard]

Fiebings leather dye.

I was just going to say Feibing's Marine black .Or I've use a spirit stain. Slow of the mark .
Rudyard

 

[TobJohn]

A lot of the German matchlocks are probably black paint and not a stain.

 

[tarawa1943]

A luthier’s supply will also have a stain to blacken violin fingerboards.

 

[LongWalker]

A couple coats of strong tannic acid solution, followed by vinegaroon, is one traditional method of ebonizing wood. Tannic acid followed by ferric nitrate can turn a stock very dark but usually not "black".

 

[1950DAVE]

Heretical, but, alphalt dissolved in a drying oil, that is if you are lookin for something "not modern".It is easily adjusted to the intensity needed. Experiment first to determine drying time. I have seen it used to produce lighter browns all the way to ebony.

 

[tarawa1943]

Heretical, but, alphalt dissolved in a drying oil, that is if you are lookin for something "not modern".It is easily adjusted to the intensity needed. Experiment first to determine drying time. I have seen it used to produce lighter browns all the way to ebony.

Asphalt makes great violin coloring. I never went past dark brown though.

 

[Ghost23]

I have some dry dye powder that mixes with water. I purchased it on eBay when I was building guitars. They also make some that mixes with solvents.

 

[1950DAVE]

Asphalt makes great violin coloring. I never went past dark brown though.

Pop the grain?

 

[tarawa1943]

Pop the grain?

Over a nice ground , it gives that old world dark brown finish. Like an old aged violin.

 

[PathfinderNC]

I use vinegar with steel wool dissolved in it (called "Ebonizing") to use on hard woods such as Walnut, Cherry, Oak... comes out quite black
https://www.popularwoodworking.com/finishing/ebonizing_wood/

 

[1950DAVE]

It would be best to know the stock wood in question.

 

[ronaldrothb49]

Angelus black leather dye it is alcohol based so it doesn't raise the grain like Frieberg which is water based.

 

[tarawa1943]

When I restore something that I want an aged black look, I have used India Ink which has shellac. Puts an antique looking finish on something, but I never used it on something as large as a gunstock.

 

[Boatncamp]

Just thought I chime in, no experience in staining wood but wasn't there something many decades ago called "lamp black" ? Which I always thought was made from the soot created from different lighting methods. I may be way off the mark on this but I used to have some small kerosene lamps hanging from my fireplace and had one "spill" the soot onto the carpet. It was damn near impossible to get out.

 

[Patched]

I use vinegar with steel wool dissolved in it (called "Ebonizing") to use on hard woods such as Walnut, Cherry, Oak... comes out quite black
https://www.popularwoodworking.com/finishing/ebonizing_wood/

In a small jar I put about 1/2 cup of 5% vinegar and a steelwool pad ..in a week I have a water based stain that turns most hardwoods a deep gray/black…darkens pine too…once you learn how it behaves you can use it to antique wooden things.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

The wood is walnut.

Thanks for all the suggestions !

 

[Tn poor boy]

2 t0 3 coats of aqu fortise heat each time