Cracking Ebony

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Randy_

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Johnathan has another thread going about a new Ebony pen that is leaqving home shortly and it got me to thinking about the cracking issue which most folks haven't mastered yet. Two thoughts occurred to me and I decided to see if anyone had tried either of these remedies. My assumption is the cracking is caused by changes in moisture content of the wood. If it turns out that is an incorrect assumption, then neither of these ideas may be worth much.

First thought was to wonder if anyone had ever tried to stabilize ebony and if that process did anything to reduce the cracking problem?? Second thought was to "bake" the ebony blanks at about 220°F for several hours and maybe even overnight to drive out as much moisture as possible before drilling the blanks.

The above may be just the ramblings of a turner with zip experience using ebony. Sometimes the old brain takes me places that maybe I shouldn't venture into???
 
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Ron Mc

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Interesting.
I believe that ebony is too oily to be stabilized but not sure.
The second idea intrigues me. The problem I see is that the blank will come out cracked so that it wont be able to be used.
Every ebony pen I have made has cracked so I now only use it as small pieces in my designs. I will soon stop this practice since I have found an alternative that won't crack.
 

Randy_

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Originally posted by Ron Mc
<br />Interesting.
I believe that ebony is too oily to be stabilized.....the blank will come out cracked.....

Ron: Maybe you could soak the blanks in acetone or some other organic solvent to remove some of the oiliness?

As to cracked blanks, I am assuming the wood cracks because it tries to shrink around the brass tube and it won't move. If the wood shrinks of its own accord before being drilled, then perhaps the way to do it would to bake larger chunks of wood and hope to be able to cut blanks out of undamaged parts. It would make for more time and materials; but if the client were willing to pay a premium for having "REAL" ebony, it might be worth the effort??

I also wonder if you could make some ebony plywood?? Cut some thin pieces of ebony and laminate them with the grain at different angles....wonder if that would help??
 

chigdon

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I don't think it is a matter of moisture but internal stresses in the wood. Even wood that has been dried for 30 years or more (which I do turn periodically) has a lot of stress in the grain that is able to be released when turned or worked in any way. The heat from working certain woods like ebony contributes as well. At least these are things I have been told.
 

woodbutcher

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Snakewood and ebony are two types of wood that are no longer a problem.. I just don't use them any more. There are so many other woods that in general just dont offer the problems. My method has completely eliminated the problem[:D]
Jim
 

Rifleman1776

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I once contemplated buying about a pallet load of ebony from South Africa. The seller informed me it was fresh cut and covered in wax. An importer,here in the U.S., told me all his ebony comes fresh and wax coated. I believe the fresh/wet/green condition is the problem. In years past it was allowed to dry, perhaps for years, before being sold and used. How many cracked keys have you seen on old pianos? I believe the answer is to buy, put on shelf for five or ten years then use. Or, as the man said, solve the problem by using something else.
 

Daniel

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When I first started turning pens, I was very excited about the idea of a pen from Ebony. I made one or two then discovered African Blackwood. for me it is just as nice looking,(it is listed as a substitute for Ebony) and does not have the drawbacks of ebony. I still have a 2X2 square of Ebony in my wood pile. it doesn't often get much attention.
some woods are to dense for Stabalizing to have much effect, also Oily woods will not stabalize. I think Ebony falls into both catagories.
 

Johnathan

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Ebony will not stabalize, many have tried. I think the key is dry wood. Cracking will always be a possibility. Like what has already been mentioned, I have ebony keys on 3 of my antique grand pianos, none of them have cracked. Good dry wood. The problem I think is that ebony just doesn't like to stress at such a thin level. I've also never seen a ebony blank crack, but a piano key is also not thin and round. African Blackwood is a great wood to work with, smells great turned too, but their is a beauty that can only be found in ebony. I hope for the best with my pen.

WHAT! did you hear that?! OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO![;)]
 

Peninhandrjg

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I had my heartache with ebony last christmas. I had an order for a Statesmen..in ebony.....the day I go to deliver the order I show it to a friend of mine, and as he looks at it he says..."Hey, whats this crack in here?" to say the least I didn't deliver THAT pen..(I made him one from cocobola). I posted the issue I had about ebony here back then... I Forget who said it then but I was told there are only two kinds of ebony... those that are cracked and those that will...
 

tone

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Is the cracking a problem with all varieties of ebony? The three pens that I've turned from gaboon ebony have all cracked. I made a reel seat from a piece of macasur, macassar, or something like that about a year ago, that has not yet cracked, though the butt plug did crack. The seat is about 4" long, 11/16 diameter with a 1/2" hole drilled through it and it's glued to a rod blank with epoxy.

I think that I have a piece left. Maybe I'll turn a pen with it and see if it cracks.

Tony
 

punkinn

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I've wondered about this for a while and never asked.... is ALL ebony prone (destined) to crack, or is it just one species? I have blanks of Nigerian ebony and Macassar ebony that I've never turned because of fear of cracking...[?]

Thanks,
Nancy
 

alamocdc

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Nancy, as Lou ststed above, Macassar Ebony doesn't have that problem and I've not noticed it with Texas Ebony or Persimmon (another of the Ebony family... spalted Persimmon is aka Black & White Ebony).
 
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