CA finish on ebony

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cornishdave

cornishdave

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Jul 27, 2011
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Redruth Cornwall UK.
I have cut some ebony blanks and and drilled and fitted tubes ready for turning tomorrow.my question is .will ca finish be suitable for ebony or is another finish better as I have been told that ebony is quite an oily wood.. Thanks Dave..
 
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To be honest, I don't think ebony needs any finish. It is very dense and takes a high polish just with a good buffing. If you need to finish it just give it a zap with some acetone first. I do most of mine with just buff and Carnauba wax... same with Coco. I like it better nekkid.
:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 
Having done a few CA finishes with ebony, I'm inclined to agree with Bree. Sometimes it works fine, others, I seem to fight it and even have to start over. If you do use CA, then wiping down with acetone really helps. But sometimes that doesn't always work.

Since I've had the trouble with ebony, I pretty much just use it as accents in segmented pens. So at least the hassle is minimized.
 
The problem with ebony is that many times, because of its density, it cracks. I, like Bree, never finish it with anything other than carnuba wax. Out of 9 pens that I have made, 3 have cracked over time.
 
I have used CA/BLO on ebony without problems. I wipe it down with Acetone and put on 6-12 coats of CA/BLO. I use it a lot in segmenting, and finish the segmented pens with CA/BLO as well.
 
Years ago I talked with Russ Fairfield about putting a finish on an ebony pen.

He suggested starting with a shellac based friction finish, he preferred Shellawax, Then using a wipe on poly as a final coat.

I used this technique on several pens without any problems.
 
I personally would not use BLO on oily woods. It can be done but in general, it just adds an extra step, as well as adding a part to the equation in adherence. The oil in the wood surface is taken away by acetone, then added back with the BLO. Not the best way to do it.

I have some pens that are 5 and 6 years old made of ebony. I have had one crack very bad, but it was left in a car that was in a parking lot for the most part of mid day in the summer (in Japan) a couple of years ago. Other than that one, the other dozen or so have held up fine with CA on it.

I have made a two or three over time without CA and most people that I made them for - prefer the CA'ed ones. In my opinion, there is no "one way" on finish. CA, shellac, waxed. Each has it merits and supporters.
 
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Dave - I use denatured alcohol on ebony. I give it a good washing and follow up with CA immediately after it dries. It has worked quite well for me and it cuts out the need for acetone (I keep the denatured alcohol handy as I occasionally work with shellac).
 
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