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Ok… imma do something a lil different this time and ebonize a neck. Question…
How do I best protect the binding and end cap… will taping it off suffice or will the stuff bleed out over glue lines and into the binding?


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What are you using for this procedure?

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Vinegar / dissolved steel wool solution


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Let it dry completely until you can no longer smell the vinegar, or your finish will not stick well.

I wrote a story about my failure to do so back in 1979, maybe? It was my first ever article submitted to The Guild of American Luthiery.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I did one and added the heel cap afterwards. I don't remember if the neck had binding, but I would install the bound fingerboard and peghead overlay after "ebonizing".

Thanks for all the comments. All very helpful
Here the result of my first attempt



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The “worn” spot in the middle is purposeful


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Wood is Chechen


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Interesting look…

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I think that looks great. I have ebonized a couple of necks also, like this bouzouki (Australian blackwood which has lots of tannin and ebonizes very well).
The colour is very superficial so you need to do it after final shaping and sanding. If you glued the fingerboard on after ebonizing the neck you would find that any scraping or sanding will remove the colour on the neck. However, you can touch it up by redoing the ebonizing on any exposed timber.

Interesting is kind ha. I think as a hobby builder I’m kinda getting bored w the same look (not that I’ve perfected much of anything at all).

The neck isn’t exactly how I envisioned it at this point. The ebonization (if that’s a word) went too far. DURING the chemical change process it went through a stage where it really looked a lot like a sunburst kind of thing … I SHOULD have stopped the process there by spraying it with water mixed w baking soda (I think that stops the process for some reason).


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It is always hard to know how an individual piece of wood is going to react to the iron acetate solution, until you test it. Some species hardly darken at all, others can go jet black. I understand that it has to do with the amount of natural tannin in the timber. If you search this topic on general woodworking and wood-turning forums you will find more info that is not really discussed much between luthiers. There are also some good books on coloring timber that will teach you about lots of cool techniques like liming and ammonia fuming.

You may exaggerate the ebonizing effect of iron acetate by adding more tannin to the timber, in the form of super-strong black tea. Make up a really strong brew with 4 or 5 teabags in boiling water and paint it on (or even pre-soak) and let it dry - then do the iron acetate reaction. If it goes too far you can take it back to lighter by sanding. If it is a bit patchy or if you want some areas really black you can overcoat it with judicious application of another black dye like Japan black, a leather dye or an aniline dye. Generally I like the ebonization process more than just dying because the underlying timber color and grain are still evident. My neck looks very black in the photo but in your hand it has a golden glow underlying the black which is very nice. Experiment on scrap, go slow with your actual piece, and don’t worry too much because these things sit very superficially on the surface so light sanding can bring it back if you go too far.

I am like you Snow. I do this strictly as a hobby and I like to try something new and different each time. If you are trying to make a living selling guitars you can’t afford to get too funky because the market is generally very conservative (boring IMHO) - but I don’t expect anyone to pay for my work so it only needs to satisfy and entertain me. Have fun. I love your work and I am sure that you are perfecting a lot of things, to your own aesthetic.

Using ancient methods coloring wood are fun to experiment with if you can reverse or neutralize the process. I found the process unpredictable. I used several on coffee tables and Windsor chairs. Now I use Trainstint dyes for most coloring. The one I still use and found most useful is Lye or baking soda on cherry to turn it red quickly. You can set it in the sun for a week or wipe lye on for 10-20 minutes.

I found reversing the process usually easy and it added years of AGING to the piece, or Distressing.

But now with stringed instruments the bindings and inlay complicate things to the point where all the fun is drained. I tries to darken an Osage Orange body with black dye by first applying it to wood as water-based dye, then added to shellac as shading. The bindings always got some over-wash but it could be scraped off with razor blade. A fine artist brush from the kids paint sets are good to cut the boundry along bindings. But after hours of effort, I still have a splotchy look I don't like. I have just taken a break.

You can try a dark tint in a clear finish as I did to adjust the look. But patience and time are needed. You still may not improve the look. But it is just a hobby right. Go for perfection.

You still have fuming to try.