Attached is a picture of a black 18 inch peppermill I did for Christmas using a dye/gel stain “ebonizing“ technique. The wood is mahogany. I am pleased at how it turned out and thought I would report on the finish method for those who might be looking for a black finish.
My daughter asked for a peppermill for Christmas and I too quickly said yes. She then explained she would like an 18 inch mill and I groaned a little in anticipation of the drill bit extension I would need. Then she went on to specify a black finish and I realized I was in uncharted territory for me. The only wood I had on hand meeting the dimensions were walnut and mahogany so I began researching ebonizing methods. To make a long story short I ended up filling the mahogany with Behlen Water based grain filler in Mahogany color. Next I applied two coats of black TransTint dye diluted in alcohol. I followed this with two applications of General Finishes Java Gel Stain. The final finish was General Finishes Arm R Seal oil & urethane top coat. The black has a bit of a warm deep purple cast but yet is a pleasing color.
Although I drew up my own design on autosketch, it is definitely a Sokolowski style mill influenced by Ted Sokolowski’s DVD entitled “Making a Peppermillâ€. I highly recommend it. Thanks Ted.
My daughter asked for a peppermill for Christmas and I too quickly said yes. She then explained she would like an 18 inch mill and I groaned a little in anticipation of the drill bit extension I would need. Then she went on to specify a black finish and I realized I was in uncharted territory for me. The only wood I had on hand meeting the dimensions were walnut and mahogany so I began researching ebonizing methods. To make a long story short I ended up filling the mahogany with Behlen Water based grain filler in Mahogany color. Next I applied two coats of black TransTint dye diluted in alcohol. I followed this with two applications of General Finishes Java Gel Stain. The final finish was General Finishes Arm R Seal oil & urethane top coat. The black has a bit of a warm deep purple cast but yet is a pleasing color.
Although I drew up my own design on autosketch, it is definitely a Sokolowski style mill influenced by Ted Sokolowski’s DVD entitled “Making a Peppermillâ€. I highly recommend it. Thanks Ted.