Ebony wood is an expensive, sometimes hard-to-obtain material that is popular with high-end furniture dealers and the woodworking community. Additionally, it only grows in select countries and certain species have been listed as vulnerable or endangered. Due to its expense and declining availability, alternative methods have been discovered so to mimic the ebony look in other, less-expensive wood species. A common method used in the ebonization of wood through the reaction of steel wool (iron) and vinegar (4% acetic acid) was examined in an effort to quantify the amount of iron (II) acetate in solution compared to reaction time. Iron (II) acetate reacts with the tannins in the wood and creates a dark color on the surface of the wood based on the overall tannin content. Various concentrations of Fe(OAc)<sub>2</sub> solutions were prepared by allowing steel wool and vinegar to react for specified periods of time before the treatment of many dissimilar species of wood. Although the solutions with differing Fe(OAc)<sub>2</sub> concentrations (determined via UV-Vis spectroscopy) produced from reaction times greater than 12 hours differed, they gave visually similar results after the treatment of wood surfaces. Darker, denser woods with higher tannin content produced a rich ebony-like appearance whereas lighter, softer woods did not unless they were treated with tannic acid. In addition, woods with lower tannin content produced results, such as the look of barn wood for particular species. The overall results of this study and how to tailor the solutions for particular results will be discussed and illustrated.

Ebonization of wood: Tailoring and quantification of ferrous acetate solutions via spectroscopic analysis

251st National Meeting (2016)

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