Black Dress Finish?

[flix]

I've just recently been given a commission of a "dress black with bocote trim" billiard pipe. I'm not sure how to get it super dark black and shiny at the same time.

I could use some advice, esp. on whether to seal the finish with clear coat or not.

Thanks in advance,

--Michael

[magruder]

Hi,
I would use Feibings black oil stain to get a black black.
After about 10 min. wipe off the excess that didn't soak in w/a lint free cloth or paper towel.
Then a very (very) light coat of shellac.
That should do it.
HTH
Best,
Steven Magruder Morrisette

[jeff]

That's a good suggestion Steve. Essentially you need to seal it, as Steve suggested, with shellac or *gasp* lacquer. To do this without removing the stain you must be sure to use stain and clear coats that differ in the fluid that delivers them (i.e. alcohol, oil, chemical, etc.)

Oil might work well as Steve suggested. I'd also suggest trying a very dark permanent marker (not a Sharpie brand one--they come out purple).

Good luck.

Jeff

[KurtHuhn]

I did this once using USMC Black leather stain from Feibings and a top coat of sanding sealer in a couple coats with sanding between (simiar tot eh way you finish furniture). The sanding sealer was actually a suggestion of the customer - it's basically nitrocellulose lacquer similar to Zapon. It was the first pipe I used it on, and I haven't tried it since, but the pipe did come out looking great. From what I understand, it's still as shiny as the day he got it in the mail.

It is, however, a giant pain in the butt to do a dress black finish that doesn't look like a basket pipe. Just take your time, and don't rush the job. Be sure the black is over 100% of the pipe, and try spraying on your final coat of sealer, shellac, or whatever in order to get it even.

Good luck, and please post pics of the finished project.

[bvartist]

Michael, I did a black dress about a year ago. I used the Fiebing's Leather dye sealed with full strength one pound cut shellac. Its a royal PITA! I used a couple coats of stain and several coats of shellac. If you go this route, be careful not to overlap strokes with the shellac as you apply or it will pick up the stain. It worked though. Just got to be extremely careful. I smoke the pipe and it is still black and shiny. Good luck!

David

[flix]

Wow, bit off a bit more than I thought on this job! I'll post the results when finished (even if it's wretched).

Thanks for the advice,

--Michael

[ArtGuy]

Kurt, what brand was the nitrocellulose sanding sealer you used?

[KurtHuhn]

I used BEHLEN Qualalacq. It's not the most forgiving of finishes on smooth surfaces, but it is impressive - and it can be had at Woodcraft or Rockler.

[flix]

Thanks for the thorough discussion, guys. As soon as I get over this wretched cold I will start on the pipe. I've sanded 4 blocks so far, one looks promising. Not a fabulous start, but, not totally discouraging...

[Heinz_D]

Hi folks,

I just found a link to an interesting technology: http://www.tecon-gmbh.de/info_pages.php?pages_id=2

Unfortunatly it's only in German, but the idea to use Japanese urushi may be a solution for very glossy and of cousre black finishes...

I'll give it a try for a glossy, clear finish without colored pigments as soon as possible.

Btw.: On this side you'll find a lot of information and you can order briar too. I got 5 plateau blocks from Andreas Harm for testing and I'm just working on the first one. Here's a link for a first part of report, how I try to make a pipe (and it's an english translation ): http://www.tecon-gmbh.de/info_pages.php?pages_id=30

Andreas is a very nice guy and you can email or call him for any further questions.


Best regards,

Heinz