# Texas Ebony ??{ wood off of ebay}



## brookpederson (Jan 22, 2012)

So this winter i have been selling some of our spalted maple on ebay. I have been pleased at the ease of shipping small turning chunks to a mass market. Does anyone else sell on ebay??

Second question- I also make recurve bows during the winter months and i was looking on ebay for a piece of ebony to make a bow riser out of. I then realized how ridiculously expensive ebony is and saw Texas Ebony, What is texas ebony. I figure its someone renaming a spieces of tree to get a little extra $$ out of it. Kinda of like seafood places calling zander waleye, or cod red snapper. Or maybe in texas they have the right kind of climate for growing ebony, if so cool 

Sorry; i had my mouth soaped :msp_razz:


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## qbilder (Jan 22, 2012)

Texas ebony is a true ebony. It's very hard, very heavy. It's usually a dark chocolate brown with a bronze undertone. It's one of my favorite woods. Its tougher to get than African ebony, but if you can get it, it's certainly worthy of a bow riser.


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## discounthunter (Jan 22, 2012)

ive heard of texas iron wood,possibly the same?


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## qbilder (Jan 22, 2012)

discounthunter said:


> ive heard of texas iron wood,possibly the same?



Probably. Texas ebony is very similar to desert ironwood.


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## brookpederson (Jan 23, 2012)

I wish i could grow a couple of ebony tree's. Oh well, here are some pictures. 

One is ebony the others are elm.

View attachment 219217
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View attachment 219220


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## brookpederson (Jan 25, 2012)

Here is a pic of some spalted maple, It takes awhile to get it top the perfect point of decay. But the effects are awsome. Ive heard of some guys making bow risers out of it, but me thinks its a little crazy to use spalted maple on something that is under so much stress.

View attachment 219700


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## BIG JAKE (Jan 26, 2012)

Wow-nice looking bows there Brook!


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## brookpederson (Jan 28, 2012)

Thanks, we try to build one to two bows a winter. I look back at all the mistakes made on the first ones and laugh. But I'm getting the whole process down now. It great to use my own wood too, I just wish I could figure out a way the make the thin tappered pieces that are sandwiched between the fiberglass on the limbs. I have to buy those along with the glass. Right now I'm working on one for my 10 yr old son, it will be his first 40# plus bow for next deer season:msp_smile:


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## Talltom (Jan 28, 2012)

Nice bows, Brook. Want to come to Virginia and shoot some deer? Got plenty! Nice spalted maple too. Looks a lot like the tofu I had at dinner the other night. Probably has about the same stiffness too. Save it for applications where it will look good but won't be under stress (bowls not bows). You could make a laminated riser with the spalted maple on the outside and a strong darker wood in the middle, but it's going to be softer than regular wood and will not resist abrasion very well. 

Thin tapered strips are easy on a table saw with an inexpensive taper jig, but only if they're a straight line taper. Other tapers can be cut on a band saw as long as you take it slow and hand plane the strips. Use one of your purchased strips as a template. I would think that species and grain orientation would be critical.

Try searching Woodwewb for "Texas Ebony" if you want more information on it. You don't have to join to search.


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## Geek1945 (Feb 5, 2012)

*Texas Ironwood*

Howdy, I'm reasonably sure it's Mesquite which isn't a tree Texas A&M (TAMU) classifies it as a noxious bush. It grows in nitrogen poor soil AKA clays common in areas West and South of D/FW. East Texas has been annual rain fall 30" and up. My location is 85 miles West of FTW and rainfall here is 25" that is when there's no drought, which seems to be happening more often.

Harvesting timber should be done in early spring when the wood is starting to moisten up and the leaves are not out. Like most things here in Texas it either bites you, stings you, punctures steel belted tires, and has thorns which stab you. Mesquite is tough wood, when dry have your sharpening skill honed your saw sharp otherwise it's going to be one of those long hot 100+ days cutting mesquite.

On my 60 acres it's a constant war to keep mesquite "manageable" like fire ants forget eradication. Mesquite develops a bean pod which is irresistible to birds who site on power lines normally directly above fence lines pooping seeds just to make it more difficult to cut with barbed wire around while the fire ants sting the [email protected] out of you.

The saying goes every 2 to 4' mesquite changes directions so you're going to work for every piece. If you are interested just bring a chainsaw & sharpener and ask any rancher if you can harvest some most will too happy to oblige. See TAMU website for all mesquite specs. Mesquite « Texas Natural Resources Server 

Oops I forgot it does make some great BBQ firewood. Ed [see Mesquite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Our Lumber - Furniture


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## qbilder (Feb 6, 2012)

Texas ebony is not mesquite. Similar leaf pattern but completely different species. It is a true ebony, harder & heavier than mesquite.


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## d3c3pti0n5 (Feb 6, 2012)

Has anyone ever tried this?

How To Ebonize Wood With White Vinegar 
Ebony is a beautiful dark coloured wood ranging in colour from dark brown to jet black. However, because this wood originates from Africa it is very hard to obtain in size and quantity. This means we have to look at crafting suitable alternatives to Ebony. Fortunately, there are several ways of ebonizing wood and a popular method is by using a white vinegar solution.

The white vinegar solution is also known as iron water. It causes a chemical reaction with the tannins in the wood which leads to oxidisation. This has the effect of turning the wood black. In some cases, the colour may vary from dark grey to dark brown but this depends on the type of wood and the amount of tannin. To make the white vinegar solution, you will need the following materials.

Materials required

White vinegar – Chinese supermarkets usually stock this in large quantities or you could purchase it online.

Steel wool – This must be 00 grade which can be purchased from any DIY store.

2 containers – These must have an airtight lid.

White vinegar mixing instructions

Pour a suitable amount of white vinegar into the 1st container. 
Take 1 steel wool pad, break it into little pieces and add it to the vinegar.
If you have any old, rusty nails lying around you can also add these.
Seal the lid and let the mixture stand for a minimum of 3 days.
Now the white vinegar solution needs to be filtered.
Take the 2nd container and place a clean cloth over the top.
Pour the white vinegar solution from the 1st container into the 2nd one.
The cloth will catch all the bits of leftover steel wool and rusty nails.
What you are left with is the pure iron water solution.

*Please note if you do not filter the solution, you will end up with rust spots on your wood.

Iron water application

For best results, brew some tea (no milk or sugar) and brush this onto the piece of wood you are ebonizing. Leave this to soak in for 1 hour then brush on the iron water solution. You will instantly see the chemical reaction before your eyes. In a matter of seconds, the wood should have turned black.

This method works very well with Oak and Cedar because of the high tannin content in these woods. It may also work with other woods assuming you pre-treat the piece with tea. Black wood stains are thin on the ground but this is a simple, cost-effective method of recreating the look of ebony.


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## brookpederson (Feb 6, 2012)

First I agree it's prolly not mesquite, and no i've never heard of ebonizing wood like that. Might have to try it, although i don't think you could ever replace the heavy, heavy, silky feel of real ebony.


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