Ebony not black enough?

[Ross W. Lovell]

I'm having a fretless neck made for a build I'm doing. The motif is black. Black everything. I would like to make the ebony fingerboard black as well. What do the knowledgeable people here suggest?
Stain? Dye? Should I just stick with plain ebony? Will it cause problems later? Finish bleeding or fading? Do I need to put some kind of finish over it, like epoxy or something else?
I'm pretty new to even a parts build, I've done two, they came out great, but it was just parts switching so not too difficult. This is undiscovered territory for me and I don't wanna screw anything up.

Ebony is dark and sometimes black but it's been getting stained/dyed for years to achieve uniformity in production.

Always surprised with those complaining another color and consistency on natural woods, even moreso when there is a gloss finish on the rest of the instrument?

 

[Plain Old Barry]

I actually used India ink on one of my rosewood fretboards, have to say it came out very well and does not bleed.

This is really common in the non-musical woodworking world. I've "ebonized" a lot of ash for things like statue stands and accent pieces. It allows the wood grain and joinery to show while staying truly black. It's also great for dyeing pearwood or basswood to create inlays and banding stock.

I really like Blick "Black Cat" ink. Some cheaper inks aren't genuine India Ink. The real stuff is made from lampblack and thin shellac and doesn't fade or turn purple. Lots of dyes, including anilines and Solar Lux, have appeared bluish purple to my eye after prolonged exposure to light.

 

[JimmyM]

Feibings leather dye. Available from any show repair shop.

I've not used it on ebony so I don't know how well it absorbs, but yep, and it's available at most any hobby/crafts store.

 

[JRA]

i sure like the idea of a real dark fingerboard (for fun..to gaze upon) because it doesn't make much difference after the count off. i've used feibings and india ink on ebony (works fine) but if i wanted a "none more black" board: i think i'd just dye some epoxy and coat the wood. YMMV

good luck with your 'dark quest', OP!

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I'm having a fretless neck made for a build I'm doing. The motif is black. Black everything. I would like to make the ebony fingerboard black as well. What do the knowledgeable people here suggest?
Stain? Dye? Should I just stick with plain ebony? Will it cause problems later? Finish bleeding or fading? Do I need to put some kind of finish over it, like epoxy or something else?
I'm pretty new to even a parts build, I've done two, they came out great, but it was just parts switching so not too difficult. This is undiscovered territory for me and I don't wanna screw anything up.

Black transtint dye. Oil it with lemon oil the next day.

 

[2F/2F]

You should think about a Richlite board, IMO. They look and feel great IME, and when it comes to dead consistent black, you can't argue with a factory made material.

Speedball brand India ink is, over all, the best fretboard dye I've tried.

Fiebing's alcohol based leather dye is pretty good too. Not as long lasting as Speedball India ink, but can easily be reapplied every now and then, and actually looks a bit more natural than the Speedball ink, IMO.

Don't use B.S. grocery store leather dye. Make sure it is Fiebing's or another professional level product.

 

[Greenstreet]

Plain Old Barry is right. For a fretless board, my top choices would be, in order of preference:

1) composite ebony type substitute (like Ebonol, Richlite, or Rocklite)

2) Wood stained with India Ink (like Higgins)

3) Dyed wood (Fiebings, ColorTone, etc)

Rationale:

Composite will wear better on a fretless fingerboard, and the color will be uniform and consistent all the way through.

Dye or stain will not penetrate very far into a hard, dense, non-porous wood like ebony.

At some point, it's almost inevitable that someone who doesn't know how to play a fretless instrument is going to pick up your fretless instrument and attempt to play it. When they do, they will bend notes up and down, perpendicular the the strings, as you look on in horror. They won't be able to help themselves. They'll call it "vibrato". This will happen.

When they bend the notes up and down, perpendicular to the strings, they won't be rubbing the nickel or steel string against a piece of nickel or steel fret wire. They'll be rubbing the nickel or steel string back and forth against the dyed wood surface of your fingerboard, which is much lower on the Mohs scale of hardness than the nickel or steel string. The net result will be to wear little spots into your fingerboard, which will stand out compared to the rest of the board due to the dye on the surface being worn off in spots. It will look ghastly. It will scream at you from its stand across the room. It will haunt you in your sleep. You will weep and gnash your teeth.

Okay, I may be over-stating it just a little bit, but the composite will be more consistent in feel, look, and tone.

Although Fiebings leather dye has been the go-to for decades (carried over from gut-stringed instruments), it tends to have a cold, unnatural bluish sheen to it. If you're going to go the dyed wood route, Higgins India Ink will give you a warmer, more natural black tone.


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[Watchootognbout]

Not to derail the thread,but something we should all know about ebony wood for fingerboards.
And why your ebony is not black enough.

 

[fishdreams]

I made a fretless with a rocklite board, turned out great. Uniform color, still looks like wood. Check out the thread posted above, that’s what convinced me. Doesn’t weigh a ton like ebanol

Rocklite is great stuff. IME much closer to ebony (feel, hardness and to work with) than ebonol.

 

[grimjim]

Not to derail the thread,but something we should all know about ebony wood for fingerboards.
And why your ebony is not black enough.

That was very interesting.