doing it wrong...bone black

[bowkill]

how do you get bone black to stay on stock. I am using oil and putting it on with a brush and then rubbing it in with my hand but when i put oil on after it dries comes right off.. Very little darkening going on?

[Stophel]

What are you trying to do with it?? ??   

Bone black is simply a dry powdered pigment for making black paint.  It would be mulled into linseed oil (or other drying oil) .  Just mixing pigment into oil doesn't work.

 It's simply not a stain, and all you will get from rubbing black pigment onto the wood is black specks from the pigment getting stuck in the grain.

 

[Daryl Pelfrey]

Silly question to go along with bow kills.  From inletting with inlet black loos like to me the inlet black could be used to shadow in or darken some areas of a stock?

[Dennis Glazener]

how do you get bone black to stay on stock. I am using oil and putting it on with a brush and then rubbing it in with my hand but when i put oil on after it dries comes right off.. Very little darkening going on?

Not sure if you are using Jim Kiblers bone black or not but if you are here is a link to his product directions
https://kiblerslongrifles.com/collections/finishing-supplies/products/bone-black

It's a good product, very fine medium, worked well for me.
Dennis

[Ed Wenger]

If you want the bone black to stay fixed, don't rub it with whatever oil your using as a finish.  Soak a small (2"x2") lint free cloth with your finish and GENTLY WIPE the stock.  Your hardly putting any pressure on the stock.  One swipe at a time, should take a minute to do the entire stock.

If your using Chambers Oil, which is great stuff, it's probably going to eat what ever bone black you applied, no matter how gently you wipe.

An alternative is spray application of the finish...


        Ed

[bowkill]

If you want the bone black to stay fixed, don't rub it with whatever oil your using as a finish.  Soak a small (2"x2") lint free cloth with your finish and GENTLY WIPE the stock.  Your hardly putting any pressure on the stock.  One swipe at a time, should take a minute to do the entire stock.

If your using Chambers Oil, which is great stuff, it's probably going to eat what ever bone black you applied, no matter how gently you wipe.

An alternative is spray application of the finish...



        Ed

I am using tow oil finish, and jims bone black. Putting on with a 1\4 painters brush. just hitting the usually dirt catching spots, like carving and around hardware. Is it just to lay under the finish, is that the idea? Was thinking it was more like a stain than womans makeup..lol

[David Rase]

Here are the instructions for applying bone black right off Jim's web site.
To darken a stock:

Tap out a little bit of bone black and pour a little bit of finishing oil into separate piles on a non-absorbent surface. First, dampen the brush a little bit in the finishing oil and then pick up a little bit of the bone black with the tip of the brush.  Then, to distribute the bone black throughout the oil, rub the bristles of the brush around a bit on a non-absorbent surface.

If the tip of the brush is too wet, pick up more bone black and distribute throughout the bristles again.  The brush can also be dried by working the tip on a paper towel.  Once you have achieved a thin, dry, dark finish, apply it by rubbing it around and working it into the low spots onto the stock.  Repeat this process of loading the brush and applying to the stock until one very thin coat is on the stock.

Multiple applications since one is never enough.  Layers will need to be built up to darken the stock.

David

[bowkill]

Here are the instructions for applying bone black right off Jim's web site.
To darken a stock:

Tap out a little bit of bone black and pour a little bit of finishing oil into separate piles on a non-absorbent surface. First, dampen the brush a little bit in the finishing oil and then pick up a little bit of the bone black with the tip of the brush.  Then, to distribute the bone black throughout the oil, rub the bristles of the brush around a bit on a non-absorbent surface.

If the tip of the brush is too wet, pick up more bone black and distribute throughout the bristles again.  The brush can also be dried by working the tip on a paper towel.  Once you have achieved a thin, dry, dark finish, apply it by rubbing it around and working it into the low spots onto the stock.  Repeat this process of loading the brush and applying to the stock until one very thin coat is on the stock.

Multiple applications since one is never enough.  Layers will need to be built up to darken the stock.

David

Hey.... that is word for word just like the instruction sheet said...    

[Stophel]

I can tell I'm not up on the latest trends...

 

[bowkill]

me either...lol

[Jim Kibler]

A couple other notes that may help...  I try to get a lot of the color early in the finishing process.  I’ll put one coat of finish on to seal the stock, let this dry and then use the bone black.  The colored finish has a little more to hang on to if the stock isn’t slick with finish. 

Also, l’ve found it important to use very little finish when mixing with the bone black.  I guess you could describe it as sort of a dry brush technique.  If the mix is too wet, it just smears everywhere.

I find it best to develope the color in multiple thin coats as well.  Typically I apply finish between coats of the darkening mix to seal things in.  If finishes are used that contain a lot of solvents, care must be taken to not rub a lot or it can start to dissolve previously applied colored layers.  Sometimes I will seal with just an oil varnish like the Tried and True product to help avoid problems associated with this.

Using this process,  nice color can be built up, and it’s pretty durable as well.

[David Rase]

Here are the instructions for applying bone black right off Jim's web site.
To darken a stock:

Tap out a little bit of bone black and pour a little bit of finishing oil into separate piles on a non-absorbent surface. First, dampen the brush a little bit in the finishing oil and then pick up a little bit of the bone black with the tip of the brush.  Then, to distribute the bone black throughout the oil, rub the bristles of the brush around a bit on a non-absorbent surface.

If the tip of the brush is too wet, pick up more bone black and distribute throughout the bristles again.  The brush can also be dried by working the tip on a paper towel.  Once you have achieved a thin, dry, dark finish, apply it by rubbing it around and working it into the low spots onto the stock.  Repeat this process of loading the brush and applying to the stock until one very thin coat is on the stock.

Multiple applications since one is never enough.  Layers will need to be built up to darken the stock.

David

Hey.... that is word for word just like the instruction sheet said...

You are correct!  So I said to myself,since you are basically lazy why reinvent the wheel! 
David

[bowkill]

Think I had about 5 coats of oil done rubbed in before I tried the bone black and. Got stock too slick is my problem.. That 2nd coat rubbed in with 220 sure did not help would say. Has darkened up some where I need it tho..jim. It time for a how to video..lol. You not me..

[Curtis]

Bowkill, I often use Formby's tung oil when I apply bone black, it should dry overnight.  Then as Ed mentioned you still have to be careful when you put a coat of finish over the top of it.  Perhaps if you lightly sanded the areas you want to apply the bone black to with 320 to give it a little more "tooth" to stick to it would help.  Experiment on some scraps.

Curtis