Mod'ing The CS Trail Hawk

Oh...and by the way... how is my CAMP TRAMP SHEATH coming along? Has the calf grown into a slaughterable COW yet? :eek:
 
Sweet hawks!!!
I have a few axes but no Tomahawks, guess i'll have to fix that now, lol!

I love parkerized finishes but all the places i see online that sell them are in the U.S.
Apparently the kits can't be shipped cross the Canadian border.
Anybody know an online Canadian supplier of parkerizing kits/supplies?
:)
 
Thanks, but it's GunSnob who made these hawks what they are. Hey, I gotta haft on the bench that I finished with this stuff and it may be lookin' good. Hope to have it finished this week...

thawk26.jpg
 
Ok, I've been following this thread since the beginning and for some strange reason I've held of picking up a trail hawk. That in it's self is odd, as I usually am not capable of any form of restraint....

Well I found one this afternoon. :D It's mine now *insert maniacal laughter*

Wish me luck.
 
Alas, poor haft, I have ruined thee well. :(

The "heel and edge dressing" didn't go too well I'm afraid. So I removed it with mineral spirits and then restained with Minwax ebony. The result was a most embarassing finish I'm sorry to report so I must start all over. My goal is a black black black wooden haft.

Next up? India ink!!!
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And if that don't work, then it's The Vinegar & Iron Solution!!!
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO QQQQQQQQQQQQQ NOT VIS!!!
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.woodworkweb.com said:
http://www.woodworkweb.com/woodwork/article149.html

Ebonizing Wood

Anyone who has purchased any Ebony wood in the last few years will realize why anyone would even bother to try duplicated this fine exotic wood. The reason is simple, costs. Ebony is somewhat difficult to get and is therefore VERY expensive to buy, even in small quantities as a highlighter to a project.

The first thing to choose is the wood. Obviously darker woods will be easier to make darker that light colored woods. If you have ever examined ebony closely, you will see it is a very fine wood with almost no grain visible. Almost like black plastic. If you use a gainy wood like oak, the grain will easily show through the dye, so for close-in work I would suggest using a finer grain wood, even if it means more work because it is a lighter colored wood.

There are a variety of ways of ebonizing wood. Essentially all of them involve coloring or dying the wood until it appears black. There are a variety of techniques and probably many more to come. There is now right or wrong way to ebonize wood, you just do what ever works, and here are a few tried and true methods. It’s wise to remember that water based dying methods will tend to raise the grain of the wood you are working with while alcohol will tend not to do this. This could be an important factor if the wood needs to be sanded after. If your coloring is too thin, it will be easy to sand through the dyed portion thus revealing the natural wood underneath.

Use a black felt pen to color the wood. This technique works well but the wood must be prepared (i.e. sanded) ahead of time. The reason for this is that the felt pen does not penetrate most woods all the well, so if you sand AFTER you ebonize, you risk sanding off some of the black dye.

Some woodworkers have used Leather dyes, somewhat akin to shoe polish. This has been a long used method of dying wood black. Many of these are alcohol based. Another method used for smaller pieces of wood involves soaking a fine steel wool in white vinegar. In pretty short order the vinegar will dissolve the steel wool which in turns makes the vinegar appear black. Pieces of wood can then be soaked in this mixture or alternately be painted with it to turn the wood black Since this method is a chemical it will be wise to neutralize the dye after it has been applied with ammonia. I understand this method is very stable in terms of the wood retaining it black look over long periods of time.

If you are opting to use a dye, look for “aniline” type dyes. The are made from coal tars, and you can’t get anything blacker than that! The preferred method in term of getting the wood absolutely black is to use India Ink. You will have to look a bit harder for this but it is worth if you want a quality job.

And lastly, some of the paint and stain manufacturers have some very dark stains that may work for you, like Minwax who has an “Onyx in their water color version stains.

Just remember, no matter what you do, you can’t make a mistake if your wood turns out black, and looks like Ebony.
Click to expand...

Also this on VIS from FurnitureSociety.org...

If you are using the vinegar and iron solution:

Sand the wood smooth. Since the solution is wetting the wood it will tend to raise the grain, so it is a good idea to wet the wood with a damp cloth (lightly) between grits and let dry as you get down to the finer grits. This will raise the fibers that were crushed by sanding so they can be sanded off. This will minimize grain raising from the vinegar solution. I would say that 220-400 is about the right range. Experiment on a piece of scrap. If you burnish the wood too much, it may color less.

There is no set recipe for the vinegar solution. I have just taken a gallon of plain vinegar and put some old nails in (not galvanized) steel wool, etc. Steel wool seems to decompose pretty quickly. The longer you let it stand the more potent it becomes. I just top off the jug with new vinegar as I use it. Several days to a week of soaking will probably be enough-but longer is better. Again, experiment with the solution on scrap of the same species. Some woods do not color well because they are low on tanin, and some work great. Walnut colors very well.

The coloration will occur at the surface, so sanding will lighten the wood. This can be a nice effect, but will be less like ebony. You can make more than one application, too. Let the wood dry thoroughly before applying a finish. Again, test your finishes on scrap before proceeding so you know how it will behave.

The shoe dyes are just stains-so the process is just like any wood staining and finishing process. Again, it is a good idea to test your finishing products with the stains. Some finishes will pick up the dyes and make them bleed through.
Click to expand...

And these!

Making Your Own Ebonizing Rust Stain

New Tips For Ebonizing Wood
 
I finally got my trail hawk the way I want it so I took it for a test spin this morning...
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...add Q don't let the ebony get you down brother.
 
NICE!...hmmmmmmm...perhaps I need to torch the haft I hath ruined...FIRE! I GIVE YOU TO BURN!
 
CitizenQ said:
NICE!...hmmmmmmm...perhaps I need to torch the haft I hath ruined...FIRE! I GIVE YOU TO BURN!
Click to expand...

So last night I had a propane torch party at the expense of previously described "ruined" haft..."waht's to lose" I figured. And I achieved the coloring results I desired: the haft is BLACK yet the wood grain is still evident. :thumbup: Took some 180 grit to it to clean it up a bit. I like it! HOWEVER...in torching my the haft I cooked it good, and I figured that the wood is bone dry...absolutely devoid of moisture. "Self" (I say) "that can't be good." So I hopped in the Qmobile and motored over to that happy hardware place Ace in a mission to procure some genuine Lemon Oil (known to restore moisture to dried out wood). Having sucessfully obtained said oil I applied same liberaly (not conservatively mind you) and I will do so again tonight...and maybe once again on tDay...then let it dry after which I'll apply a single coat of exterior poly to put a seal on it. If the result isn't an abomination :eek: I should have pictures for you on Sunday or Monday. I'm still gonna try India ink on a different virgin haft, but this burnt one is interesting and it lends a lemony fresh hawky haft experience to my otherwise exceedingly dull and scentless existence. :cool:
 
Q, I can only wonder at how many chemicals you have used on those hawk handles. Do they glow at night? I think maybe you should keep fire away from them. Ka-BOOM.;)
 
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