best black timber stain

[typan]

Which is the best way to optain a matt black finish on a interior table made of dressed merbau?

[Harry72]

Use some black stain that suits your top coat or just paint it black with some flat acylic.

[typan]

Hi Harry72, when you say top coat, you mean something like Feast Watson flatproof clear flat poly finish?

[rightendup]

Not sure if this will help - but it's black.
Liquid nightmare is simply white vinigar with iron oxide.
Take a steel wool pad and wet it with water or the vinegar. Let it sit in the open air 'til it rusts thoroughly. Place in the vinegar and shake well.
The solution reacts will tannic acids in the wood itself to turn absolutly black, (chemical stain).
If the wood you are using doesn't have enough tannins in it, simply brew some strong tea and paint it on the wood, let dry and hit it with the LN then clearcoat it!
To make 'poor man's ebony' try it on black walnut. It works really well on the oaks because they have a lot of tannin.

[typan]

Hi rightendup, the table is made of merbau wood, I was told to try "black Japan" with a clear flat topcoat. What do you think?

[dr4g0nfly]

You say it's an interior table but not how you want it finished, Do you want the grain pattern or a perfectly smooth featureless surface.

I must admit to never having heard of your wood but I agree with Rightendup that the Nightmare Liquid is fantastic if your wood is tanic (do you have an off-cut you can try it on? This will leave the grain visible and you can finish on top of it with just about any varnish.

A bland flat finish can be achieved with an ebonising spray (Acrylic) paint, I've used this for trophy stands to a reasonable effect but never on something the size of a table.

Japan black is quite thick and can be a bit tricky to apply over a large area smoothly and get a good finish, it's also quite shiny.

[Harry72]

Hi Harry72, when you say top coat, you mean something like Feast Watson flatproof clear flat poly finish?
Yes top coat is what you'll be finishing it with, with the poly finish(turps based) just about any stain can be used.
Black japan will work, it will hide the grain somewhat(its black paint...).

[Bob38S]

Many moons ago I had success using a good quality Indian Ink - the type used in Rotring Rapidograph pens. It was certainly black after a couple of coats but the grain was still visible through it as the ink soaked up to different degrees. A little difficult to explain as it was black but not featureless as you looked at different angles.

I would strongly suggest that you try it out on scrap off cuts as it would be difficult to remedy if you don't like what you have done if you experiment on the "real" piece.

Regards,
Bob

[RufflyRustic]

Feast Watson Black proof tint works well on merbau too.

cheers
Wendy

[typan]

Thanks guys, I will take it all on board

[typan]

Ok guys, I tried black Japan and the first coat looks good on a off cut, but I try to apply the second coat, well the brush sticks to the first coat and the first coat is dry to touch. I let the first coat to dry for over 24 hours. any ideas please and on the can it says allow to dry for 12 hours before second coat:?

[bookend]

Black Japan is a bitumen based finish. It can be used to give an antique look and will make woods like pine end up like walnut. It is brown and each successive coat will make the timber go a deeper shade of brown but if you want black, use black stain. Black Japan is a misnomer as it's really brown, but you can get a deep brown.