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In my elementary school, the janitor was a shadowy character who mostly stayed in the basement, in his private area next to the boiler room. Yet he was powerful enough to make everyone (even teachers and the principal) remove their shoes when he waxed the gym floor. And he had a collection of chemicals to clean up any mess, even the ones Rickie Hensel made when he threw up during biology films. He came to mind the other day as I headed to the hardware store to get some “janitorial strength” ammonia.
I’m making an assortment of layout tools, and as I prepared a quartersawn white oak straightedge, the idea of giving it a fumed oak finish lodged in my brain. The problem was that my straightedge was too small to justify building a tent, and too big to fit in any of the airtight containers we had around the shop. I began to wonder if “Janitorial Strength” ammonia would color the wood if I wiped it on and let it dry. Just as my project was an in-between size, this stuff is stronger than household ammonia, but nowhere near as nasty as what I use for fuming. The picture above shows the result of wiping white oak with a rag, and keeping it wet for about an hour.
Before coloring, I wet the wood with distilled water, allowed it to dry overnight, then sanded it down with #320-grit sandpaper. This step kept the ammonia solution from raising the grain. The resulting color was close to the same disappointing grey you see when fuming, maybe a shade or two lighter. When the wood is dry, the chemical reaction that makes the color change is done. You don’t need to neutralize it with anything. I just lightly rubbed with a nylon abrasive pad before applying a top coat. Ragging on a coat of amber shellac brings out the color. Additional coats of shellac will continue to darken and tint the piece, and black wax will turn it dark brown. I was happy with this medium brown color, so I only applied one coat of shellac.
Here is the difference between an unfinished piece of wood (from the same board as the finished piece) and the end result. Most hardware stores carry 10-percent ammonia, and you do need to exercise caution when you handle it. Make sure you’re in a well-ventilated area; I recommend taking it outside. Wear some goggles to protect your eyes in case of a splash, and gloves to keep it from burning your skin. And as a bonus, a little ammonia in a lot of water is a great way to clean a shellac brush.
– Robert W. Lang
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Would liked to see the results before shellac. Very good point, however.
Mr. Lang,
One of the women where I work asked me to make her an oak recipe box for a gift for her daughter’s wedding. After building it, I wanted a finish that would accentuate the look of the quartersawn white oak. Most everything I had tried previously had been rather disappointing.
I had often wondered if a direct application of strong ammonia would be a "quick and easy" way to obtain a fumed oak look. I found some in the janitor’s closet (imagine that!) and applied it in just the same manner as you did. It works great!!! After 6 coats of Amber shellac it looks beautiful and my friend was so pleased that she kept that one and asked for another made of walnut and maple.
The only real inconvience to this method is directly related to using ammonia. The use of a face shield and rubber gloves and providing adequate air circulation is absolutely necessary.
I’m pleased that someone else has "discovered" and applied this finishing method.
Bob
Mr. Lang,
I know your frustration with trying to give the lime vapored look to quarter-sawn wood that has been eagerly sought and dearly paid for. When I was putting in a wood burning stove, I used paver tiles to give a safety zone around the stove on the floor. To edge the paver tiles I had just enough 3/4 X 4 oak to trim it with plugs to cover the attaching screws. When I grouted the pavers I accidently got grout on the the oak. It gave a very nice darkening of the grain, so I ended up doing all the trim that way. I believe the "traditional" way to give the patina we’re looking for was the bake the wood at low temperature with lime. The fumes would darken the grain much the same way a wet nail will blacken oak. Thank you so much for all your articles. Mark