Four drawer roasted red oak chest, finished

Here is the chest installed. To get the black colour for the drawer fronts I ebonized the oak. Ebonizing is a technique used by finishers over the last couple of centuries to make wood black like ebony. Traditionally, a solution of white vinegar and iron oxide was applied to the oak turning the oak black. This is due to a chemical reaction between the vinegar/rust solution and tannins in the wood. Not all woods can be ebonized, only woods with high a tannin content. This method is a bit hit and miss with varying consistency in colour.
I used a black floor oil rubbed into the roasted red oak. This achieved a deep, jet black finish with a nice lustre. I tried this finish on natural red oak and got no where near the same colouring. Roasting the oak is the trick.

The prints, furnishings and wardrobes in this room were key elements to why I added colour to the unit. The effect you see on the drawer fronts is called 'liming'. This is another old technique I've borrowed from the past, but with a modern twist. Traditionally, liming involves opening up the porous grain of oak with a brass wire brush. Then you seal the surface with a spirit varnish, noticing that the spirit varnish doesn't fill the opened grain. When dry, a liming paste (usually a beeswax/alabaster mix) is rubbed onto the surface and then ragged off leaving the paste trapped in the open grain and creating a ghostly hue.
I wanted a similar effect but with vivid, pop out colours on a black background. I discovered that the black oil I used for the ebonizing didn't penetrate the opened grain, perfect for liming. I buffed the oil until highly polished and hard, then added the liming paste which I had coloured with tints. (drawer pulls not chosen yet)
I would like to continue this look as a line of kids furniture. Maybe add some bed side units, bunk beds and accents. Of course the photos do not do justice to the colours, they are much brighter in life.
pete@pdwoodworking.com