Ammonia fumed white oak. Darken wood without stain fuming white oak with ammonia duration. The ammonia fumes react with the tannins in the wood and darkens the wood. In this video woodworker and fine woodworking associate art director kelly dunton demonstrates how to stain a white oak table by exposing it to ammonia fumes. When ammonium hydroxide is left uncovered the ammonia gas escapes and is available to react with the tannin in white oak to darken the wood.
Quartersawn white oak in particular works nice because ammonia fuming brings out the figure and ray flecks. It consists of exposing the wood to fumes from a strong aqueous solution of ammonium hydroxide which reacts with the tannins in the wood. The fumes are actually ammonia fumes derived from a strong solution of ammonia. Contrary to popular belief though smoke is not used at any point in the smoking process.
Fumed oak is also known as smoked oak. It can also be used to fume white oak but takes much longer to obtain a dark stain usually several days. The fumed oak i have seen has ranged from very dark to a beautiful chestnut colour. The ammonia isnt applied directly to the wood.
Winkys workshop 3002 views. Household ammonia is a much weaker solution of ammonia and water. Fumed oak is also called smoked oakother species may also be fumed but. White oak is the preferred wood type because ammonia reacts best with the white grains in the wood.
Im surprised it took seven days to complete the fuming process. Since household ammonia is fairly weak at only 5 to 10 ammonia contributing editor chris gochnour uses a commercial aqueous ammonia also known as aqua ammonia or ammonium hydroxide that is a potent 25 ammonia mixed with water to fume his white oak projects. Maybe different batches or species of oak have different tannic acid content and time also may have had an effect. White oak is the wood of choice for ammonia fuming because this wood has a particularly high tannin content.
Ammonia fuming is a wood finishing process that darkens wood and brings out the grain pattern. Traditional cooper george smithwick.