Research Note

Ebony

David Stevens

Ebony has been used by the master builders for some time. It's a prestigious wood; it's rare, its expensive and takes skill to use. There is a collection of train engines created in ebony and ivory in Dover Ohio which is priceless.

Some builders don't like it because when cut or sanded it creates a fine dust which gets into everything including your lungs. But using a small amount really won't hurt you unless you're cutting a massive amount.

Do we really need to use it in ship modeling? That depends on the model your trying to build. If you want that high-end model, then sure it's a rare wood and that alone adds to the value of the model. But there are different woods and ways to produce the dark wales, caprails and trim work on a model.

Some rosewoods are as black as Ebony and not as hard to use. These rosewoods have an oil in them and when heated the oil warms up and makes the wood somewhat pliable. You will need to pin the bent wales because wood with oils are hard to glue. There are differences in brittle wood and stiff wood. Rosewood is stiff and can be bent. Ebony is just down-right brittle. Another way is to use a well-aged American black walnut. This wood is a purplish brown but with a little stain it can be darkened; it looks great with Swiss pearwood on a model. If your looking for dark woods try East Indian rosewood, also called Bombay blackwood or African blackwood; also called Senegal Ebony. When a oil finish is applied to these woods they will turn almost black.
{David Stevens}

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