I recently picked up about .75bf of Gaboon Ebony wood from my last trip to Ghana. It was locally sourced and only $35 (normally $100/bf). As you can see from the picture one block has a beautiful sap line that I thought would make a great Mule handle.
Has anyone every worked with Ebony, did you stabilize it? Any feed back would be great as this is a very dense wood with a Janka Hardness of 3.080lbf (pine is 380lbf and oak is 1,220lbf for comparison). I have awhile before it dries out but I wanted to see what other people have experienced. I might do some inlays or a chess board with it too.
BTW this is just rough cut with a table saw, sanded and polished it should be amazing.
Only experience i have with ebony is musical instruments (guitar fretboards and Uilleann (Irish) bagpipes. AFAIK instrument makers don't stabilize the timber, i do know they let it sit until it reaches humidity equilibrium (the pieces don't lose or gain weight anymore) and finished instruments are oiled but that's about it.
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I've used natural ebony, but not the particular essence coming from Gaboon, seems similar in density (even denser though). The ebony I've used has not moved in a decade and it's been used as a handle by a family member for that duration.
I can't say much more since my experience is very limited ! But if Gaboon Ebony acts like the one I've used, it's pretty darn resistant on its own!
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I've used natural ebony, but not the particular essence coming from Gaboon, seems similar in density (even denser though). The ebony I've used has not moved in a decade and it's been used as a handle by a family member for that duration.
I can't say much more since my experience is very limited ! But if Gaboon Ebony acts like the one I've used, it's pretty darn resistant on its own!
That is my understanding too, it is very dense and oily. I have heard it does not take stabilizing well due to this, but on the flip side I have seen other people say the opposite. Was even thinking about epoxying it to thin black G10 to straighten it.
I have used Gabon Ebony for years making custom furniture pulls, and have used it at least a dozen times for knife handles. You do not need to stabilize it and I don’t think it would absorb much resin if you tried to. If you wet sand it up to 800 grit and buff it with red rouge it will take a great polish that will help it resist water.
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