ebony Binding

Flyfish57

Flyfish57

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I’m planning a ukulele with ebony binding and was wondering if there’s one type of ebony that is easier to bend than the rest?
Also, should I avoid kiln dried as I heard it make the wood more brittle?

Thanks, Stephen
 
Hi Stephen,
Black (Gabon) ebony is among the most difficult of timbers to bend. I imagine the Indian ebony is the same. Macassar ebony is apparently easier but not pure black. I made an electric bass with black ebony bindings. It also had pickup covers and a bridge cover all in padauk with ebony bindings and ebony control knobs with padauk discs inlayed. When it was finished I was showing it to one of my stepsons (a bass player) who said, admiringly, "and did you make all the black plastic parts yourself too?"
I now prefer ebony with some grey or brown streaks in it; it looks more like wood.
If I wanted black bindings I'd use fibre or plastic. It's much easier to use and hard to tell the difference.
 
Ebony bindings aren't that hard to bend. Madagascar is a little more brittle than African. The trick is to use straight grained material. I bend it on the my side bending form using a heating blanket, with side purfling already glued up ( a waterproof glue with moderate creep like titebond II is best). Spray down your straight binding or rinse under the tap (no need to soak), wrap 'em up in a fold of clean newsprint, and bend just like you would a side.
 
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Thanks for your help Dave,
I've been wanting to avoid plastic bindings mainly from an artistic point of view. That is funny about your bass playing step-son. I did get a "that is the coolest decal" when one of my sister-in-laws was checking out the inlay I just spent a week doing!

William, you're right. I think before I plunge into the ebony, I should build a side bender. I’ve been bending one piece then cutting them to size on the band saw to keep them straight. Also, I have to admit that I was perplexed about bending wood binding with the perfling glued on. My thinking was "won't the steam make them separate"? Haha, waterproof glue--Maybe I am a candidate for the Darwin awards!
Thanks again!
 
You could consider dyeing some maple bindings black. That way you get wood bindings that will be difficult to tell from ebony, that bend a whole lot easier.
Brad
 
Bradford said:
You could consider dyeing some maple bindings black. That way you get wood bindings that will be difficult to tell from ebony, that bend a whole lot easier.
Brad
Click to expand...

I ebonized the face of my latest CBU headstock with Fiebing's black leather dye. One small foam brush dipped in it lightly blackened it right up. I gave it another coat an hour later, but it didn't really need it, except along some pronounced grain where it was slow to soak in. I followed it up with several coats of poly.
 
Wow! Now I'm thinking flamed maple with a transparent black look to let the flame show through!! Thanks Brad!

Matt that uke looks sweet--Did you paint the treeor did the box come that way? I'm going to try to ebonize the next headstock I do. Maybe I'll give the leather dye a try.
 
Flyfish57 said:
Wow! Now I'm thinking flamed maple with a transparent black look to let the flame show through!! Thanks Brad!

Matt that uke looks sweet--Did you paint the treeor did the box come that way? I'm going to try to ebonize the next headstock I do. Maybe I'll give the leather dye a try.
Click to expand...

Thanks--it's a heat transfer ink jet print. It has three coats of poly, too. Really made the black pop on it.
 
Matt Clara said:
Thanks--it's a heat transfer ink jet print. It has three coats of poly, too. Really made the black pop on it.
Click to expand...

Matt.. the transfer thing, can you do that with like any kind of artwork? I mean get a photocopy of artwork transfered to the uke?
 
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Why use ebony? If you want the look, use Gurian's black fiber binding. It even has a subtle grain look to it, and you can't tell it from ebony under a finish. It does not look at all like plastic, it looks like wood.
 
Rick Turner said:
Why use ebony? If you want the look, use Gurian's black fiber binding. It even has a subtle grain look to it, and you can't tell it from ebony under a finish. It does not look at all like plastic, it looks like wood.
Click to expand...

I am. And thanks Rick, much respect.
 
Rick Turner said:
Why use ebony? If you want the look, use Gurian's black fiber binding. It even has a subtle grain look to it, and you can't tell it from ebony under a finish. It does not look at all like plastic, it looks like wood.
Click to expand...

Are there any sources without a $50 minimum purchase?
 
Vic D said:
Matt.. the transfer thing, can you do that with like any kind of artwork? I mean get a photocopy of artwork transfered to the uke?
Click to expand...

I think so, yes. I'd scan the artwork, or do a high quality photo reproduction, work it up in Photoshop, and then print it and transfer it. The only catch is the color of the wood comes through and mixes with the color of the print, which is why I've done mostly black and white silhouette images thus far. I printed one color image on some cherry, and it looks a little muddy. I will try more with color and the sitka spruce before long. I need to find a source for a transfer paper similar to the Avery in 11 x 17 size, so I'm a little bit stalled right now. The 8.5 x 11 work well for CBUs, though.
 
Rick Turner said:
Why use ebony? If you want the look, use Gurian's black fiber binding. It even has a subtle grain look to it, and you can't tell it from ebony under a finish. It does not look at all like plastic, it looks like wood.
Click to expand...

There was mention of black fiber used as binding in a previous post. So I went and looked at the black perfling I have and it was really more of a dark grey than black. I imagine it may darken up once I clear it. William brought up the main reason I wasn’t considering it-- How well will the colorfast quality hold up over time? If I use ebony or a dyed hardwood, I own the process whether it’s a good one or not. However, if I use what is basically a thick paper on what is a substantial part of my ukulele, all I can do is hope that its manufacturer got it right.

Thanks Rick for the idea though, my daughter wants a transparent pink concert with black binding so I’m seeing that as a perfect test monkey for fiber. I'll be sending an order to Gurian's in the next few weeks so I'll get some then before I move forward on ebony binding.

~Stephen
 
There has been no change to the color of any of the black fiber biding I've been using for about eight years now. I use it on my Model 1 electrics where the contours require 3 dimensional bending of the binding, and the fiber has been just great. I'm not on an ego trip of using ebony just so I can say it's ebony, and I think the fiber may just protect edges better than brittle ebony would. I've seen too much too hard wood binding with finish dings, lifts, and cracks. The fiber I get looks dead nuts like wood without the problems of wood.
 
Rick Turner said:
I'm not on an ego trip of using ebony just so I can say it's ebony
Click to expand...

The OPs question was about bending ebony binding. Fiber dyed with black dye is not and never will be interchangeable with ebony. If you think it is, maybe you should start using black fiber fingerboards.
 
Rick Turner said:
There has been no change to the color of any of the black fiber biding I've been using for about eight years now. I use it on my Model 1 electrics where the contours require 3 dimensional bending of the binding, and the fiber has been just great. I'm not on an ego trip of using ebony just so I can say it's ebony, and I think the fiber may just protect edges better than brittle ebony would. I've seen too much too hard wood binding with finish dings, lifts, and cracks. The fiber I get looks dead nuts like wood without the problems of wood.
Click to expand...

Thanks Rick for relieving my fears of using the fiber. I’ll definitely use it on the pink concert. I'm going to use maple with transperent black on the ukulele I was going to put the ebony on.
 
William King said:
The OPs question was about bending ebony binding. Fiber dyed with black dye is not and never will be interchangeable with ebony. If you think it is, maybe you should start using black fiber fingerboards.
Click to expand...

I’m happy with all the responses I’ve received so far. I think it’s best for me being a relatively new builder is to hand bend the maple until I can get a side bender built. Plus, black maple will work out well on this uke and fiber will work out great on my daughter’s.
I think it’s great that I ask a simple question and it generates several new paths.

However, no one answered if kiln dried is more brittle than “seasoned”. I read somewhere that kiln drying changes the molecules of the wood and makes it stiffer and thereby more brittle.
 
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