# Iron Salts



## Anonymous (19 Dec 2005)

Hello all, 
First of all I'd like to thank everyone for such a great site and friendly community. A friend pointed me this way saying how helpful you guys were to him whenever he had a woodworking problem. 
I hope I have buttered you up enough, because I have a problem of my own. :wink: 
I'm currently making a magazine/Canterbury rack out of european oak and I am interested in recreating a finish I saw in the October 2005 issue of F&C Magazine. It appears on a console table by Andrew Skelton where he says that the oak is "scrubbed, stained with iron salts and limed to bring out the grain pattern". I've included an image of the page in question; 







The trouble comes in trying to find a place that supplies iron salts. I've tried my local pharmacies, woodworking suppliers and art shops but nobody has even heard of them. My hope is that someone here could help me out with info on suppliers or alternatives. [-o< 

Mahalo 
Thorongil


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## The Restorer (19 Dec 2005)

Hi there,

What you probably need is Ferrous Sulphate. I use it to give oak and beech that old grey look. It last forever so can't remember where i got it, probably either Fiddes or Richard Barrys.
Mix it up to a 100% solution then experiment to get the the colour you require by diluting it. I tend to use 1 or 2% solutions (you can see why it last so long). If you mix it up too strong you get some nice shades of blue!!


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## Newbie_Neil (19 Dec 2005)

Hi Thorongil

Welcome to the forum.

Cheers
Neil


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## Chris Knight (19 Dec 2005)

Welcome Thorngil,

Unfortunately the average pharmacy is a far cry from the ones in my youth that were happy to sell me ingredients for military grade high explosives. Nowadays we need to beg, borrow and steal quite ordinary stuff.

Your best bet for Copperas (Ferrous sulphate) is a trade supplier like Mylands http://www.mylands.co.uk/ failing which make it yourself as here http://www.crscientific.com/ferroussulfate.html 

Last time I checked, I could buy concentrated acids from Mylands.


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## frank (19 Dec 2005)

try sulphate of iron from your local garden centre .

frank


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## Anonymous (19 Dec 2005)

Thank you all for your help, I think I'll have to look at the local garden centre or Mylands, although making it myself could be fun although very dangerous knowing my track record with chemicals at school.  

Thorongil


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## llangatwgnedd (20 Dec 2005)

As Frank says also try allotment societys and gardening clubs for its purest form.

I used it as a moss killer on lawns and also greens the grass 8)


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## Anonymous (20 Dec 2005)

Thanks Sawdust Producer, it's good to know I can put it to other uses instead of leaving it in the workshop gathering dust.


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## frank (20 Dec 2005)

SP thanks for that i never looked at the label i will put some on the green tarmac path parts of it look like a green carpet :wink: 

frank

if you can keep your head whilst all around you are losing theirs 
you must be the bloke with the axe .


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## edmund (22 Dec 2005)

You can get this from Jenkins. Look under the Pigment and Dyes section in their online shop.
http://www.traditionalfinishes.com/system/index.html


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## Anonymous (22 Dec 2005)

Thanks edmund, it looks pretty affordable and within driving distance if needs be. It seems once you know what you are looking for then it is pretty abundant.

Thorongil


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## edmund (2 Jan 2006)

Jenkins do a good mail order as well. They are also very helpful if you call them and speak to them about what you need. 
E


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## Mcluma (3 Jan 2006)

He Thorongil.

That F&C magazine, does it have an website??

I have not heared of the magazine before, and it looks like it features my type of furniture, so i would like to check that one out :wink: 

Thanks

McLuma


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## Anonymous (3 Jan 2006)

Hi Mcluma

The magazine is called Furniture and Cabinet Making and should be available at quite a few newsagents. I used to get mine at WHSmith until I got a subscription.
I'm not sure about an online version of the magazine but it is published by 'Guild of Master Craftsman Publications' and you can get a subscription, as well as info about it, here:

http://www.thegmcgroup.com/item--Furniture-and-Cabinet-Making--1010FC.html

Hope that helps

Thorongil


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## Matt1245 (29 Jan 2006)

> try sulphate of iron from your local garden centre



I'm after this kind of black oak look for a project (some competion entry or something :lol: )

How do you go about applying it?

Matt.


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## edmund (3 Feb 2006)

Matt, you can apply it like any other chemical stain - mix the crystals with water and brush on. Probably worth doing some tests on scraps to get the right colour you want.


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