How to make a selection of woods look like ebony using an old time formula. Useful for ebonising chairs and such like. In this video I mix a solution of apple cider vinegar and iron filings and iron wool, and leave the mixture for at least a week to turn black. I then paint it on woods with various tannin content to see what happens. The oak goes really black, and the ash and beech go quite dark - it really does work well. I first heard of this technique when I was doing some research on the Arts and Crafts Sussex Chair - as a lot of these chairs were ebonised.