# ferrous sulfate gray look



## jimmy986 (May 23, 2014)

I am making a bookshelf and I want to get a weathered gray look. I have used the steel wool and vinegar method before but read about ferrous sulfate and it seemed like an easier option.

I got Iron tabs which are ferrous sulfate and dissolved about 10 into a pint of water. It seems like that is more than enough as not all of it dissolved. I put then onto maple. Nothing happened. 

Being that maple isn;t high in tannins I brewed 5 tea bags into about a pint of water and put that on first. I let it dry a little. It wasn't entirely dry to the touch. I then put the iron sulfate mixture on it. 

It's been about 15 minutes and very little has happened. Is this a slower change than the steel wool mixture? Do I need to let the tea dry more before applying the iron? Or are these iron pills not the right stuff? I was just using cut offs to test it so I haven't done anything to the actual piece yet.

If I need to I can definitely do the steel wool method.


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## RandyReed (Jul 30, 2014)

jimmy986 said:


> I am making a bookshelf and I want to get a weathered gray look. I have used the steel wool and vinegar method before but read about ferrous sulfate and it seemed like an easier option.
> 
> I got Iron tabs which are ferrous sulfate and dissolved about 10 into a pint of water. It seems like that is more than enough as not all of it dissolved. I put then onto maple. Nothing happened.
> 
> ...


Use Minwax driftwood....... 
Wipe on, wipe off, done. If you want it darker, wait 3 hours and re-apply. Wait 24 hours and then apply 2 coats of a low gloss finish of your choice.

All those vinegar/steel wool and other methods come out unpredictable from wood to wood.


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## CharlesNeil (Jun 26, 2007)

keep it simple,. Call WD Lockwood, they make all sorts of dyes, they are water base, just google them, the one you want is called pearl grey , they dont list it on line, thus the call, its a powderd dye you mix with water, so you can mix it at any strength you want. I did alot of research to get the grey color , its not easy, the dyes did the best and were consistent and simple to use


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## Rick Mosher (Feb 26, 2009)

Without the tannic acid in the wood it won't work. All is not lost though, just soak your maple with a coat of tannic acid first. After it dries then you can apply your ferrous sulfate and get your grey color. The strength of both solutions will affect the color you end up with so you will have to experiment. You can also get different colors by using different mordants (the first chemical) Get Tage Frids book on finishes and there are many chemical stain formulas in there.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Good ideas above!*



CharlesNeil said:


> keep it simple,. Call WD Lockwood, they make all sorts of dyes, they are water base, just google them, the one you want is called pearl grey , they dont list it on line, thus the call, its a powderd dye you mix with water, so you can mix it at any strength you want. I did alot of research to get the grey color , its not easy, the dyes did the best and were consistent and simple to use


Thanks Charles for this tip. I'd never heard of this company, but here is their site:
https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/CLWW/item/LW-WMIS.XX

They have an extensive list of tools and tips:
https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/know/LW-dyeinfo.html


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

Just a little experimentation, white ivinegar and steel wool on pine...
This was only about an hour with the mixture. I'll let the steel wool soak overnight in the vinegar and see how it turns out tomorrow. 
I also tried some old homemade brandy turned to vinegar and it turned out black almost. 
A site I read says the various vinegar types come out differently, but so far from my own experience white vinegar seems to have the best look. 
I'm also experimenting with some weed berries from the back yard . I don't know the name of the weed, but I've seen it growing all over the country. Here in SC they look almost like trees. Here it is growing among some crape mertyl ..and on pine looks pinkish..

Can't figure out how to remove the duplicate..


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