Do you guys know about to dye with ammonia?
In Germany you can buy 'Räuchereiche', translated word by word it means: smoked oak.
It has nothing to do with real smoke, but is a chemical reaction of ammonia with the tan acids in the wood. The more acid in the wood, the better reaction. I wondered to use it in bowery.
In the last month I did a lot of experiments with different woods. For example fresh osage can be aged over night so that it looks like 10 years old. Every woods behaves a bit different, but I had great results with elm, ash, dogwood (gets a very nice warm grey).
I noticed three important things.
First this dye is not on the wood, it is in the wood at least 3-4 mm.
Second the color is stable, the acid gets the color by a chemical reaction.
Third the structure of he wood changes, it gets a super smooth surface and the elasticity increases. I will do more tests from time to time. Is anybody here with experience in that item?
Let me show you here an example of a 'smoked' ash bow.
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020933_zpsb8574ba6.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020934_zpsbf6b0402.jpg)
Here you see the difference between normal and smoked. Before the smoking process I taped the limbs diagonally. In the detail pic above the border is a bit fuzzy, I like that how it came out. The ash developed very nice colors, especially at the growth rings. No pigments added.
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020910_zps07c76271.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020958_zps733d1e47.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020915_zps7337a76f.jpg)
It is a HLD with a deep valley, it is 63“ long. All added parts, overlay, wedge inlay, arrow pass is buffalo horn. The tips are mildly flipped. Drawweight is 72#/28
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1030119_zps6c4d88c2.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020953_zps9fb8fbeb.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020948_zpsc78b0d3f.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020949_zpse796a8d7.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020950_zpsde11934b.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020916_zps301635e0.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020952_zpsd74abceb.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020922_zps021bcbd2.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020951_zpscdd65063.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020959_zps93623461.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020928_zpsd7006430.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020945_zps2474df1b.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020947_zps1922d70c.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020930_zps6839a662.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020931_zps2d4a46db.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020932_zps6eed989b.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020954_zpsb0d91b07.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020955_zps89bbf2b5.jpg)
![](http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1409%20ash%20smoked%20HLD/P1020963_zps5efda314.jpg)