Ebony question

[Laura Friedman]

Hi. I just received a custom cue that I ordered. The forearm has Ebony. I noticed that one part of the Ebony is not true black, but a very dark, grained brown which is clearly visible in bright light. Is this considered normal, or a flaw? I really don’t know much about Ebony. Thanks.

 

[pt109]

I’ve had a lot of ebony cues….most of them have brown marks.

 

[ideologist]

Hi. I just received a custom cue that I ordered. The forearm has Ebony. I noticed that one part of the Ebony are not true black, but a very dark, grained brown which is clearly visible in bright light. Is this considered normal, or a flaw? I really don’t know much about Ebony. Thanks.

Only the absolute highest grade ebony pieces are truly jet black. Some brown is expected unless you spent a fortune on the wood

 

[Black-Balled]

Only the absolute highest grade ebony pieces are truly jet black. Some brown is expected unless you spent a fortune on the wood

Or accept the maker has hit it with paint...barf.

I like to see a bit of figure in my cues.

 

[Laura Friedman]

Or accept the maker has hit it with paint...barf.

I like to see a bit of figure in my cues.

You mean if it’s pure black it’s been painted?

 

[Laura Friedman]

Anyone want to see it? I warn you, I designed it, so it’s a bit… unusual.

 

[RRfireblade]

Normal. Its wood.

 

[MitchAlsup]

Hi. I just received a custom cue that I ordered. The forearm has Ebony. I noticed that one part of the Ebony are not true black, but a very dark, grained brown which is clearly visible in bright light. Is this considered normal, or a flaw? I really don’t know much about Ebony. Thanks.

There is thing about products made with natural raw materials--they have character.
It is part of why we like the final products as much as we do.

 

[Mr. Joshua]

Maybe Macassar ebony. Looks sharp.

 

[ideologist]

You mean if it’s pure black it’s been painted?

Not necessarily

 

[lfigueroa]

Only the absolute highest grade ebony pieces are truly jet black. Some brown is expected unless you spent a fortune on the wood

What he said.

Lou Figueroa

 

[tomatoshooter]

Only about 10% of trees a fully dark and the only way to tell is to cut it down. Previously the trees were felled and if they lacked the desirable jet black color, they were left to rot.

The Truth of the Forest

Taylor Guitar, a responsible steward of ebony wood sustainability, became co-owners of a mill in 2011. Beginning our journey to learn the ebony trade, and the employees in surrounding villages. The Ebony Project is a video that displays all the effort that goes into transforming the ebony tree...

www.taylorguitars.com

Personally I think the streaky stuff can look wonderful but there's something about that jet black color that I still want it.

 

[Laura Friedman]

What he said.

Lou Figueroa

Hi Lou!

 

[lfigueroa]

Hi Lou!

Hi Laura

How’s it going?

Lou Figueroa

 

[garczar]

macassar often has grain like that. gaboon is usually close to black.

 

[BarenbruggeCues]

As mentioned the majority of ebony seen on the market today generally has some form of brown coloring in it somewhere.
It is rare to find solid black ebony unless you know where to look and are willing to get your wallet out to pay double or in some cases triple of the going rate for common ebony. World wide there are several different species of "ebony" that can and will produce different colors from almost a light brown to a coal black. Again, the darker black the ebony in it's natural state the higher the price that will be placed on it.

Yes, some have and will doctor the wood with dye or some type of dark coloring to enhance it's look and try to push its value higher in a finished product. This practice has been used for years throughout different trades. The billiards industry is not exempt from the same practice.
As far as the ebony wood characteristic in a cue, if it is a solid non cracked or checked piece, regardless of its color it mostly all plays the same.

Not trying to degrade your cue as it would have no effect on the playability, but I would be more concerned with sanding scratches in the finish than the color of the ebony. But this is just my personal observation of the picture you have provided.
Enjoy your cue. I'm sure it will serve you well.

 

[Laura Friedman]

As mentioned the majority of ebony seen on the market today generally has some form of brown coloring in it somewhere.
It is rare to find solid black ebony unless you know where to look and are willing to get your wallet out to pay double or in some cases triple of the going rate for common ebony. World wide there are several different species of "ebony" that can and will produce different colors from almost a light brown to a coal black. Again, the darker black the ebony in it's natural state the higher the price that will be placed on it.

Yes, some have and will doctor the wood with dye or some type of dark coloring to enhance it's look and try to push its value higher in a finished product. This practice has been used for years throughout different trades. The billiards industry is not exempt from the same practice.
As far as the ebony wood characteristic in a cue, if it is a solid non cracked or checked piece, regardless of its color it mostly all plays the same.

Not trying to degrade your cue as it would have no effect on the playability, but I would be more concerned with sanding scratches in the finish than the color of the ebony. But this is just my personal observation of the picture you have provided.
Enjoy your cue. I'm sure it will serve you well.

I didn’t see the sanding things. I’ll look tomorrow. Great. Give me something else to stress about. Is it supposed to be in or underneath the finish? Because the finish looks super smooth to me. Maybe it’s the photo?

 

[Laura Friedman]

Hi Laura

How’s it going?

Lou Figueroa

Good. I just bought a cue!

 

[gutshot]

I talked to a large supplier in the past and they have said less than 5% of the ebony they harvest is jet black. However, if you can find Malagasy Ebony, a lot of it is jet black. I prefer it over Gabon but almost impossible to find these days.

 

[Laura Friedman]

So just hit my first few balls with it. It’s my first non-stainless joint and my first non-ivory Ferrell. Love the smooth feeling of the hit! The balance will definitely take some getting used to - maybe not as forward weighted as I’m used to. Of course, I just started playing again less then a year ago and have been using only house cues, so maybe an adjustment.