Fumed Oak

Properties & Qualities

Application

Architecture Furniture Product Sample making Sculpture

Qualities

2D Colourful Rigid Smooth

Colour

Brown Earth-colour

Sample Information

Date of Creation

March 25th, 2023

Dimensions

220mm x 145mm x 2mm

Culture & Context

Ammonia fuming darkens the wood species used and brings out the grain pattern. It consists of exposing the wood to fumes from a strong solution of ammonia which reacts with the tannins in the wood. The process works best on white oak because of the high tannin content of this wood. Fumed oak is also called smoked oak. Other species may also be fumed, but usually will not darken as much as white oak.

Process & Production

Place the sample piece in a sealed chamber – for smaller objects this can simply be a ziplock bag. For larger works, a fuming chamber is required with adequate extraction.PPE such as eye protection, waterproof gloves, and respiratory mask should be worn.A small amount of liquid ammonia is placed in the chamber – as the fumes become concentrated in the chamber the ammonia reacts with the natural tannins in the wood. To achieve a deeper dark brown colour the work may be exposed for up to two weeks. The work should then be aerated for 24 hours before a finish is applied.

Recipe Details

Woods with high tannic content work best, with white oak being a favoured choice, however Mahogany, walnut, cherry, chestnut, redwood, and hemlock all have enough tannin content to allow for fuming