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The other day someone started a thread on coloring wood and had something about using oven cleaner to darken mahogany. I tried that last night and it made the wood a little too red for my taste. So I went looking and found this. I think I'll do some testing this weekend using some of these techniques. What I'm looking for is to darken mahogany without changing the color. I'd like to end up with something about the shade of an english walnut shell. Anyway check this site out.
Homemade and Alternative Stains and Colorant

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Please let us know what you find.

John, there was a fascinating article in Fine Woodworking years ago about a young finisher whose company was facing a sudden deadline. A bank was to open to the public, but there had been a mix-up in the order, and all the woodwork had been stained too lightly. The uppity-ups were furious. What this young fellow devised was sealing off all the doors, and filling the room with ammonia fumes. Left it all night. When they came back the next morning, the woodwork was a perfect shade for the banker's taste. And the young finisher got a raise as well as a long weekend off.
I've tried oven cleaner as well, and like you, find the resulting color too reddish. Try some tannins? (At least tea bags are cheap.)

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

YUP!

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Do any of you use Potassium Dichromate? I have never used it, but have watched david marks on the DIY channel use that on mahogany and that stuff really makes the mahogany look awesome.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

I think Hank Mauel used some recently and got good results. I just don't like the idea of playing with poisons so I'm gonna give the tea bag and iron acetate a try and see how that goes first.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Yup...I used potassium dichromate with great success. You need to be careful, but no more so than many other activities associated with home ownership...oven cleaners, Drano, weed sprays, etc.
Also have used the anhydrous ammonia to fume wood. Works well on woods with high tannin contents...like oak. Again... mask, skin and eye protection

I use chicory which is available cheaply as a coffee additive for coffee New Orleans style. I use this to tone egg whites when I am pore filling and as a wash when toning a top. Its advantage other than being cheap ($2.50US per 13 oz. coffee can) is that its color is brown, not red or yellow. Most finishes will add a yellowish tint so if a colorant is red in hue it can look somewhat orange.

Chicory is slightly acid but contains no tannins (to the best of my knowledge) so is stable. I find it easier to get consistent color with it than with tea but I do like a cup of Bigelow's "Constant Comment" or Twining's "Earl Grey" tea when building guitars