Probably some sort of pressure dyeing process.
Deering didn't invent it. Pressure dyeing techniques have been in use for generations.
Lots of info easily available , just google "pressure dyeing wood."
From skimming over a couple of articles, it seems that a vacuum process is sometimes used in conjunction with pressure dyeing.

Agreed

But what will the dyeing technique do to the cell structure of the wood? My shop replaces decomposed ebonized hardwood on vintage banjos all the time. Will the dye itself or the pressure dying create wood that is unstable? I guess in 100 years we will know for sure.

Bob Smakula
smakula.com

In 100 years the relics will emerge from the rubble of our endeavors. We will see for sure.

It’s no doubt one of the phenolic impregnated wood laminates long used for knife handles such as pakka-wood , DymondWood, Spectra Ply, etc etc etc..

These are dyed and impregnated under pressure and used for fancy gunstocks, archery bows, walking sticks, usually revealing interesting color layers, but are also made all black.

Any of these would make excellent fingerboards and are readily available as blanks for knife handles and turnings such as ball-point pens, bottle stoppers, yada yada, but might be harder to find in fingerboard lengths.

BTW, good for Deering for going this way—one more nail in the coffin of using endangered wood for this stuff and pretending it's OK.

Great info Mr. Levan

quote:

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Originally posted by Bob Smakula

But what will the dyeing technique do to the cell structure of the wood? My shop replaces decomposed ebonized hardwood on vintage banjos all the time. Will the dye itself or the pressure dying create wood that is unstable? I guess in 100 years we will know for sure.

Bob Smakula
smakula.com

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My theory is that on the historical examples they were not using dye at all.

Reading period woodworking/leather working books a common technique for "ebonizing" leather and some woods was to use a high acid vinegar iron solution (basically take a jar of vinegar and put some iron nails or steel wool in it and let it sit for a while) to react with the tannins.

Back when I was doing "period" leather work (reenacting days of past) if someone wanted black leather work I insisted on doing it this way, and it works very well-- only it stinks for a long time.  The good thing is that the resulting black leather does not leach out onto your pants when you sweat like most dyes will.  But, like the extant period examples, I suspect it will eventually turn to dust.

A quick google search shows that this is still being taught and used:

https://www.finewoodworking.com/project-guides/finishing/ebonizing-wood-2

And since this was commonly taught in woodworking at the time, I suspect that an industrial level version was likely common.

Soaking thin sheets of maple in high acid vinegar can't be good for it in the long run.

100 years ago many processes were different. I doubt that Deering is using high acid vinegar, just as no one is hand painting radium onto watch dials.

It's quite unlikely, of course, that any newer dying technique is devoid of drawbacks. At least maybe some exotics can be saved as new techniques evolve.

When Deering files their patent application for Midnight Maple, then we'll know their secret proprietary process that others have been using for years.

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Originally posted by Old Hickory

When Deering files their patent application for Midnight Maple, then we'll know their secret proprietary process that others have been using for years.

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Good point—maybe they will patent maple.

I have a couple of kitchen knives with black pakkawood handles that go back to the early 70s.

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Originally posted by Old Hickory

When Deering files their patent application for Midnight Maple, then we'll know their secret proprietary process that others have been using for years.

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Not a patent but... they did file an application for a trademark on the name "Midnight Maple" in October of last year with the claim that they have been using the name in trade since 2016 in their catalog (and including photos of that catalog and later versions).  In their application for the trade mark they claim they "invented" this dyed maple fingerboard. 

Perhaps a patent is forthcoming on stained or dyed fingerboards?

If you were to dye a flamed maple board, would the flame still show beneath the dye? That might make for an interesting fingerboard.

I just started brewing some iron acetate solution. Perhaps it can be neutralized by a base such as baking soda to reduce its damaging effects on the wood. I will experiment with this once it's done. Thank you to all who replied so far.

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Originally posted by Joel Hooks

quote:

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Originally posted by Old Hickory

When Deering files their patent application for Midnight Maple, then we'll know their secret proprietary process that others have been using for years.

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Not a patent but... they did file an application for a trademark on the name "Midnight Maple" in October of last year with the claim that they have been using the name in trade since 2016 in their catalog (and including photos of that catalog and later versions).  In their application for the trade mark they claim they "invented" this dyed maple fingerboard. 

Perhaps a patent is forthcoming on stained or dyed fingerboards?

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If they "invented" it, their patent would cover the specific thing they invented, not Pakkawood, Richlite, DymondWood, et al, which have been on the market for many years.

The sweaty-palmed patent and trademark paranoia of these big (in the banjo world) companies has to do with other big companies—there are only a couple of them dukeing it out. You and I would have a very difficult time even getting a sample of the specific dyed maple lamination they are using, let alone making fingerboards out of it—they probably contracted their fingerboards to a company that manufactures the material and specified the color they wanted.

If you want to do that kind of fingerboard, just use pakkawood or one of the others.

Here you go— "ebony" laminated birch.  One "full panel" sheet would make a lot of fingerboards.

https://webbwood.com/Phenolic-High-Density/PH-Full-Panel/WWPH-09460660-1005
https://webbwood.com/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=7

Much was dyed Pear wood
My ‘20’s Vega 17 fret uses it

Keep in mind that the significant aspect of the "midnight maple" is not the dyed color—you could do that with the pressure-dyed wood used to make custom pool cues.

It's the fact that it's been pressure impregnated with phenolic or the equivalent, which makes it harder than ebony and everlastingly scratch resistant.

Following my previous post, WebbWood, a US company, making the replacement for Dymondwood, may be the source of "midnight maple" for all we know.

Read their description:

WebbWood® is brought to you by D.B. Webb, Inc of Leicester, NY. We are primarily a manufacturing company, making thousands of crafted wooden and composite parts every month for our customers across the US and beyond.

When production of Dymondwood® stopped, we looked for an alternative available quality-controlled source for our manufacturing clients. Our volume shipments and large stock reserves allow us to extend the WebbWood® product range with dynamic new color sets.

WebbWood®'s Phenolic materials are constructed from the same dyed hardwood veneers, with an increased number of plys per inch. They are then subjected to a vacuum process where moisture is extracted from the material and replaced with phenolic resin. This gives a strong hard material that can buff up to a glossy shine, and that has excellent water resistance.

WebbWood® is a highly engineered wood/plastic composite that has unique physical and mechanical properties. Dyed hardwood veneers are combined with engineering grade resins, heat and pressure to create a product that has the best characteristics of each. WebbWood® is distinguished by its unique strength, durability, dimensional stability, weather and moisture resistance compared to regular wood.

Applications include, but are not limited to the following: Archery, Game Calls, Pistol Grips, Crafts, Knitting Needles, Ornaments, Pens, Awards, Frames, Pool Cues, Musical Instruments and many more.

You can buy this material and make your own fingerboards from it without fear of the patent police.

After actually watching Deering's ad (duh), I realize I have been completely wrong about the midnight maple.  It is not impregnated or stabilized, but just regular maple dyed through and through by a proprietary system they have developed, which is the "invention" they have patented—certainly that could be done with any wood, but they have chosen maple in order to give them a specific product to patent and trademark, definitely an upgrade for the Goodtime line.

Essentially, what it is is sugar maple as in a blonde Fender fingerboard or the basic Goodtime one, but stained black.  This is a great idea and much better-looking than the blonde ones, can be inlaid, and won't get dirty as they do.

Meanwhile, it was enlightening to look up these other phenolic impregnated woods, erroneously thinking that's what they did.  Richlite is already a common fingerboard material—I think Martin uses it.  I will undoubtedly order a piece of the ebony WebbWood (made from birch) and see how it works. I think there's a great potential there.

chris_coppit Thanks for posting, your curiousity is well founded. Rosewood and Ebony fingerboards are going to be scarce at some point.
The big boys are entitled to various forms of sourcing like sawing up exotics for wooden tone rings and such.
Somewhere there are workers who handle these phenolics which are petroleum based.
The search for sustainable products would be better served if people would plant new trees to replace the ones they are entitled to deplete.

Jatoba and Ipe are two of the 125 ft. canopy sustainables. No dying necessary. Blade burning and noise is a contact sport.
We don't want the Amazon to become a parking lot.
Maple gives food and is plentiful, sustainable and straight grained, so it meets specifications and budget to compete with other suppliers.  

Swamp Oak has the hardness desired and is domestic. Getting in and out with Helium based recovery would be sensible.
But you asked another question.

People can comment with cynicism if they like.  I would prefer more banjo notes in the air rather than chainsaw.

Here's two sustainables matched for durability and pleasant playing production.  Bamboo and Jatoba

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Originally posted by Jbo1

If you were to dye a flamed maple board, would the flame still show beneath the dye? That might make for an interesting fingerboard.

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There are about a million flamed maple electric guitar bodies and necksout there that say yes. Dye is actually considered to "pop" the grain and figure. Dyed Fretboards are also out there.  https://neckillusions.com/products/colored-flame-maple

Remember to use dye as stain can be more opaque. I have good luck with Fiebings Leather Dye. I have used the black to dye fretboards and other colours elsewhere. 

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Originally posted by Fathand

quote:

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Originally posted by Jbo1

If you were to dye a flamed maple board, would the flame still show beneath the dye? That might make for an interesting fingerboard.

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There are about a million flamed maple electric guitar bodies and necksout there that say yes. Dye is actually considered to "pop" the grain and figure. Dyed Fretboards are also out there.  https://neckillusions.com/products/colored-flame-maple

Remember to use dye as stain can be more opaque. I have good luck with Fiebings Leather Dye. I have used the black to dye fretboards and other colours elsewhere. 

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Sorry to stray off topic but I often am amazed at some of the beautiful electric guitar bodies that I see in music shops.  There are a lot of youtube videos showing different staining techniques on them.

Paul

Helix , Hi Larry, regarding your Vega with "pearwood" fingerboard, do you have anything to support this declaration?

The reason I ask is that this seems to be the biggest myth in historical banjo construction-- ebonized pearwood fingerboards.

I offer the following that took no effort on my part to find, I expect there is tons more evidence. See the images attached below.

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Originally posted by Joel Hooks

Helix , Hi Larry, regarding your Vega with "pearwood" fingerboard, do you have anything to support this declaration?

The reason I ask is that this seems to be the biggest myth in historical banjo construction-- ebonized pearwood fingerboards.

I offer the following that took no effort on my part to find, I expect there is tons more evidence. See the images attached below.

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I have heard the pearwood thing before and believed it for a while—it's a popular myth as you say.  Thanks for busting it on this forum.