GOOD EBONY-The Ultimate Test

Well... Here ya go, yet another pic on genuine ebony. What your looking at is (left) a pic of one of my bishops from my HOS Fischer Spassky 40th set and (right) the same bishop examined under high tech medical equipment... Notice the grain and lack of any staining evidence... I'm satisfied, so the case is closed for me... Thanks Doc and of course HOS !

Edited added: It even picked up on remnants along the base line of the Renaissance Wax that I used that I missed when I first obtained the pieces. Guess I best use a q-tip when I polish off that super wax :)

Thanks for the info Robb. Another way to check for real Ebony is to weigh each piece with its boxwood counterpart. In each case the Ebony should weigh slightly more.

Thanks 9... Yep... and it floats lol :)

One other thing I want to add before I sign off... I know a lot of the guys can't afford to purchase custom requested high end sets... I know I've pounded the table a lot on the high quality I have received from companies such as Noj and HOS for example, and I understand those buying other sets from those others that are very reasonably priced which are not bad sets at all for the money spent. What I've been trying to say all along to y'all was not as a boast, just helpful suggestions and just to be informative of my experiences along the way in chess set collecting... especially as one goes up the ladder in advancing their collections to more high end pieces...    

You can do the same thing with a bright flash light.

If the piece was "ebonized" you would not see any grain.  This is a good test to identify "ebonized" chess sets if not sure.

Depending on the stain you may still be able to see the grain.

If the piece is dyed, you will still see grain.  This is what they would use, a thin stain or dye.

The only true test is to cut the chess piece in half.  I strongly recommend not doing this.   

Ebony being heavier than boxwood, yes, this is true, but not always.  In fact, some ebony is heavier than other ebony.

I have an ebony/boxwood set that is perfectly balanced in weight between the boxwood and ebony pieces.  I special ordered the set and requested this.  I had to wait a few months for it… but all the pieces match perfectly within a few grams.  So, what I am saying, weight proves nothing.  i have sets that have pawns made from the same wood that are 5-10 grams different in weight; i consider this poor craftsmanship, but it is common.

Here is some info on stain and dye, at the end of this video he even show ebony dye on a piece of white wood:
https://youtu.be/o3Ysfw0LmMw

hope you enjoy the educational video on stain and dye.

I get that you've spent a lot of cash on your chess sets, and seem to have a beautiful collection, but isn't it time to let it go Robb?  You enjoy your sets obviously and purchased the best that were available.  Isn't that enough without going on a crusade about your "special" ebony?  No one's buying it and every time you try to prove your case someone shows the flaws in your argument.  Just enjoy your sets, and even more importantly, the game.

I actually wrote that hoping you would come to your senses and stop making a fool of yourself.  I see that I was wrong.  Oh and I'll put my 4 year Vietnam era service in the United States Navy up against your flag waving anytime.  And it's "censorship" not "censorism".  Go wax your pieces some more, idiot.

Take it easy fellas.

Robb does appear to have enough money to buy any kind of set he wants, but that is not the point.  He has sold some really nice stuff recently to buy things related to Bobby Fischer.  He is specializing his collection.

Now this thread shows a way to see if a set has been ebonized.  If you do not see the grain it has been ebonized.  Perhaps some dting processes allow the grain to be seen, making it so that you can only be sure, with this method, of ebonized pieces that mask the stain.

Nonetheless Robb is showing one way to check your pieces.

I think that buying from a reputable seller is also a way to insure you have authentic, undyed ebony.  For instance if I were to buy a set of ebony I would personally call The House of Staunton first looking for the design I wanted and having them make sure my pieces were not ebonized or otherwise dyed, and I would have them make sure of the blackness.

If they didn't have the style I wanted I would go to The Chess Piece or find some real antique.

But alas I am a Rosewood and Walnut lover and am personally not interested in buying any ebony.  But I still find the topic interesting.

Thanks Doc :)

That's all I was saying... There are "new" guys on the site signing up all the time and I wish I knew back when what I know now. It's not about the money, cause being retired I had to save somewhat for the sets I own. With that said, as I mentioned above in another post, NOT here to boast, just passing on some stuff I learned along the way to help some others not fall into a hole. And you're absolutely right, I'm so sick of some argumentative folks on the site where there is no need for it...

Anyway... I'll show some class and remove a couple of comments... Just not worth it... I just get so aggrevated when all I'm trying to do is inform...

its good information...

this is an ebony piece under a very bright light:

I sellected this pawn because of the "blond" in it (look at the base).  It is very difficult to see that "blond" spot without the bright light.

This set looks jet black under normal light, but notice the brown tint when under this bright light.

The board is maple and rosewood.

darn, battery just went on the camera... will post ebonized pic tomorrow.  cell phone will not work under bright light, just get glare.

ebonized under bright light:

both under normal lighting:

pictures not very good... im a horrible photographer.

you will see much better detail in the ebony piece without the camera lens in the way, but i think this will give you an idea of what to expect.

both of these sets are used.  dont take very good care of them.  they get tossed around.

The pics are very good Ken... No worries... They tell the story well-Thanks. Try out those new LED type lights also. They show up the grains and colors very well... If ya see a lot of redish lightish brown most probably are of Madagascar Ebony... In most cases if it appears more gray with maybe very slight brown in minor spots now you're most likely talking in the Gaboon Ebony or African Ebony families... Oh, ya can hit those ebonized pieces white spots with a black sharpie and bring em back to color in quick order... :)

Just took this pic a few minutes ago under an intense LED hot light and it's NOT enhanced in anyway... It's from my old HOS set that Frank did in his first limited edition about 20 or so years ago give or take. It's the one I call my lucky set. God I love the way they look in the old fashion type box...

Anyway, notice the gray appearance and blueish reflections which imho is a sure sign of some good African Old School Ebony... Those little hairline base cracks ya see (before I learned a few things :) tell the story as well, but I can't get a good inside shot of them.

the light is not bright enough, if it was the background in the picture would be dark.  holding the light closer might correct this, the source of the bright light needs to be very close and focused in a small area.  the pcitures i took are in a fully lit room, yet it looks like im in the dark...

my picture are all raw, not enhanced at all... it is what the digital camera captured.  not as good as what i can see, but close enough to get the idea.

plus the knights are always the darkest for some reason.