Steve,
I got a Woodcraft flyer in the mail the other day with "solid black" (per advertising) ebony 2 X 2 X 24 for around $23. It should be here in the next couple days - I'll let you know how it looks when it gets here. I've been using horn lately, but I thought the ebony was cheap enough I just bought some for the shelf.
Michael,
I have done some experimenting with the red dye. I mixed 5 drops of dye with ~ 150ml (that's the mark on the bottle, I'm not really into the Metric System) mineral spirits just to get the intesity of the dye into a managable media. I then started mixing it into raw linseed oil, then heated slowly to let the oil take on a brown color of its own. I used about 1/2oz of the 5drops/150ml mixture in a pint of linseed oil and it makes a nice finish. I have been using it lately and am happy with it. I'll try to post some pix later.
Bryndon
