Rosewood is a wealthy, tight-grained wood that may come from among many trees belonging to this genus Dalbergia. Its oily and shiny texture make it a preferred material for musical instruments, jewelry boxes and other crafts, and furniture makers use it primarily as a fabric for highlighting and cutting. Rosewood is generally chocolate- or coffee-brown in color. You can not alter its colour much with stain, but it is possible to darken it. Instrument makers utilize various darkening agents for this purpose. Apart from leather dye, these brokers comprise tung, peanut, almond and even motor oil.
Clean out the wood you are likely to stain by rubbing it with a rag dampened with naptha. Sand it with 400-grit sandpaper to etch the surface and then open the grain.
Create a darkening stain by blending black leather dye with tung oil. Use 1-part dye to 4-parts oil; add more dye if you would like a darker stain.
Cover any adjacent metal or plastic parts with masking tape so you don’t get stain on these, particularly if the wood is part of a fretboard or jewelry box.
Rub the stain in the wood, using a rag. Let it soak. Wipe off the excess after about five minutes. Repeat when the color is not dark enough.
Brush the dye directly onto the wood with a little paintbrush if you would like to blacken it to resemble ebony. Allow it to dry. Wipe a thin coat of tung oil over the dyed rosewood. The oil provides a protective layer that prevents the dye from wearing off.
Sand the stained rosewood with 600-grit sandpaper after the tung oil dries to knock down the grain and then smooth the surface.