According to my personal files, Quebracho is aka Red Lignum Vitae, Break 
Axe and also ( surprise!) ironwood, and comes from Argentina. It's 
apparently an irritant. I believe it acts as a mordant.

A 2009 Popular Woodworking article by Brian Boggs described his 
experience using it in combination with an iron/vinegar stain. It 
definitely sounds like it's worth a try.  I have a pdf of the article if 
someone wants it.

Don Schwartz



On 2015-05-14 3:14 PM, John Leyden wrote:
> As for the black coloration, dye works. But in honor of the late Mr. Thompson
and others who have gone before him you might consider ebonization. (Heck, if
you’re gonna do a family project you might as well pull out all the stops,
right?) I recall Jim having written that his experience with steel wool
dissolved in white vinegar, as a stain for wood of most types, produced a hue
that was a bit bluish for his eye. I never doubted him on that and went looking
for a curative for it, and came upon something called “quebracho,” which is a
bark powder/extract that is mostly used for tanning hides. When used in
conjunction with steel wool and vinegar, the result is as black as coal. It
needs a topcoat of course, but the nice thing is that the grain of woods such as
white ash show right through. If that’s the look and feel you’re after you might
want to do a little research.