Ebonol

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Ebonol is an artificial material similar to ebony (Diospyros crassiflora), a black wood from Africa, which sometimes includes grey streaks. Ebonol is commonly used in place of ebony in the construction of stringed instruments, like fretless bass fingerboards, because it is easy to work with and resistant to forming grooves from roundwound strings.

Ebonol can also refer to Ebonol-C, a black oxide treatment sometimes used in plating to treat copper surfaces after copper plating in order to achieve a very highly absorptive black surface. This Ebonol generally gives the treated piece a velvet appearance, and on a microscopic scale, dendrites appear on the surface of the finish. These dendrites tend to trap light for a higher absorptivity. This type of treatment is used in space applications for light rejection and other optical properties. Ebonol-C is also used to treat bronze in jewelry to give it a black appearance.