Did you know that some wood has natural luminescent properties that are exposed under black light? We didn’t know what species this was initially, so we asked the members of several woodworking groups and one person said, “Hold it under a black light. If it glows, it’s definitely Black Locust.” After a few curious re-reads of the post, we decided to give it a try and BAM!

A good friend asked us to make a couple of cigar ashtrays after seeing a social media post about one made for personal use. After a little discussion, we selected some pieces of Black Walnut and Hackberry and set to work. Both of these are finished with Rubio Monocoat to retain and enhance the natural wood beauty and help protect it from falling ashes.

The wood was selected to fit a “whisk(e)y” theme. The Oak represents the oak of whiskey barrels. We used a vinegar ebonizing technique to recreate the toasted look of the inside of whiskey barrels…without the mess. Cherry was selected for the shelves and inlays to capture the rich brown/red color of whiskey.