Best clear finish for walnut to retain the dark color

[Jon Grider]

I'm working with some very nice dark,rich figured walnut that I would prefer to not muddy up with stains or coloring of any sort as an attempt to preserve the darkness, but I'm aware of walnuts natural tendency to lighten over time with exposure to light. Does anyone have any first hand experience or links to clear finishes that work best or better than the others at preserving the natural color of this wood?

[John Keeton]

Jon, my experience is that walnut is going to change color on you no matter what you use as a finish. It has more to do with the amount of UV exposure as I understand it. I suppose you could darken it with dye, but even that would fade over time. It really just gets better with time in my opinion - however, it is my favorite wood, so I am somewhat biased.

[Jon Grider]

Hi John thanks for the reply, judging by the lack of responses, others must concur with you too...the lightening process is inevitable. That is what I thought, but I was hoping someone had come out with a new UV blocking clear wonder finish that would preserve the darkness of walnut.

[Chris Padilla]

Jon,

What you may want is a finish that can easily be refurbished/repaired although that may not help.

My personal favorite, easy to use finish is Velvit Oil. Google it and see what you think.

In my Tansu (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=92396) project, I will use a darkly tinted Velvit Oil to finish it. The Tansu ought to be more or less out of the sun so I expect it'll stay relatively dark and hopefully the darker stain will help that over time.

I believe Velvit Oil could be classified as a wiping varnish but I'm not totally sure about that. All I know is that it is easy to apply, easy to fix, easy to replenish, and is durable enough to use on floors. Try a small can of it.

[Jon Grider]

Thanks for the link, Chris.I'll think I'll try a some Velvit Oil on some scrap walnut to see how I like it. The ease of application and filling properties sound great. Let me know how it works on your Tansu. BTW, my wife walked by the computer while I was looking at your Tansu link. Looks like I may have another project down the road.

[Michael O'Sullivan]

Out of curiosity, do the UV stabilizers in marine varnish have any effect on the underlying wood, or only on the varnish itself?

[Mark Lambert]

I work almost totally with Walnut my personal choice is Light Walnut or Natural Danish oil then top coated with Nitro lacquer or USL

Looks sweet for years

111050


Mark

[Prashun Patel]

I love amber shellac on walnut. Good clarity and reasonable protection if it's not getting mega use.

[Jim Becker]

UV blockers will only slow down the change...not eliminate it.