Question about walnut finish

[Mike Schmall]

What is/or is there a name for the luminescent tiger eye striping effect that appears in some walnut? It reminds me of the polished tiger eye stones. Thanks....Mike

[Steve Schoene]

Air droed walnut.

[Mike Schmall]

So air drying causes that sheen that seems to run in stripes? I'm refinishing a walnut stock from a Marlin 336SS. The factory finish is meant to be durable instead of looking good. I stripped the thick coat of brown colored polysomethingorother that they call their MarShield finish. When I got down to the actual wood these iridescent tiger stripes appeared that seem to cross the grain at about a 30 degree angle, every inch or so. You really need to take it out in the sun and rock it back and forth and the lines jump out at you like some sort of optical illusion. It's awesome looking. I'm finishing it with Minwax Antique Oil, I know that all of you pro's probably use special proprietary formulas. For an amateur like me the stuff works great. I like how it gets tacky in just 5 to 10 minutes, then I buff it all off. The finish comes out very smooth but it also fills the grain fairly well.

[Henry Ambrose]

No, its not because it was air dried.
You're seeing the figure now that you have removed the not-very-transparent finish that was on the wood. Those kind of finishes homogenize the appearance of factory made wooden items. Its a way to give all the production a uniform appearance by hiding defects and sapwood. They all come out "brown".

[Scott Holmes]

Minwax Antique oil is nothing more than boiled linseed oil, some type of varnish, and lots of mineral spirits (65%).