Chalky Walnut

[Scott Sonnenberg]

Hi Guys,

First time poster and very new to woodworking. I've been making a stool in black walnut and read that for a good finish, I should pre-raise the grain by wetting with water and then sanding before any finish. I did that, and though the result is incredibly smooth, it turned the walnut a chalky white. I initially believed it to be water staining, but it appears to be sanding dust lodged in the pores of the walnut.

321912

The leg on the left has been wet-sanded as described above, but the one on the right is still unsanded.

In order to remove the dust, I've dried Denatured Alcohol, a stiff brush, and an air-compressor, but nothing seems to touch it. I plan on finishing with Polyurethane thinned with Mineral Spirits. Will the finish restore the color of the walnut? Should I try a stain? Should I try a tack cloth. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Scott Sonnenberg

[glenn bradley]

I work with a lot of walnut and am familiar with what you show. Try a bit of mineral spirits on a rag. I generally get the dust off by simply using a vac and a brush or a piece of old t-shirt. Did you sand it while wet I wonder?

[Prashun Patel]

How does it look WET with mineral spirits? That's how it'll look after the poly dries.

I wouldn't go nuts removing all the dust when subsequently doing a wipe on varnish.

A reasonable wipe/smack/vaccuum is all you really need. Any residual dust will absorb finish and become transparent or as dark as the wood; it'll become invisible.

[Scott Sonnenberg]

When when it looks the color of the walnut. Will finish as is then. Thanks for the quick replies!