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Thread: finish for Walnut

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
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    finish for Walnut

    Hey guys,

    Been finishing up some tool storage in my shop, using some nice air dried walnut. I have never been great with finishes and am struggling a bit here. On the first few pieces I used one thin coat of BLO waited a few days and did a coat of shellac. It turned out fine but a bit dull. I have another small pieces sitting with just one heavier coat of BLO that actually looks a bit better.

    Anyway, enough of what I have tired so far. What would you recommend as a good finish for walnut?

  2. #2
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    BLO is very slow curing and heavy coats are ill advised. For folks who don't do a lot of it, I advise Watco Dark Walnut finish from the BORG. This will address a couple of issues for you. Walnut lightens as it ages and can become near-blond eventually. the colorants in the Watco will lock in a typical black walnut oiled color for you.

    It couldn't be easier to get a successful application. Wipe it on liberally with a folded paper towel. Wait 10 minutes and reapply to the whole piece until the areas that soaked in, remain wet. Wait about 20 minutes and then wipe it off as if you have changed your mind, changing paper towels (using clean ones in place of soiled ones) frequently. If required, a top coat can be applied in about 72 hours.
    Last edited by glenn bradley; 08-20-2018 at 11:28 AM.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


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  3. #3
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    I've always used Danish oil followed by wax. It's simple and predictable. I prefer matte as opposed to gloss and it delivers. Here's a crappy photo of what turned out to be a nice finish.

    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
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    I like danish oil on walnut also. I put down three coats, wiping off excess oil after 15-20 minutes. On the 2nd and 3rd coats, I scrub the oil into the wood with a white scotchbrite pad ( the finest “grit”) This gives a nice satin sheen. Then I’ll finish with wax.

  5. #5
    I have had good luck with Tru-Oil. All you do is wipe it on with a rag or paper towel. Just keep adding coats until you get the finish you want. It's cheap, too.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Kaminska View Post
    I like danish oil on walnut also. I put down three coats, wiping off excess oil after 15-20 minutes. On the 2nd and 3rd coats, I scrub the oil into the wood with a white scotchbrite pad ( the finest “grit”) This gives a nice satin sheen. Then I’ll finish with wax.
    Same here. Usually 6-10 coats over a couple of weeks, sometimes wet sanding with the oil and fine sandpaper or 0000 steel wool.

    Some people buff for high gloss (especially if you fill the pores first) but I usually don't since I prefer the feel and a softer sheen.

    Beads of Courage box
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    JKJ

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    Most finishes make walnut look pretty good. Oil definitely works to darken walnut, and I like to use it on pieces that don't have a great color to begin with. But sometimes raw walnut (especially air dried) has a beautiful color and a delicate rainbow effect with red and purple hues. Oiling a piece like that can make it so dark that you lose some of the subtlety. So I actually like to skip the oil and use a light colored shellac. This is personal preference- if you like a dark look it's hard to go wrong with oil on walnut.

    Of course BLO on its own is not much of a finish aside from imparting color, it would at least need some wax.

    The danish oil (oil/varnish blend) recommended by several others is a good choice for ease of application. It does not build much at all, though, and can take quite a few applications to develop a nice luster. It's also too soft to buff to a gloss if that is what you're after, but you can get a matte or satin sheen.

    Wiping varnish is only slightly more difficult to apply than danish oil, can be built up and dries hard enough to buff out if desired. It's more durable than danish oil (or shellac) and if oil-based, will give a similar darkening effect to BLO.

    Shellac comes in several colors, and they all can complement walnut well. It is a persnickety finish compared to the above, with a steeper learning curve, but dries quickly and with little odor. Once you get enough on your workpiece it will have a brilliant gloss, so if your test piece ended up dull you probably haven't filled the grain yet. I like to use it whenever I can, and padding is my preferred method. I take down the gloss with steel wool and/or pumice to get a satin or semi-gloss finish.

    Waterbased varnish or lacquer would work fine as well, but you may may want to apply some BLO first to get a richer dark color.

  8. #8
    Both Danish oil and shellac do well on walnut and are pretty much foolproof.

    If desired, shellac can be topcoated with a more durable finish.

  9. #9
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    FWW has several articles on walnut finishing that I have found helpful. Unfortunately they are behind the paywall. Still if you have a subscription, check out the articles in issue 176 and 185. The finishes described use a combination of glazes, dyes, and shellac. They are multi-step, but do look great.

  10. #10
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    Thanks for the help guys. I have a whole bin of small scraps so I will test some of this a bit. It is a really beautiful walnut with some blue and purple. At first I liked that that the BLO darkened it but it may have darkened it a bit more that I wanted.

    Next up are a saw till and plane till which will have some larger panels and some really good looking boards so I want those to come out a little better than the chisel racks etc. Unfortunately now they wont match though if I dont use the oil.

    I did just buy another 30 bd feet of it but dont really want to remake the peices that are already finished with BLO either.

  11. #11
    If you want to use Danish oil, then I suggest you also sand to a high grit. At least 600. I find that it does wonders for the look and feel.

  12. I've had very good results with Tru-Oil wiped on in three coats, wipe off excess after ~10 minutes with a clean rag/paper towel, dry 6+ hours and rub out with 320 grit sandpaper before next coat; final coat dry overnight, for a gloss coat, it's fine, for egg shell non-gloss, rub out with 320 grit, or for a more lustrous satin coat, follow 320 with 400 or 600 grit. Looks great. Just enough film to protect from normal wear and tear.

    For pieces that will face severe duty or outdoor exposure, I've added protection of a hard, abrasion resistant two part polyurethane clear coat over the Tru-Oil. If it gets "rubbed out" within a day, it's not too hard to get a egg shell or satin finish. If you wait any longer, it's really hard work to rub it out. The PU without the Tru-Oil doesn't look anywhere near as good, so it's worth the effort to do the whole job.

    Using two part PU is rather more demanding to get really good results. Most pro users spray it on. I don't use enough to justify investing in spray equipment, so I roll and tip with foam rollers and brushes. If you do it right, it looks just as good as a spray job well done. (Just so you know, single part, right out of the can polyurethane is much easier to apply, but has about half or less of the abrasion resistance of the two part version.)
    Fair winds and following seas,
    Jim Waldron

  13. #13
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    James, I use Tru-Oil quite a bit for woodturnings but never thought to top it with poly. Do you have a favorite brand/source for the 2-part poly you can recommend?

    BTW, partially used bottles of Tre-Oil seem to set up quicker than any other finishes I have. I finally discovered they will least almost forever if I displace the air with nitrogen then tighten the cap. Bloxygen (argon) does the same thing but I have a spare nitrogen tank in the shop.

    JKJ


    Quote Originally Posted by James Waldron View Post
    I've had very good results with Tru-Oil wiped on in three coats, wipe off excess after ~10 minutes with a clean rag/paper towel, dry 6+ hours and rub out with 320 grit sandpaper before next coat; final coat dry overnight, for a gloss coat, it's fine, for egg shell non-gloss, rub out with 320 grit, or for a more lustrous satin coat, follow 320 with 400 or 600 grit. Looks great. Just enough film to protect from normal wear and tear.

    For pieces that will face severe duty or outdoor exposure, I've added protection of a hard, abrasion resistant two part polyurethane clear coat over the Tru-Oil. If it gets "rubbed out" within a day, it's not too hard to get a egg shell or satin finish. If you wait any longer, it's really hard work to rub it out. The PU without the Tru-Oil doesn't look anywhere near as good, so it's worth the effort to do the whole job.

    Using two part PU is rather more demanding to get really good results. Most pro users spray it on. I don't use enough to justify investing in spray equipment, so I roll and tip with foam rollers and brushes. If you do it right, it looks just as good as a spray job well done. (Just so you know, single part, right out of the can polyurethane is much easier to apply, but has about half or less of the abrasion resistance of the two part version.)

  14. Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    James, I use Tru-Oil quite a bit for woodturnings but never thought to top it with poly. Do you have a favorite brand/source for the 2-part poly you can recommend?

    BTW, partially used bottles of Tre-Oil seem to set up quicker than any other finishes I have. I finally discovered they will least almost forever if I displace the air with nitrogen then tighten the cap. Bloxygen (argon) does the same thing but I have a spare nitrogen tank in the shop.

    JKJ
    nota bene: Two part polyurethane is not for everyone. It is toxic to breathe the fumes when applying (fine once it's cured). It is very demanding to apply, either by spray or by roll and tip. It is very expensive by woodworking standards. The shelf life is about one year for unopened product. Once opened, Bloxygen or Nitrogen should definitely be used. I also store mine in the freezer of my shop fridge. Even then, the shelf life is limited to about 3 months. If not stored carefully, the shelf life may be limited to 1 week. YMMV!

    I most often use Interlux Perfection Plus Varnish. https://www.defender.com/product.jsp...478&id=1338051 It's not the absolute hardest, most abrasion resistant, but it's pretty good has excellent UV protection and is far and away the easiest to roll and tip and sprays just as well as any. For spraying, I've also used Imron and Awlgrip. In my present circumstances I don't spray anymore, so I'll leave that to others to comment upon. I also use Interlux Perfection paints as well.

    For an example of both clear and pigmented, both applied with the roll and tip technique, I offer a peek at a recent build:

    IMG_1630A.jpg
    Click for a larger view

    The clear interior was applied over somewhat rough epoxy/fiberglass coating. The exterior is also epoxy/glass, but it was filled and faired before painting.
    Last edited by James Waldron; 08-23-2018 at 1:12 PM.
    Fair winds and following seas,
    Jim Waldron

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Edmonton, Alberta
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    350
    I used to use Tung Oil, followed by Shellac. On a recent project I used Osmo oil, and I'm never going back to a different finish. Used it again on a countertop I recently finished.

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