stain for walnut

[Rifleman1776]

Walnut looks best with NO stain. And preferably with a genuine, really boiled linseed oil finish.

Yes, or, as I did with my Brown Bess, pure tung oil.

 

[Billnpatti]

Just an FYI

One of the manufacturers of paints and varnishes posted this on their website. I gave raw linseed oil a try one time and it took so darned long to dry that I gave up and removed it from my stock and used some Formby's Tung Oil, which by the way is not real tung oil but a diluted varnish. It's good stuff but not really tung oil.

"Raw" linseed oil is just that - linseed oil mercilessly squeezed from flax seed and packaged with no additional additives or preservatives. Raw linseed oil dries very slowly, taking weeks to fully cure. You should limit its use to the insides of wood gutters, chopping blocks, sawhorses, and other items exposed to the elements where drying time is not an important consideration.

Slow drying is a mixed blessing. For oil-based paints and varnishes, slow drying is a benefit, since this allows the paint to "level" itself, giving a smoother finish with fewer brush marks. The best looking paint jobs are invariably oil paint jobs, without question. However, when used as a wood preservative for items that are handled or walked on, such as tool handles, furniture, or wood decks, long drying times are undesirable. 100% Pure, this slow drying oil has multiple uses. It helps wood retain its natural moisture, aids in water repellency, ******* cracking, checking and shrinking.

"Boiled" linseed oil, though, is not boiled. The actual boiling of some varnish oils changes their drying characteristics. With linseed oil, though, it is the addition of certain solvents that causes linseed oil to dry more quickly, acting as if it were boiled. This makes it a better product for preserving tool handles, decks, and furniture. I suppose they should have named it "sort-of-boiled linseed oil", or "kinda-like-boiled-but-not-really-boiled linseed oil". Boiled Linseed Oil is used as a natural wood finish and preservative, either alone or with other oils and solvents. Mixed with oil based paints and varnishes, it increases gloss and improves leveling and durability. A mixture of 2 parts boiled linseed oil to one part turpentine creates a semi-gloss wood polish for furniture. Can also be mixed with mineral spirits.

 

[galamb]

but it is often quite blond.

(the quote insinuated a "negative")

This is how rumours get started.

Zonie doesn't like "blondes" :rotf:

P.S. - I still stain my Walnut even if it's uniformly dark - because I want it "darker".

 

[Jim Kibler]

Staining with well spent ferric nitrate (aquafortis)can give walnut a very nice appearance. Too strong of an acidic solution and it can become too dark. Unstained walnut finished with modern materials often looks weak and pale to my eye.

Jim

 

[LaBonte]

Just an FYI

"Boiled" linseed oil, though, is not boiled. The actual boiling of some varnish oils changes their drying characteristics. With linseed oil, though, it is the addition of certain solvents that causes linseed oil to dry more quickly, acting as if it were boiled. This makes it a better product for preserving tool handles, decks, and furniture. I suppose they should have named it "sort-of-boiled linseed oil", or "kinda-like-boiled-but-not-really-boiled linseed oil". Boiled Linseed Oil is used as a natural wood finish and preservative, either alone or with other oils and solvents. Mixed with oil based paints and varnishes, it increases gloss and improves leveling and durability. A mixture of 2 parts boiled linseed oil to one part turpentine creates a semi-gloss wood polish for furniture. Can also be mixed with mineral spirits.[/i]

Actually you can make your own real boiled linseed oil as was done in the past or you can buy it pre-made without the chemical dryers used in modern so-called boiled linseed oil. The latter uses driers that dry from the outer surface of the oil inward leaving a skin that slows the proper drying. With real Boiled Linseed oil aka Tried and True the oil dryers from the inside out. http://www.triedandtruewoodfinish.com/
for a bit harder more endurable finish I use Tried and True's Varnish oil which is currently the closest product to that widely used in the past. For help in drying leave the piece where it will get plenty of air movement and sunshine (UV rays) if possible - apply in several light coats and allow each coat to dry in between.