Walnut Dye

[vthompson]

I am going to attempt to make some powder measures from deer antler tips and I was wondering if anyone had a good recipe for making a stain or dye from black walnuts.
If you can share your recipe with us I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[StevePrice2]

My recipe is pretty simple.

Toss a bunch of black walnuts into a 5 gallon bucket and fill it half way with water. Wait a while - a week, two weeks, what ever. Come back, it's done. It can then be thinned with water to lighten it. The stuff will stain your skin dark and it will stay that way a long time. Don't ask me how i know that. :shocked2: :idunno:

Green walnuts may make a lighter, yellower stain. Does the same thing to your hands. :shake:

Pecans work too.


I used to cane chairs and stained half the caning to get a nice herringbone pattern.

Some others on here may have more scientific methods adding, salts, alcohol, chemical binders, etc. I never bothered when nuts and rain did the trick. Careful when it splashes, did I mention it stains stuff a long time? :shocked2: :redface:

Steve

 

[NJStricker]

I've read that adding alcohol (isopropyl) to the mix will decrease the growth of mold in the stain.

 

[Arrowhead]

I don't go to the trouble to mix up anything anymore. Fiebing's oil based leather dye works so well I use that but you may have to use multiple coats on antler to get the shade you want. It is available in several shades of brown and you get consistent results. It also works great on wood. Just call me lazy. Maybe it's not period correct but show me someone that can tell the difference.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Its the Green/Black outer( soft) husk around the harder inner walnut shell, that surrounds the edible meat inside the walnut shell, that gives off the DYE. You can take the husks off the Walnut shells to save those walnuts, and still have the husks to soak to get the dye. How soon you pick the walnuts off the tree will determine how light in color the dye will be. The longer the walnuts stay on the tree- turning from a pale yellow to green to black-- the darker the stain's color will be.

IT IS A STAIN, and I join others in warning you to wear rubber gloves when handling this stuff, unless you want purple hands for the next couple of weeks!

Please don't ask me how I know about this! Thank you. :hatsoff:

 

If you get walnet dye on your hands try real lemon juice to remove it.
Haveing have had my hands stained from many different types of wood though out the years logging, it has worked in removeing stains. Walnut bark will also stain like the hulls will.
Also it works great as a trap dye as will sumack buds and branches. Most bark if left in a 5 gallon bucket with water will make stain.

 

[skunkskinner]

If your in a hurry to use the stain, boil the husk in water for an hour or so. I put the husk in an old sock, then boil.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Aftet the walnut hulls and water have worked, using a coffee filter (or an old sock) to filter out lumps will prevent uneven dying. Unfiltered stain can leave dark spots. (don't ask how I know )

 

[omarick1948]

I don't go to the trouble to mix up anything anymore. Fiebing's oil based leather dye works so well I use that but you may have to use multiple coats on antler to get the shade you want. It is available in several shades of brown and you get consistent results. It also works great on wood. Just call me lazy. Maybe it's not period correct but show me someone that can tell the difference.

Arrowhead, No offence, but I am one who can show you the difference over a period of time. The Fiebrig oil or alcohol based leather dye fades badly from direct sunlight and easily rubs off bone, antler and horn, again with hard use. I still like RIT dye and a good waxing protecter finish for bone, antler and horn for long lasting results and coloring combinations.

JMHO
Rick

 

[Eric Krewson]

For dye I let some black hulls dry completely and pounded them to a powder. Next I filled a quart jar half full of crushed hulls and half full of water. After a few days I had a pretty strong stain.

I noticed my container growing mold on top of the stain after a few months so I dumped about a third of it out and filled the container back up with denatured alcohol, no more mold.

I never strained the pulp out and put the stain on wood pulp and all. I slop it on thick and wipe off the excess getting any pulp off in the process.

The hulls made a very dark stain.

Well, photobucket is not working correctly so I will have to wait to post a picture.

 

[Pork Chop]

Why not just use alcohol completely instead of water? Just curious I have never made a stain...

 

[blynch66]

try witch hazel and the hauls.last time I tried water it got some kind of worms in it and smelled like rotting flesh.