Black Walnut finish...
- Thread starter Chris C
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oily? that has not been my experience. oil based finishes really bring out the character. if you go w/ shellac, I like a coat or 2 of amber/garnet shellac followed by blonde. the only thing to note on walnut is that it's open-grained so you'll want to consider whether you want to fill the grain or not.
↑ What he said
+1 to either amber/garnet shellac or oil/varnish. Try it on a sample piece first.
The only way to answer that question is to give it a try on a piece of scrap and decide for yourself. I suppose one could argue that any film building finish gives a plastic look. I personally don't think shellac looks like plastic, but it likely depends on a lot of variables such as the filling of pores, whether or not you do a french polish, how many coats you put on, if you rub it out, etc.
Shellac naturally leaves a gloss finish. But it is easily dulled by rubbing lightly w/ 320 sandpaper, which you pretty much have to do anyway after the first coat.
orange shellac is my go to for walnut. love the warm glow. BLO is great as well
this is where I get my flakes from, and mix fresh for each project. I'm sure others have good resources as well.
http://www.shellac.net/Shellac_ordering_list.html
Chris
this is where I get my flakes from, and mix fresh for each project. I'm sure others have good resources as well.
http://www.shellac.net/Shellac_ordering_list.html
Chris
I agree, shellac is not the top coat, but it's a great color/sealer for your clear topcoat.....but yes, a nice durable clear topcoat over either oils or shellacs gives the look and durability. Just depends on what the end use is going to be.
Well said Chris! You can finish a piece however you want. You should consider the use and environment it will be in. In that consideration pick appropriate finishes. As a group, we have tried dang near everything and can tell you how it looked, what we did wrong and how not to repeat that.
+1 to shellac as a base coat. A few points about the chairs which will be used often.
1.There's nothing wrong with shellac as your final finish for this application. Dewaxed shellac is pretty durable on its own and it's easily repaired or touched up if necessary.
2. Don't buy shellac at a local paint store or BORG. It is not dewaxed shellac and that wax results in loads of problems right out of the gate.
3. Do buy dewaxed shellac flakes or Zinsser Seal Coat (a 2 lb. cut, clear, dewaxed).
http://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/products-we-offer/finishes/shellac/
3. You can also add a topcoat over the shellac if you wish. I like Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish in gloss followed by a light rub out to remove some of the sheen. It's also easily applied, very durable, and easily repaired if necessary.
http://www.waterlox.com/
4. You can also forego the shellac and use Waterlox or the Pratt & Lambert #38 directly. They do penetrate the wood and don't have a plastic look as long as too many coats aren't used.
1.There's nothing wrong with shellac as your final finish for this application. Dewaxed shellac is pretty durable on its own and it's easily repaired or touched up if necessary.
2. Don't buy shellac at a local paint store or BORG. It is not dewaxed shellac and that wax results in loads of problems right out of the gate.
3. Do buy dewaxed shellac flakes or Zinsser Seal Coat (a 2 lb. cut, clear, dewaxed).
http://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/products-we-offer/finishes/shellac/
3. You can also add a topcoat over the shellac if you wish. I like Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish in gloss followed by a light rub out to remove some of the sheen. It's also easily applied, very durable, and easily repaired if necessary.
http://www.waterlox.com/
4. You can also forego the shellac and use Waterlox or the Pratt & Lambert #38 directly. They do penetrate the wood and don't have a plastic look as long as too many coats aren't used.
The starting point for selecting a finish is knowing what the item is that's going to be finished. Knowing that one can make a choice(s) for protection and appearance.
Black Walnut responds nicely to an oil based varnish. The amber in the oil based varnish highlights the grain and figure. Waterlox Original is an excellent choice.
Walnut is not an oily wood.
As always, test out your finishing plans on some scrap from your project. Experienced and professional finishers always do this so there is no surprises.
Black Walnut responds nicely to an oil based varnish. The amber in the oil based varnish highlights the grain and figure. Waterlox Original is an excellent choice.
Walnut is not an oily wood.
As always, test out your finishing plans on some scrap from your project. Experienced and professional finishers always do this so there is no surprises.
I've finished quite a few projects in air dried black walnut over the years and have used Watco oil and wax as my go to finish. I have noticed that some of the older projects that were exposed to UV have faded in color over time. From my research, looks like that's pretty common. I have used pigmented Watco on walnut to give it a bit more depth of color, depending on the look of the boards used. More recently I've been working on a project where I've had to mix air dried and steamed/kiln dried walnut. The kiln dried lacks the depth of color of the air dried. In looking for solutions, several sources have suggested using various types and strengths of dye first to even out the color and provide some defense against fading. Haven't settled on a product yet, but I know I'll start with dye before going to top coats. I know purists say no to any dye or stain, but just be warned about fading over time.
When we took a tour at MESDA (Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts), I recall our guide, Jerome Bias, saying something along the lines of "Over time all wood turns to a light brown color, the dark woods get lighter and the light woods get darker". I'm sure there are exceptions, but it seems that a lot of woods fall into the category.
A couple of points for clarification of air dried vs kiln dried BW. Scott Smith pointed out the distinction in another thread awhile back.
1. Air dried and conventionally kiln dried BW are indistinguishable in their appearance.
2. Commercial kiln drying uses steam as part of the process which is intended to even out the differences in the heartwood and sapwood. The steam is the culprit which results in the washed out/muddy appearance of the wood.
+1 to dyes if you must do so and they can be used as a toner if a more subtle look is wanted. Dyes won't muddy the grain/figure like a pigment based stain.
http://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/transtint-liquid-dyes/
http://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/TransTintTDS-7-2013.pdf
1. Air dried and conventionally kiln dried BW are indistinguishable in their appearance.
2. Commercial kiln drying uses steam as part of the process which is intended to even out the differences in the heartwood and sapwood. The steam is the culprit which results in the washed out/muddy appearance of the wood.
+1 to dyes if you must do so and they can be used as a toner if a more subtle look is wanted. Dyes won't muddy the grain/figure like a pigment based stain.
http://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/transtint-liquid-dyes/
http://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/TransTintTDS-7-2013.pdf
Here is a link to the thread that is being referred to above: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=52100&page=2.
This is a direct quote from Scott Smith: "Steamed walnut is that which is dried in a high temperature conventional kiln. As I recall the kiln that Chris has is low temp and not steam, so it will produce the robust colors associated with air dried walnut."
This is a direct quote from Scott Smith: "Steamed walnut is that which is dried in a high temperature conventional kiln. As I recall the kiln that Chris has is low temp and not steam, so it will produce the robust colors associated with air dried walnut."
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