Black Walnut finishing suggestions

[clowman]

Well.. I am rounding the bend, and will be starting assembly of a black walnut bed in the next week or so.

The last time I made a plea for finishing suggestions on this board, I got the suggestion for my chessboard, and couldn't have been happier, so I'll give it another go! I am in need of suggestions for finishing.

Here is what I am looking for:
I am looking for a finish that enhances the grain of the wood. We (LOML and I) are not interested in changing the color of the wood at all. We do not like High gloss on our furniture. We would prefer a nice satin. I have no spraying equipment. I thought of the same technique I did on the chessboard, (Shelac then lacquer), but I sprayed the board. Don't know what results I can hope to achieve with a brush.

Any suggestions?

 

[DaveO]

Clay, try Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish. I used it on my Walnut and Sycamore tables. I love the results! I compared it to my usual base coat of blond shellac for a little color and grain POP, and it gave better results. It's a medium sheen finish and applies well with a brush or wiped on.
Dave

 

[jeff...]

curious to see the bed .

[strike] I don't think they had spay equipment back in the day. If you looking for a antique look. A lot of antiques are hand rubbed, shelac and top coated wax with a hard paste wax like clear carnauba wax. Little trick I learned for applying wax, put a lump of the wax inside a few layers of folded cotton cheesecloth, this helps to prevent heavy smears ;-). Then buff with a cotton tee shirt or an electric buffer just go easy with that electric buffer you dont want to create to much heat and burn the finish. [/strike]

Well with DaveO's post I'm striking mine ;-)

 

[MikeH]

Thanks for asking the question Clay. I will be finishing my workbench base with a low gloss finish and it sounds like I will be using Waterlox like Dave suggested.

 

[Nativespec]

I have been happy with poly. Maybe some wax to help protect from scratches.

 

[Ray Martin]

I haven't done anything really large in walnut but had the same thought about finish on a mantle clock I made last year... just make the grain show. Walnut is beautiful all my itself. I used a danish oil and then wax. I think I put 2 coats of the oil on and then waited about a week and a half. I put 3 (really thin) coats of wax on top of that... all you see is the walnut. No show of finish at all. The clock is in my album, but the photo does not show the real finish / color very well

Ray

 

[cpowell]

Clay, I finished a walnut floor lamp with 2 coats Watco danish oil and many (maybe 6) coats of wax. I did NOT fill the grain.

Danish oil is a very close finish. I like it on beautiful grained wood.

Here's a few pics I posted last year.

Chuck

 

[Dusty Sawyer]

I just finished turning a walnut bowl (props to Kyle Edwards for the sale of some excellent wood) and have put Watco Danish Oil on it as well. I've done alot of finishes with linseed, danish, and tung oils. By far, the oil finishes look best to me on nut and fruitwoods. With walnut, each of the sanding stages are key and a nice coat of poly really makes it look sweet.

 

[jglord]

I'm adding another vote in favor of Danish Oil and have learned a different application technique. I read in a couple of books about wet sanding Danish Oil and have used this on brazilian cherry, cherry, and both American and peruvian walnut with excellent results.
I begin with a well sanded or finely planed piece and apply a liberal coat of Danish Oil. After waiting a very few minutes, I sand the piece with 400 grit wet paper. I repeat this process 4 or 5 times - total time for a small piece is about 20 to 25 minutes. Finally, I coat the piece with a thin coat of DO and return after approx. 30 minutes and re-coat any areas appearing dry. After another 15 or 20 minutes, wipe the piece to remove any excess. Then I let the piece dry for 48 to 72 hours. After drying I buff and wax the piece.

Here's a link to a photo of a brazilian cherry band-saw box I did for my daughter last Christmas.

 

[clowman]

Wow... Again, I am not disappointed. We have some great suggestions here. Could someone please tell me a bit more on grain filling of walnut? I know the theory, but not the technique. Is it worth it to fill the grain? Any drawbacks to grain filling? Is it worth it for walnut?

 

[jglord]

I apologize:BangHead::BangHead:

I should have said the reason for wet sanding the DO is to fill in the grain. The idea is to take advantage of the varnish in DO to fill the grain. The principle is based on Bob Flexner's book Understanding wood finishing. He recommends using the finish to fill the grain, he says, and I've found there is no grain filler that will not show through the finish. Using layers of the finish, sanded smooth will fill the grain, bond well with the finish and not show.

Sorry I did not say this in my original post.:eusa_doh:

 

[rhett]

I would think the only reason you would want to fill any wood grain is to achieve a true mirrored high gloss finish, which you stated you and your wife did not like. Danish oil will not fill the grain on an open pored wood like walnut. Most people who use an oil and wax finish want to feel the wood anyway. That said, I am a big fan of danish oil and wax. I would add after the wet sanding step to use 0000 steel wool to apply the wax. If you really want the grain to pop use a little diluted green dye, it plays well off walnuts natural purple hue.

 

[Art Stratemeyer]

Hi Clay,

The following is the finish schedule I use on many commissions using the original Waterlox.

1. sand through 220
2. flood coat with Waterlox thinned 50% with mineral spirits
3. The proceed to do between 8-10 coats full strength for any "touch" surfaces. ( legs, under carriage, etc often only 4-6 coats )

Each coat is allowed to dry 24 hrs then light sanded with 320 abranet

Last next to last coat allowed to dry 72 hours then light sanded with 600 grit abranet.

Last coat again allowed to dry 72 hrs then buff sanded with 1000 grit abralon pad and soap/water

The finish is then allowed to cure for a minimum of 1 week before waxing ( I leave the waxing as an option for my clients since with wax you need to warn them about care and re-waxing). The waterlox by itself is a finish that can easily be cleaned with soap/water.

One thing I can't stress enough, with all oil finishes is waiting as long as possible before waxing. For me it is a minimum of 2 weeks and longer if I'm using a more "oil" conctrated finish. I've seen way too many times where the wax is applied too early and if the finish is not fully cured it will out gas and cloud the wax.

I warn all of my clients that the finish will not reach true hardness for at least 30-60 days.

This finish yields a very "touch friendly" surface to walnut.

 

[TominZebulon]

At the risk of hijacking this thread, which is not my intention, what about finishing walnut in a bathroom vanity? I am building a shaker style bathroom vanity out of walnut for my new house (based on the one in the Workbench magazine from a couple years ago). My wife and I feel the same. We absolutely want to add no color if we can get away with it. But I also need the protection in a bathroom environment. What do you guys and girls think?

 

[DaveO]

At the risk of hijacking this thread, which is not my intention, what about finishing walnut in a bathroom vanity? I am building a shaker style bathroom vanity out of walnut for my new house (based on the one in the Workbench magazine from a couple years ago). My wife and I feel the same. We absolutely want to add no color if we can get away with it. But I also need the protection in a bathroom environment. What do you guys and girls think?

Waterborne poly would be the best to not add any color and be easy to apply. Pre-cat lacquer is what is most commonly used professionally. Oil based poly would give the best protection with ease of application but can add a slight amber or yellow color to the wood...which isn't bad on Walnut.
I would use the oil poly myself.

Dave

 

[jeff...]

It's hard to beat oil based poly when it come to durability isn't it?

 

[DaveO]

It is for sure, and ease of application :icon_thum. The only draw-back that oil based poly has it the difficultly in repairing the finish. Polyurethane has problems sticking to itself :lol:

Dave

 

[clowman]

Wow.. what a wealth of information. I have obtained some Watco Danish Oil, and Waterlox Original. I will do some samples, and pick what the LOML likes best. For once, I actually can't wait to get the project assembled to start on the finish! Thanks everyone

 

[Nativespec]

I find it easy to repair the finish with poly-just sand and wipe on some more.

 

[Touchwood]

Clay,

I've built a couple of Maloof style rockers in Black Walnut and used the stuff suggested by Hal Taylor in Virginia. If you visit his site and look at the notes for chair makers, he suggests Deftoil Danish oil/urethane clear natural finish. It's the best oil finish I've found..and I've tried a lot of them.

I sand to 350 grit then use Abralon 500 to get almost a mirror finish before putting on the first coat. Abralon 1000 before second coat. Sometimes do a third coat but usually not needed. There's very little bleed back with this product.

I ordered it from Doug's Supplies item #010037. You can't find it in stores East of the Mississippi.

Take care,

Don