Black Walnut

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Mar 14, 2009
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109
I have some Black Walnut I picked up at a Gun stock Maker and what would be a good way to stabilize the wood I already have it on the Blade? I was thinking Tongue oil or Clear Poly?
Ideas?
Thanks in advance
Eddie
 
Since it is already on the blade I would imagine it is dried already. I have used tung oil many times on knives. rub on a liberal amount, then let dry a little while then rub off by hand, and let dry till the next day. You can repeat this process as many times as you like. Once you get a few coats of tung oil on and it is dry rub it down with som 0000 steel wool and repeat the process till you get the finish you are after. If you dilute the tung oil with mineral spirits 50/50 for the first few coats that gets a nice deep penetration into the wood.
 
Exactly as melsdad says...I have a black walnut grove on my farm so needless to say I have an unlimited supply of black walnut that I use for knife handles and have had great results using this process even on kitchen knives.
 
Tung oil is made to put a drop on then rub it in a long time. If you apply it liberally, it will appear to dry then turn sticky on a hot day. I prefer Pro Custom Oil or Tru-Oil. Never use Linseed oil. It is pitiful against moisture intrusion.
 
Tru oil here for Walnut and than apply Howards. I don't know whats in it, citrus, carnuba, other crap, but it does a great job on rifle stocks.
 
Thanks Guys
I am Like JustinTyme I have Black Walnut a plenty. The stuff he throws away would make us Smile, most of his wood has good Figure.
 
I'm one of those folks that loves Black Walnut. Some makers think its too plain for a knife handle, but I think its very classy looking. I use polyurethane on it. Simplest thing in the world. I dip it, then wipe every bit off. Its really just down in the poores to keep the grain from raising on me once it gets wet.

Done.
 
+1 on Pro Custom Gunstock oil from Brownell's. You won't go wrong with Tru-Oil either but it skins up real quick in the bottle.

I find Pro Custom dries harder and faster than straight Tung oils, but that is just my experience. Lot's of guys love Tung oil and there is nothing wrong with it. In fact, most woodworking oils like Danish and Teak, etc... work fine. You'll find what you like best if you aren't afraid to experiment a bit.
-M
 
Thanks Guys
I have put the first coat on Tung oil around noon today, it has been in the car and its hot in NC today. I think that before I go to bed I will do another coat 50/50 mix to get it deeper into the wood
Thoughts?
 
I have used Tru-Oil a couple of times and like the results, but it's time consuming and a bit of a pain. I had some stabilized hoping to simply the finishing process.

A question I have: I generally don't care for the high gloss look that Tru-Oil leaves, so I like to sand or steel wool it back to a satin finish (like you might see on a high-end shotgun or rifle.) If that is the look I'm going for, is there any benefit to using Tru-Oil over Danish Oil, which wouldn't leave the glossy buildup?
 
PJ
I have 4 coats of 50/50 Tung Oil and Spirits I really like Black Walnut look. This is the first Black Walnut I have done. I will try the Tru oil on the next one. I don't think mixing the two would be good this time. Does it normally take a day or so to dry?
Eddie
 
Thanks
I have been trying to catch Mike in the shop. I plan on taking some to Blocks to Blade for Mike to do his magic.
Eddie
 
I have applied several coats and used so 0000 Steel Wool on it, I like the satin finish on the Tang I an thinking of doing the entire blade with 0000. I have it hand sanded to 800,
Thoughts ?????
 
Tru oil here for Walnut and than apply Howards. I don't know whats in it, citrus, carnuba, other crap, but it does a great job on rifle stocks.

I picked up some Tru Oil today and you mentioned Howard's what is it?
 
Drying time for Tru-Oil depends on your locale. In my high desert, it takes about 4 hours. Higher humidity makes for longer drying time. To keep the hardeners from forming at the top of the bottle (and leaving fewer hardeners in the liquid remaining), simply drop in kids' marbles to raise the level until the air pocket is gone. Voila! Now to fill the grain in walnut quickly, after the initial coat of 1/2 Tru-Oil and 1/2 paint thinner to go as deeply into the wood as possible, apply a thick coat of Tru-Oil and when it gets TACKY...SMEAR it over the wood which will fill most of the grain. A second thick coating similarly applied should fill all of the grain. You can do the same with Pro-Custom Oil. Different oils will give different colors which you may prefer from time to time. Tru-Oil darkens a bit like linseed oil but is not photosensitive like linseed oil which darkens over time. Tru-Oil is 5 times more moisture resistant than linseed oil. Pro-Custom Oil tends to keep the natural color of the wood. I have an article on gunstock finishing if anyone is interested.
 
Plain??? Black Walnut??? naaa-

400 grit, steel wool, danish oil & wax.

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Plain wood of any kind is a waste of work time. Feather like the beauty above really raises the bar. Burl is also great. English or Bastogne walnut also has color changes (the white is NOT sap wood in these), and adding this to feather or burl is luscious. I am cutting up my gunstock blanks which have inadequate grain flow in weak areas, plus cutting flawed blanks and getting some superb stuff. I also have a bunch of smaller crotches of English feather with light and dark areas which will be ready to cut up soon. Then off to K&G for stabilizing. Lots of fun cutting this Summer.
 
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