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General Category => General Scroll Saw Talk => Topic started by: MrA on March 04, 2015, 10:34:13 pm

Title: Finish on walnut
Post by: MrA on March 04, 2015, 10:34:13 pm

I cut the Steve wood's pattern scroll box out of walnut with red oak front and back. It looks good but now I am unsure what to use as a finish. I usually use lemon oil with a poly top coat but find this always turns walnut to a very dark color and I would like to keep it as light as possible. Any suggestions?
Tom

Title: Re: Finish on walnut
Post by: Keith Sharples on March 05, 2015, 05:14:27 am

A friend of mine recently made a Ukulele with a Walnut back.  He used shellac as a finish, and it hasn't darkened it much.  Just a possibility.  ;)

Keith.  (Norfolk, England)

Title: Re: Finish on walnut
Post by: Toneman on March 05, 2015, 09:13:24 am

On walnut, I use just shellac for a finish. It allows the beautiful grain patterns to show and to me, walnut is dark enough without adding any stains or oils.

Tony,aka,Toneman

Title: Re: Finish on walnut
Post by: EIEIO on March 05, 2015, 06:14:24 pm

For certain you don't want any stain on walnut. BLO will highlight the contrast between the sap wood and heart wood, but if you have all heart wood it will become very dark. I like the rich color. 

Title: Re: Finish on walnut
Post by: MrA on March 07, 2015, 11:18:48 pm

Well it it's finished, I used polyurethane, three coats of liquid and it looks great.
if I figure out how to post pictures I'll post it. I can work a saw pretty well but a computer
and I are definitely not friends. I'll wait until one of my grandsons comes around.
TOm