Chalky Walnut

[Scott Sonnenberg]

Hi Guys,

First time poster and very new to woodworking. I've been making a stool in black walnut and read that for a good finish, I should pre-raise the grain by wetting with water and then sanding before any finish. I did that, and though the result is incredibly smooth, it turned the walnut a chalky white. I initially believed it to be water staining, but it appears to be sanding dust lodged in the pores of the walnut.

photo (1).jpg

The leg on the left has been wet-sanded as described above, but the one on the right is still unsanded.

In order to remove the dust, I've dried Denatured Alcohol, a stiff brush, and an air-compressor, but nothing seems to touch it. I plan on finishing with Polyurethane thinned with Mineral Spirits. Will the finish restore the color of the walnut? Should I try a stain? Should I try a tack cloth. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Scott Sonnenberg

[glenn bradley]

I work with a lot of walnut and am familiar with what you show. Try a bit of mineral spirits on a rag. I generally get the dust off by simply using a vac and a brush or a piece of old t-shirt. Did you sand it while wet I wonder?

[Prashun Patel]

How does it look WET with mineral spirits? That's how it'll look after the poly dries.

I wouldn't go nuts removing all the dust when subsequently doing a wipe on varnish.

A reasonable wipe/smack/vaccuum is all you really need. Any residual dust will absorb finish and become transparent or as dark as the wood; it'll become invisible.

[Scott Sonnenberg]

When when it looks the color of the walnut. Will finish as is then. Thanks for the quick replies!