Black Walnut Finishing questions

[Thad Ligon]

I just bought a black walnut guitar body and I would like to get the
a great looking finish on it. I've read quite a few posts regarding walnut
but couldn't find all the answers I wanted so I figured I'de post a message.

I'm open to hearing everyones opinions on accomplishing the following:

I'de like to get a slightly darker color and make the grain really pop
and compliment the marblesqe striping in this beautiful piece of walnut.
I'de also like to get a very glassy finish on it.

I'm really curious what you guys out the would do to achieve that? What
products you'de use, etc. This particular piece has a somewhat porous grain, but doesn't look like it would take a whole lot to get it filled. I appriciate any
input you might have.

Thanks,

Thad

[Mark Valsi]

DANISH OIL !

easy, and beautiful, more natural than 1000 coats of some lacquer !

[Larry Rasmussen]

First time I've used it, wonderful wood to work so far. I am going to use General Finsishes ARM-R-SEAL oil and urethane topcoat. I purchased it a the local Rockler retail store on a staff member's recommendation. It will wipe or brush on.

My test piece included 4 approaches, one pair with black wood filler and one without. One pair finished with the ARM-R-SEAL semi gloss and one with the Rockler wipe on gel finish which I have used and liked in the past. I most definitely preferred the filled piece, appeared overall richer. Was very easy to fill compared to the Oak on my last project. The finishes were similar, hard to determine a clear preference but I am going with the General Finishes ARM-R-SEAL. I have no doubt that oil would look wonderful but do recommend filling the walnut.

Nope can't find the dang wood to take a picture of. It has been a couple weeks and it is apparently buried somewhere. Hope the words helped.

Larry R

[Jameel Abraham]

One great instrument finish for walnut is Birchwood Casey Tro-oil. It's a gunstock finish, and is thus very durable. It behaves more like a varnish than an oil like Watco or BLO. You can build several coats in a day (wiping in thinly, and even sanding the wet coat to build a slurry for filling pores), and let it dry a week or so after the last coat and rub out with 0000 wool for satin or even micromesh for satin to gloss. I usually rub on 20+ super thin coats. Birchwood Casey's website has some instructions, as well as Luthier's Mercantile (www.lmii.com). The latter has a very long treatise one Tru-oil application. It's under their instructional menu.

[James Kuhn]

My vote:

https://www.waterlox.com/desktopmodu...ail.aspx?ct=24

Followed by:

https://www.waterlox.com/desktopmodu...ail.aspx?ct=26

Woodcraft sells little packets of both that would be perfect for a project this size. Rockler might also. There are all kinds of ways to use the stuff but the easiest is to brush it on and rub off the excess after a minute or so, wait a day, knock down the finish a bit with steel wool, and repeat 2 or three times with each product. Walnut tends to have very open grain, so you might have to sand in the first coats of sealer (fill the pores). All in all you will end up with a very tough finish with a lot of depth and I have always found the immediacy of the process very satisfying.

-I'm not a Waterlox employee, shill, etc. etc.

[Nate Rogers]

Thad,
Just my two cents, but I don't really like putting any type of oil finish on black walnut, I feel it dulls the subtle hue of greens/oranges etc. I really like using clear shellac, with many coats it really brings out the character of the wood without dulling any part of it. I have done several pieces out of black walnut and found this to be my favorite. Just my 2c.

Nate

[Jim DeLaney]

My preference for finishing walnut is garnet shellac. The dark amber hue of the garnet shellac brings out a richness in the walnut that I really like. If you use de-waxed garnet (from Homestead Finishing), you can put poly-urine-stain or some other supposedly more durable finish over it, too.

[Rob Millard]

I agree with Nate Rogers and Jim DeLaney. I have used oil to “pop” the grain on walnut in past, but I found that shellac alone did a much better job. I also like to put orange dye on the walnut to warm it up a bit. I did not reply before now, because I don’t know the first thing about finishing instruments. I believe I read somewhere that the choice of finish can effect the tonal qualities of the instrument (Stradivarius?) , so for all I know shellac may be a poor choice.
Rob Millard

[Howard Acheson]

>> General Finsishes ARM-R-SEAL oil and urethane topcoat

GF's Arm R Seal is a thinned urethane varnish. In other words, the two items you mention are the same. Both are urethane varnishes. Stay with one or the other.

The traditional coloring agents for walnut are a boiled linseed oil followed by an amber or orange shellac. For a top coat, a non-poly varnish is excellent. I would recommend Waterlox Origninal Gloss. It's tough and will stand up the the abuse us guitar players inflict on our guitars. Oil and/or shellac will both be rather quickly damaged by body oils and sweat.

Keep in mind that if you use shellac that is not dewaxed, you can not use a polyurethane or urethane varnish. The wax in the shellac will make for poor adhesion of the poly.

[Jerry Olexa]

What howard said, I concurr...

[Peter M. Spirito]

No one mentioned using a gain filler? I am starting a walnut and cedar lined hope chest. Walnut does have a very open coarse grain. Everything I have read in the past starts with a grain filler. Your thoughts please.

[Rob Millard]

No one mentioned using a gain filler? I am starting a walnut and cedar lined hope chest. Walnut does have a very open coarse grain. Everything I have read in the past starts with a grain filler. Your thoughts please.

I've used the medium brown oil based fillers sold by Constantine's and Behlen to fill walnut. Of the two I much prefer the Constantine's brand.

My schedule for finishing walnut is, prepare the surface by raising the grain, dye it orange to warm the color ( only on kiln dried lumber), seal with a thin coat of de-waxed dark shellac, apply the grain filler and let dry for at least 3 days (I sometimes apply a second coat after one days drying time). After the filler has cured, apply any top coat compatible with the shellac sealer.

On the filler application specifically, I thin it with mineral spirits in the summer to slow the set time, and naphtha to shorten it in the cool weather. Thin it until it is like house paint (the Behlen is nearly thin enough right from the can) . Brush it on in small areas until you get an idea of how quickly it hazes over. When it has hazed over, scrape off the excess with a plastic putty knife or similar tool, going across the grain, the again going across the grain wipe the surface clean with burlap, changing to a clean piece frequently. Let the filler sit a few minutes, and wipe lightly with the grain using cheese cloth, being sure to remove any residue left on the surface. When the filler has cured, I like to use a fine synthetic abrasive pad with a light touch to buff the surface, prior to applying the top coat. The filler application is messy and boring, but worth the effort.
Rob Millard
www.americanfederalperiod.com

[Thad Ligon]

I just bought a black walnut guitar body and I would like to get the
a great looking finish on it. I've read quite a few posts regarding walnut
but couldn't find all the answers I wanted so I figured I'de post a message.

I'm open to hearing everyones opinions on accomplishing the following:

I'de like to get a slightly darker color and make the grain really pop
and compliment the marblesqe striping in this beautiful piece of walnut.
I'de also like to get a very glassy finish on it.

I'm really curious what you guys out the would do to achieve that? What
products you'de use, etc. This particular piece has a somewhat porous grain, but doesn't look like it would take a whole lot to get it filled. I appriciate any
input you might have.

Thanks,

Thad

Thanks for all the input everybody. I've decided to coat with a nitrocellulous laquer specifically designed for instruments. I'm
using the laquer as the grain filler too, so lots of sanding and lots
of coats await me. Here's a pic of the body with four coats of
clear on...

[nic obie]

What Howard said about the orange/amber shellac...

Then if you wish use a NC lacquer top coat and rub it out with auto polishing compounds.

It's not too late to add the shellac. To my eye, it needs it.