Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Stoopid stain question....
Barry Irby
The walnut in the bed I am making is variable in color, some quite light and some fairly dark.
I am considering making my own stain. Take some shavings and soak them with alcohol or water and extract the color and use that to stain the bed. (told you it was stupid question)
I should give up on the new age antique chemistry and just use some quality manufactured stain, Right? Maybe Burnt Umber?
No
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
I think you should proceed with the chemistry experiment. It is how discoveries are made that result in progress. That said, most experiments fail.
Re: Stoopid stain question....
Joe in a Cleveland suburb
When I finish walnut, I refer to this thread which I have bookmarked.
The problem
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
If a stain is uniformly applied to dark and light pieces of wood the result is going to be a darker and more darker pieces of wood. To achieve uniform you need to darken the lighter wood only or lighten the darker. And......to achieve uniformity 5 years down the road, one would have to anticipate the response of all this coloring to light exposure. It is why lumber selection at Step 1 of building something is critical for appearance.
Barry should spend more effort asking about how to avoid problems rather than asking how to fix problems that could be avoided.
Dyes from Black Walnut
JL
I have made dyes from black walnut hulls and nuts.
Originally I got the procedure from a person who uses the dyes to "naturally stain" yarn.
Does it work to stain wood - yes. It isn't as dark as Bill's burnt umber stain - but it does work.
https://www.wnit.org/outdoorelements/pdf/walnut_dye312.pdf
Van Dykes crystals *LINK*
Jack Guzman from Maine
I use these for darkening chairs before painting. I imagine they could be useful to even up the color in walnut.
van dykes crystals
You are Correct Sir!
Barry Irby
I usually try to match the wood carefully to the extent using wood from a single tree or at least trees from the same soil. I carefully pick and choose. This time I failed. I ran out of thicker stock and bought some. Scored some from the son of a 93 year old woodworker who bought it out of a barn that was collapsing over fifty years ago. They went and got it when the son was a kid and he is in his sixties now. The barn had leaked and some of the wood had rotted. They rescued as much as they could and the father has been building furniture out of it ever since. The father has aged ut and the son sold me the remnants.
The 4x4's have cleaned up beautifully revealing nice ripple figure. They are the posts for the bed. The rest of the bed is some I got off the family farm and some I have had for years and some that came from the same barn. I have positioned the various colors carefully and kind of like it, but my son would rather have it nice and dark and even.
Re: Van Dykes crystals
Barry Irby
All of my best ideas were stolen by the ancients.
Rather than make my own, I will buy some. Thanks.
Another experiment
John in NM
Try a mild base like ammonia or weak lye. I've used them as wipe on aging before, and the rag always turns dark brown or red, depending on the wood.
Since they are reacting with chemicals in the wood, in your case I'd try soaking some chips as you mention rather than wiping on directly as I do - I'm not trying to even up so much as just get an older look.