Aging Walnut

Thank you Frank McVey for the tip on aging walnut with lye. The base color changed from purple to brown just as I was hoping it would. Just got a can of Red Devil lye and poured a capful into half a coffee can of water (slowly.) I brushed it on, the reaction happens almost immediately. Then I rinsed it right away with water and dried with a heat gun. You can sand the crap out of the wood without getting down to the base color, and the color penetrates evenly. Saved my ass on this job!

Reply to
BUB 209
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Does the lye get used up in the process and become naturalized?

Reply to
Mark

I'm don't know what you mean exactly but I'm hoping the water rinse neutralized it enough that it won't be effecting the stain and varnish, I know that lye and corn starch was a formula for paint stripper in the past.

Reply to
BUB 209

I have been reading up on walnut, as I am planning a dining room table and allowing the walnut to age naturally. Unlike cherry and some other woods, walnut lightens with age, taking on a yellow hue.

Reply to
Phisherman

I used a vinegar wash when I used lye on a cherry crib just to be sure. The final rinse was lots of water!

Grant

BUB 209 wrote:

Reply to
Grant P. Beagles

Glad to be of help, Bub. I'd have gone along with Grant and used a little vinegar (or any dilute acid) to be sure that the lye was neutralised, but I reckon if you flooded the job well, you'll be fine.

Cheers

Frank

Reply to
Frank McVey

the cabinet I made in shop class, WAY BACK in 66, was 'aged' that way, then finished with 1/3 varnish, 1/3 linseed oil, and

1/3 thinner- a coat a day for a week, then a coat a week for a month... got a little darker over the years, but is STILL just fine.

I put the 'ageing solution' on every day for a week, and then let it dry over the weekend before starting to finish it...

--Shiva--

Reply to
--Shiva--

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