walnut stain

[haosiliu235]

I just made some walnut stain out of dried walnut shell, by cooking walnut, water and some bicarb soda. The color isn't very dark today but it'll let it brew for a few days and see how i go.

[neilb]

I am trying to match a discontinued Croda Paints "warm walnut" NGR 880 timber stain and have run into a brick wall. I happened to spill what I had left to finish 2 bedside drawer unit tops. The best (?) thing Ive found so far is a Miratone version but is not quite the same but for a 4 litre minimum they want to lighten my wallet by $94 !!!!!!!!
Your method sounds better to me (and my finance minister) Can you explain what you used and the recipe. I will have a go at it myself but where do you get enough walnut shells from ? I would probably need enough to make up about 500ml of stain. Im getting to the desperate stage now.
Neil.

[MacS]

Neil,

Brown is made up of red and green, if you mix them together to you will get a brown, mixing them in different portions will get you all kinds of brown colors.

You can buy either dyes or pigmented colorants in green and red, you can purchase small tubes at any arts and craft shops, or at paint stores.

You add them in small quanities and mix them, and then test the color on wood, you will need to let the stain dry, and than apply a clear to see the true color.

With some trial and error yu might get lucky.

Good Luck

[neilb]

Thanks MacS
I will look into that today. The whole project has come to a halt because of this and the Cooks getting a bit edgey.
Neil.

[MacS]

Neil,

Would you like an article on mixing and matching colors for furniture?

MacS

[echnidna]

If Neil doesn't , I would, and I expect a few other forum members would also find it handy

[Chesand]

I would appreciate it also

[MacS]

I would appreciate it also

I was having trouble posting, the FS Tool ad keeps coming up.

Here, is the link, I hope it works.

http://iswonline.com/ArticleLanding/...ContentID=1326

[Chesand]

Thanks Mac
It worked this time

[neilb]

Thanks MacS
That colour matching site is a good starting point. Im gonna have a go at it when I can get my hands on some pigments and stuff . Much appreciated.
Neil.

[MacS]

I added my two web sites to my signiture. I welcome you all to go take a peek when you have some time.

I think you will find them both informative and interesting.

If you do stop by, leave me a message, and mention Ubeaut.

MacS

[astrid]

on recipes for stains.
I use van dyke crystal, this is not a brand name but the term used for a traditional preparation of walnuts.
get them from graham browns
there are lots of recipes around for making your own stains but I usualy rely on ones in old restoration books.
the problem with home made water based stains is they may fade quickly in sunlight.
so i think of agents that are a real prombem to get out and reverse the process to make a durable stain.
In the middle ages, ox blood was used and they are as dark today as when put on.
Mind you might get some pretty odd looks if you ask at the blood bank
also the traditional earth stains like real sienna, umber etc are pretty hard to beat and you can mix your colours too.
get these from good art supplyers.
astrid

[MacS]

Today, there are companies that also sell dyes in the same colors as the dry powders and the paste pigmented stains.

This is a big asset for finishing, because today many finishers are using both dyes and pigments in their finishes.

Today, many of the pigmented powders are oxides, and not natural clays from the earth.

Even, the anilines dyes of yesteryear have been replaced with metal complexed dyes made from oxides. Although, many still call them anilines.

There are still some companies that manufacture anilines and the old powder colorants, they are still availible.

Times are changing, the days of home-brewed stains is very limited, in fact just about obsolete, because today, you can buy stains ready for use in just about every color and they are more stable, consistent, and fade-less over time.

[ciscokid]

My yard is full of black walnuts. But they are huge green round things. Do you split this outer green part off with a machete or something? Do you then cook the nuts to be able to split them open and just use the shells?

[astrid]

• Q: How do I make a stain from walnut hulls?

A: Making walnut stain is really very easy.
If you have a place to work and don't have to worry about splashing the stain, boiling is the fastest way to get a good, dark stain.
Place the walnuts into a pair of pantyhose, tie a knot at the top of the leg. Fill each leg if you like. Or put them into a cheesecloth bag or some type of bag that will let the water reach the nuts but not let the dirt, etc. into the stain water.
There is no need to remove the skins (unless you want to eat the nuts or cut them into slices for coiling, etc.).
Place a leg or two into an enamel pot of boiling water. Boil until you get the intensity of color you desire. You may have to add more water. This may take a little while, don't forget you have the pot on the burner! Once you have a color you like, hang the pantyhose outside to drip & dry. Remember - walnut stain will stain anything and is a permanent stain.
There is no need to add a mordant to walnuts.
Pour the stain into a bucket with a lid (plastic buckets that hold cat litter work great) and use until gone. Occasionally, dip a strainer in to catch the hairs & dirt that comes off the basket. Store in a cool place such as a basement or garage. My boiled stain never gets moldy as long as the lid is kept tightly on the container between uses.
The walnuts in the pantyhose can be reused at least several times. Just make sure they dry out completely after boiling or they will get moldy.
There are other slower ways to make a walnut stain: letting them soak in water, adding ammonia, keeping them outside in garbage cans filled with water, etc. If you do the slow soak, you may want to add several bags of walnuts to get a good color faster.

taken from


I realise that commercially based stains are easier but they have drawbacks

rarley do you get the tone you really want straight from the can.because stains look different on different timber.
I often mix 2 or three colours to get what i want and you can waste a lot

this is ok for me as i use a lot and have the stock to experiment with but its expensive for someone thats not getting paid for their work .
and if you really enjoy creating somthing beautiful from somthing old and neglected.
the joy satisfaction and fun you get from making your own stain is somthing pretty special.