Walnut Stain- home brewed.

   I have talked about my home made walnut stain before and I am currently using it as part of my most recent project's finish. The amount of colour imparted by one application of the stain is shown in this photo.  The dye (stain) is suspended in water and so I put it on raw wood, and yes, I get a bit of blotching on soft wood.

  Recently I have made a new batch of stain and I will be trying to mix the colour into other mediums, alcohol  and mineral spirits for example.  I am partial to the water based dye (stain) because it is fast drying and easy to clean up.  I am also going to simmer the brown stained goo on a camp stove for a bit to see if the colour can be concentrated more.

walnuts, skin on after soaking for 2 years.

    Lest you forget that home-made can be rough and ready, this is what the stain goo looks like in the container,  trust me, the smell is "earthy", fortunately  the charming smell seems not to linger once the wood is stained.

   When mucking around with stains I like foam disposable brushes.  I am not a throw things out guy, but there is a point where brushes just get too corrupt and you can't be sure you won't pick up colour left on the brush if you use it again.

   I am steadily trying to improve the results of my finishing.  Carpentry is only one part of the equation when you are a wood worker, and usually finishing is the the last part of the equation to receive the dedication that it deserves.