how do I get walnut boards to match in color without stain

allen levine

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I have to(forced to) build an odd sized end table for someone.
Its not about money for me, even though it was established Im getting paid for it.
Id rather spend my time doing something else, but like I said, obligations.

My walnut collection is minimal, and 2 of the boards are light tan colored.
The rest is chocolate colored.
Without using stain first, since I want to use oil on the project, how do I get the boards to match somewhat after I glueup?
Can I use a few drops of tint in a waterlox solution?
Do I just add brown or black tint?
Has to be uncomplicated for me, and I dont want to have to buy 40 dollars worth of dyes, any easy suggestions?
 
+1 on Don's comments. I have made a couple of lumber runs to match up boards even after I thought I had a good match.

A wise man once said; If its worth making, its worth making out of walnut. I'll add that if its worth making out of walnut, its worth making right ;-) I never hesitate to make a new part if things don't look right. One of the drawers on a current project finally got to keep its third front :).
 
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it would be easier to make it out of ash.

last thing I want to do is go buy walnut at 6.50-8.00 a bf and half to kill a morning to get a few boards.

Ill post a pic tomorrow when I get out into the garage.

another solution I figured out, is to use all my tan colored boards for the top, and glue up a bunch of short walnut flooring pieces I have for the legs. Wont be as noticable if the top is consistant.
 
Got any Van Dyke Brown crystals or dye? I've had successes using VDB crystals in water and using it to dye off-color, or even sap wood walnut to blend (BLEND, not match!) it with other darker pieces.

I believe that VDB is essentially just ground up walnut hulls.
 
no, I dont, but for 7.60 I can purchase it. I dont need an exact match. Its wood, a natural product, blending it will do me just fine.
Sounds like exactly what I need, simple to mix in hot water, something even an idiot like me can handle.
thanx.
 
Allen, I don't have a real suggestion like the rest of the family respondents to your post but........I was recently looking at some lumber a friend had, and trying to puzzle out what it was. He said "that's poor mans walnut" I had noticed the color of the wood was similar to walnut but not quite as brown. It was Catalpa wood. I have been eye balling a catalpa tree or 2 wondering when I might get a chance to harvest one for boards, just to see what the wood was like. Now my interest is peaked and I have some added motivation to keep a weather eye out for someone wanting such a tree removed. Catalpa is lighter in weight than walnut but very similar in appearance with a color that could be changed to match fairly close.

Of course I have no real idea where one buys Catalpa lumber. I just thought this might be interesting information.
 
heres the picture.
the center board is the last board I have from Larry.
Figured Id use the two outside boards for the top, since they match closer in color, then just color the entire top.
The couple balked at my price when they were told so Im waiting for a repsonse from them, glad I didnt cut it up today.
funny how money isnt an object, or maybe well, we know him, so he will work at slave wages.
sometimes people make me laugh.(this is a couple I gave a free set of adirondack chairs to 2 years ago, it just eats at my guts)
 

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Allen, it looks like Larry and Jim are correct about the sapwood and the difficulty you are likely to have with getting them to come even close in color to each other. Sorry about that.

Another thing to remember is Black Walnut does not stay dark without some help. It fades to a much lighter color over time. Many furniture makers stain or dye their walnut pieces to maintain the dark color. Oil alone will not do much to keep it from fading.
 
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