finishing walnut

[bob7]

What kind of finish should i look into for my Claro walnut top? It is figured nicely, and i plan to use a transparent finish, without filler so that the grain and the beauty of the wood is enhanced, and protected.

Also i dont have any materials, so unless its an aerosol spray application is near impossible for me at this time.

With all of that said, what type of finish should i use here?

[westhemann]

if you don't want a visible filler(which i commend you for) use super glue or 2 part epoxy to fill the grain...with walnut you MUST fill the grain or your finish will always shrink in...walnut has HUGE pores

the 2 part epoxy is great...put it on thin(working it into the pores)let it dry(overnight) level sand any raised areas of epoxy(making sure to scuff the entire surface)then reapply the epoxy in a thicker coat,level sand down to 320,then when it is done,you have a perfect surface to apply your clear to...and clearing it will be a breeze...you don't want any bare wood at all when you clear

you can do the same thing with ca glue(super glue),but it will not build up as thick for a basecoat

by the way this is only one way to do it,there are others but i think this one is the easiest to get right

[Drak]

Claro Walnut can be a bit of a muthu sometimes.

Take a scrap piece and apply some of your finish to it and see how dark it goes. Sometimes it goes so dark, to me, it looks like absolute crap, you can barely see any figure because it goes so dark.

Sometimes.

I have bleached, then re-dyed a little red into it to get really good looking results.

[Devon Headen]

Stewmac also carries clear filler, but I don't know anybody who's used it, so I don't know how it compares to CA or epoxy.