What type of walnut you use on your Pennsylvania desk? American walnut being dark but your project is full of oranges and reds.
-John
Brisbane, AU
18th century pennsylvania secretary Wood Finish?
Our Expert
The orange and red undertones that you see in my walnut furniture is a result of using air-dried walnut and dye during the finishing process.
Walnut naturally has a lot of orange and red; as the wood ages it becomes lighter and the red and yellow become much more enhanced. However, most commercially available walnut has been steamed in the kiln which causes the dark pigment in the heartwood to "bleed" to the sapwood. Lumber dealers steam walnut so that they can more readily sell the cream colored sapwood. Unfortunately, steamed walnut lacks the beautiful red and yellow undertones.
During finishing I apply a wash coat of red maple dye to the walnut before applying amber shellac. This simulates the oxidized appearance that walnut has after years of exposure to light.