Trying to make Walnut 'Pop' Using Tru-oil

A

AlaskanHunter

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Nov 23, 2013
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I'm trying to make some fiddleback black walnut 'pop' on a knife I'm working on, and have a question about it. I'm using Mr. Bump's method for a Tru-oil finish found here, near the bottom of page 2 and through page 3.
Do you leave the 320 grit slurry on the handle to cure, then sand the built up slurry back off, leaving the pores of the wood filled, or do you wipe the slurry off gently in hopes that you don't open any of the pores of the wood again?
Thanks,
Keenan
 
And before JTknives sig line shows up proclaiming the value of any thread without pictures. [emoji6]
This is the knife in question.
2cabffe1c1e4f6603fdaeae23bc44c46.jpg
 
I use the sanded in method on all unstabilized wood I use. I sand and shape to 320 grit- then put oil on a piece of wet/ dry 600 sandpaper and make a nice slurry- sanding in little circles. I let it set for a minute, then wipe it off with a rag cross grain! If you wipe with the grain, you can remove the slurry you placed in the pores. After that dries, Then I apply coats of oil with a rag wiping cross grain. And continue to put oil on it until your happy with the finish!
That's just my method- doesn't mean it's the only way to do it, but it works for me!
 
:)
When I do a hand rub finish on gun stocks I sand to around 400 grit then de fuz the wood using a wet rag and wip it down. It causes the fibers to stick up. Once dry I sand it again. I do this process a few times till no more fuzz comes up. I then use my fingers and rub tru-oil into the stock. Let dry for a few days and repeat. The last stock I did had like 20 coats which took allmost 2 months to do.
 
If unstabilized wood, leave the slurry on the surface, let it dry, then cut it off with the next wet sanding. If there are any open pores, do it again, re-cut with next finer grit once it's dry & check for pores.
 
Greenberg Woods said:
Is it stabilized?
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It was stabilized by K&G, but this particular piece gained little weight in the process, and many of the pores in the grain were open. the picture was taken @ 400 grit, before the tru-oil. I sanded it up through 1200 grit, and saw very little improvement. So I tried the tru-oil as directed on the bottle. It did not work out well. Then I spent a little more time with the search function and came across Mr. Bump's WIP describing his process for it. I got impatient last night and wet sanded it per his directions, then wiped it down cross grain. I guess I'll see if it works, but before trying it again, I'd like to know if I'm on the right track. My plan is to wet sand through 1200 grit (highest grit I have) and hand buff with some paste wax and a cotton T-shirt.
 
Yes, you're on the right track - Doesn't matter if stabilized or not, some woods tend to be a bit "open pore" and really need something like Tru-Oil to fill pores. I usually wet sand with tru-oil in the 320-400 grit range to build a slurry, let sit a couple of minutes, then wipe off. Don't worry about wiping off, the pores will still stay filled. After the Tru-Oil dries overnight, I'll wet sand again with water with perhaps 400 grit to see if the pores looked filled good. Any visible open pores, I'll wet sand again to create slurry. Once I'm happy with that, I'll wipe another coat of Tru-oil on, let sit a few minutes, wipe off. Repeat this step 6 or 10 times and the coat drying for a few hours between each coat. Then (with water) wet sand gently with 800 grit, 1200 grit. Then another coat of Tru-Oil wiped on, then wiped off and you should have a nice smooth shiny finish. I'll finish off with a 2,000 grit 3M polish paper, coat with Ren wax, and buff with a soft cotton buff. You've got a nice shine by then.

Ken H>
 
If you are trying to fill the grain and make it smooth you might let the slurry dry, the land it smooth then use multiple coats of rubbed on oil as suggested. The slurry and the oil will eventually fill the pores making the walnut smooth as a baby's ..............
Use finer sandpaper. Before doing the slurry, recommend doing as already suggested with a damp rag to raise the grain and cut it off.
 
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i have read to remove the slurry with a matchbook cover or business card, use it like a putty knife. if you use a cloth, you will remove some of it even if you are wiping across the grain. grain raising is important too as the other guys mentioned. i wet my handle, ( do not use a dripping cloth, you just want enough moisture on the surface for the wood to get darker) then hold the knife over my toaster ( have it preheated so its hot when you wet the handle) turning it until dry. then you can feel the fuzzy surface of the wood with your finger. repeat with the same grit, if you do it 4-5 times the wood will no longer get fuzzy after the toaster that means its done.
 
Fine steel wool is great for shearing the fuzz off wood, as it cuts, rather than abrades. It's excellent for finishing end grain too.
 
Willie71 said:
Fine steel wool is great for shearing the fuzz off wood, as it cuts, rather than abrades. It's excellent for finishing end grain too.
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I have 0000 steel wool that I could use, but I have heard some controversy in its use. Some say small particles can embed in the material and oxidize later. It's the same reason we are not allowed to use steel wool on any non-steel aircraft parts. Is it not that big of an issue? Or have you found a way to mitigate the problem?
 
AlaskanHunter said:
I have 0000 steel wool that I could use, but I have heard some controversy in its use. Some say small particles can embed in the material and oxidize later. It's the same reason we are not allowed to use steel wool on any non-steel aircraft parts. Is it not that big of an issue? Or have you found a way to mitigate the problem?
Click to expand...

0000 steel wool hasn't caused any issues for me or the two master craftsmen who taught me how to finish wood. Clean the area with acetone or lacquer thinner once done.
 
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