ooh how I love air dried walnut


Brendon_t

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I feel compelled to say this again...

 

Kiln-dried walnut looks VERY similar to air-dried walnut.  STEAMING walnut is what ruins the color.  They do this to darken the sapwood so people won't notice it as much.  Unfortunately it drains all the life out of the heartwood at the same time.  Kiln drying does not do this, and not all walnut that is kiln-dried is steamed.

 

Kiln drying WILL toughen the fibers a bit, and that's why hand tool users love air-dried walnut.  But the whole color thing has kind of become a bit of a myth that air-dried is so much more colorful.  The fact is, it's not that different.

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I feel compelled to say this again...

Kiln-dried walnut looks VERY similar to air-dried walnut. STEAMING walnut is what ruins the color. They do this to darken the sapwood so people won't notice it as much. Unfortunately it drains all the life out of the heartwood at the same time. Kiln drying does not do this, and not all walnut that is kiln-dried is steamed.

Kiln drying WILL toughen the fibers a bit, and that's why hand tool users love air-dried walnut. But the whole color thing has kind of become a bit of a myth that air-dried is so much more colorful. The fact is, it's not that different.

Exactly it's the steaming that muddies the color. I've also heard that region can make a difference. Look at all the colors in this Nebraska walnut.

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I feel compelled to say this again...

 

Kiln-dried walnut looks VERY similar to air-dried walnut.  STEAMING walnut is what ruins the color.  They do this to darken the sapwood so people won't notice it as much.  Unfortunately it drains all the life out of the heartwood at the same time.  Kiln drying does not do this, and not all walnut that is kiln-dried is steamed.

 

Kiln drying WILL toughen the fibers a bit, and that's why hand tool users love air-dried walnut.  But the whole color thing has kind of become a bit of a myth that air-dried is so much more colorful.  The fact is, it's not that different.

Yep. It's unfortunate that this confusion exists but this is not the first time I've seen it and clearly it's also not the first time you have either.

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So Eric, tell us some more why you hate kiln dried walnut... Jk

With it being so dark in the garage and not wanting to wash it out with a flash, here are a few pics.

Second pic is the back side of the same panel with some mineral spirits wiped on.

The pink, grey, and purple blew me away

post-16319-0-37068700-1420948724_thumb.j

post-16319-0-06543200-1420948738_thumb.j

post-16319-0-45260800-1420948753_thumb.j

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