Finish for Walnut veneer


Dan Bryer

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Good morning. 

A few years back, I took my 1st drum kit and replaced the black factory wrap with cherry veneer. I recently bought a new floor tom with a *close* match, but not perfect.

I have some extra sheets of walnut veneer that I was  thinking of using to redo the whole kit. I love walnut, but I'd like to do something other than a natural finish. Do any of you have any suggestions for a stain colour that might actually show on the darker wood. Maybe a dark blue or purple?

Thanks in advance.

Dan.

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General Finishes has a selection of dye stains if you want to darken the walnut yet still see actual woodgrain. I strongly suggest you practice on any scrap/leftover veneer before you attempt to dye the veneer on your drum kit.  They also make a reducer to thin the dye/stain. 2 coats of thinned dye gives you much more control, lets you sneak up on the desired intensity of color.

Practice and take notes ! Then follow your notes to achieve success. Best advice I ever received, ignore it at your own peril. Finishing is as complicated a skill as mastering woodworking.  

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Another possibilty is to use a chemical treatment to enjance the wood's natural color. I can't locate it at the moment, but somewhere on this forum is a photo I posted with examples of what lye solution does to various woods, including walnut. The walnut took on a very rich brown, just a few shades darker that the raw wood. The reaction is quick, and goes a little deeper than stain or dye usually does. Of course, chemical reactions depend on the stuff already in the wood, so your mileage is likely to vary.

FWIW, the product I used for making the lye solution was Drain-O crystals. A teaspoon of crystals to a quart of water make a solution plenty strong for coloring wood, but not so strong that is extremely hazardous. Wear safey glasses, though.

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If you can spray a lightly tinted finish or sprayable (spray on leave on) type stain can be used to creep up on the level of color desired. So many ways to do things. Practice is still key before you tackle the drums. 

Might be smart to investigate if a thick finish can affect the tone or sound of your kit.

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I am currently amking a box and wanted to stain the interior walnut liner.  I happen to have some General finishes Georgia Cherry gel stain so Itired it on a scarp piece.  I think it is beautiful.  It does mute the grain so its not so easy to see but the rich red/brown result is, at least to me,  a classy look.  Here's a pic of liner with and with out the stain and with several coats of shellac.P1010005.thumb.JPG.56e5e93f5436d64c0b9e9938e9e01d48.JPGP1010006.thumb.JPG.b3d8d7bc2da43dc3889da212b3fc9279.JPG

The grain is a little more visible in real lifr than in the pics.

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13 minutes ago, Brendon_t said:

Personally I like adding a drop of trans tint purple  for walnut with a lot of grey in it. It will darken the dark but is a nice look to me.

Does the purple show at all? I wouldn't mind a little colour, but I know the darkness of walnut kind of limits my choices. 

Thanks Brendon

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2 hours ago, wdwerker said:

If you can spray a lightly tinted finish or sprayable (spray on leave on) type stain can be used to creep up on the level of color desired. So many ways to do things. Practice is still key before you tackle the drums. 

Might be smart to investigate if a thick finish can affect the tone or sound of your kit.

Would that hide the grain more? I could always use a different veneer . I just think walnut is such a classy looking wood.

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1 hour ago, Dan Bryer said:

Does the purple show at all? I wouldn't mind a little colour, but I know the darkness of walnut kind of limits my choices. 

Thanks Brendon

It is subtle, but yes it shows, especially in Walnut with a lot of natural gett in it. I only found it though trial and error

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