# Raised grain/dull sections of walnut



## scribble (May 17, 2012)

I am trying to finish a walnut shadow box with wipe on poly. I sanded Jr entire box down to 220 and remove all dust and residue. It all sealed nice and smooth. I put my first coat on and came back about 4 hours later and it was all dry but there were random spots that were rough and very pale. I sanded it again and the same things is occurring in these spots. What am I missing.


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

It's hard to tell from the picture but are those linear sanding/scratch marks on the lower right section?

Walnut can have lots of grain fiber switches between the growth rings and these areas absorb finishes differently.

Best bet is to apply a sealer coat of shellac after sanding then proceed with your top coat.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Just had the same thing happen on a table top. DRY STREAKS????
Sanded several times, added coats of the W/O, still there.
12 coats later…………..DONE.
I'm not so sure that the wipe on is the best way, but it sure does look pretty.


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## JBrow (Nov 18, 2015)

scribble,

I find that three (sometimes four) coats of polyurethane and urethane applied with a foam brush on walnut produces a consistent sheen. I suspect the wipe-on poly you are using is leaving less finish on the surface after each application, so more than three or four applications may be required to arrive at a consistent sheen.

Raised grain more or less uniform across the surface is easily knocked down with light sanding with 220 grit paper between coats. At some point during the finishing process, the surface will feel mostly smooth but there always seem to be a minimal number of nubs here and there after each coat, probably from dust in the air.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Apply your finish heavily, let sit for 5 minutes, then wipe it tight. You've got some swirly figure there and some of that is acting like end grain and is drinking a lot of finish. With enough coats you should be to get it level and evenly coated.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

+1 to Splintergroup and Bondo
If you want a smooth finish, fill the grain.


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## scribble (May 17, 2012)

Just remembered I have some water based clear laquer. How would that go Over the poly I already applied.


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

"It all sealed nice and smooth"

What did you seal it with? I hope you made your own wipe on by thinning reg poly 1:1 with ms. For at least 2 coats, flood the surface, let it stand ~10 min, keeping it wet, then wipe off most of it. No need to sand between these coats unless it is rough. I use 320 if it is needed. This will actually seal the wood. If doing a poly finish, this seals better than shellac due to the longer open time. Subsequent coats will go on evenly.


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## scribble (May 17, 2012)

Dam auto correct. It was supposed to say it seamed smooth.


> "It all sealed nice and smooth"
> 
> What did you seal it with? I hope you made your own wipe on by thinning reg poly 1:1 with ms. For at least 2 coats, flood the surface, let it stand ~10 min, keeping it wet, then wipe off most of it. No need to sand between these coats unless it is rough. I use 320 if it is needed. This will actually seal the wood. If doing a poly finish, this seals better than shellac due to the longer open time. Subsequent coats will go on evenly.
> 
> - OSU55


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## msinc (Jan 8, 2017)

> Dam auto correct. It was supposed to say it seamed smooth.


Don't throw auto correct away quite yet…"seemed smooth"???? As to the marks on the wood…by the photos it appears maybe it didn't get sanded enough. The only way I have ever been able to fix that is to completely sand that spot back down and sand until the marks are gone. Areas where walnut needs more sanding can be very hard to see. I use a "magni-viewer" and still miss some. Wipe on type finish is not the problem…if it is sanded enough and all the marks are gone it works just fine. Sometimes if you sand it to a finer grit, like 320 or with highly figured walnut even try 400. Those pesky areas will show up. They are very difficult to get rid of.


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## scribble (May 17, 2012)

Dam grammar. I have been using minwax wipe on poly for this project and with others advise I put it on heavy and let it soak in for a bit then wipe on. The problem area is almost smooth with this being the 5th coat of wipe on poly. I hope to get one or 2 more coats on in the next 2 days and have this ready for the person doing the interior layout work time to get there end done by the 11th.


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## msinc (Jan 8, 2017)

> Dam grammar. I have been using minwax wipe on poly for this project and with others advise I put it on heavy and let it soak in for a bit then wipe on. The problem area is almost smooth with this being the 5th coat of wipe on poly. I hope to get one or 2 more coats on in the next 2 days and have this ready for the person doing the interior layout work time to get there end done by the 11th.
> 
> - scribble


I am curious…are you saying that you can no longer see the marks in the wood? Yeah, the drawback to wipe on stuff is that you have to keep putting it on to get a build up and it takes longer. One thing you can try with your next one is to heat the wood with a heat gun first. It don't need to be scorched, just nice and warm. You should definitely be able to keep your hand on it. This helps to pull in more finish so it is "in the wood" not just on it and it also speeds up the drying and thus the whole process.


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## scribble (May 17, 2012)

No the problem I was having was I believe more of a figured would portions in my build. I sanded all the pieces smooth with 220 and the did some wipe on poly. When the poly dried I had most all areas nice and smooth but there were sections that took on a dull and not finished appearance and also were rough feeling. I sanded smooth again and repeated the poly application. I got the same thing but not as rough feeling. I let the 4th and 5th coat of wipe on sit for about 7 min each before wiping off. I have worked with walnut many times previously and never experienced this. I think the next time I do something like this with walnut I will either do shellac or lacquer.


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## msinc (Jan 8, 2017)

> No the problem I was having was I believe more of a figured would portions in my build. I sanded all the pieces smooth with 220 and the did some wipe on poly. When the poly dried I had most all areas nice and smooth but there were sections that took on a dull and not finished appearance and also were rough feeling. I sanded smooth again and repeated the poly application. I got the same thing but not as rough feeling. I let the 4th and 5th coat of wipe on sit for about 7 min each before wiping off. I have worked with walnut many times previously and never experienced this. I think the next time I do something like this with walnut I will either do shellac or lacquer.
> 
> - scribble


Okay, I understand now…yeah, I have worked with a lot of walnut over the years and what I have come to believe is that it's the wood not the choice or type of finish in regards to what you are describing. I have also seen for certain, some walnut boards do this {usually around highly figured areas} and some do not. It may also have to do with how the wood is cut or milled in relation to the grain. I used to do a lot of gunstocks and areas where there was figure and it was curved or rounded, such as around the grip cap I would see this same problem. 
I just lucked onto a batch of really nice black walnut that has a lot of figure and I expect to have this problem with most of it. As far as how to treat it or what to do about it…the only thing I have found that works is to sand it to a finer grain and know going into it that some areas will take more finish to get them up to par with the rest of the project. 
It's funny, I have also seen some very highly figured walnut that I really thought would do this and yet it did not. I think it has something to do with how hard black walnut is. Though not really in the hardest of woods, black walnut has to be one of if not the hardest of the walnuts. I have never seen English or French walnut do this. Best of luck!


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## scribble (May 17, 2012)

Well I finally assembled the shadow box. The grain is smooth enough that I felt fully assembling the case was viable at this point. I just need to do a little touch up and cut a back then hand it off.


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