# What wood dye/stain is compatible with Osmo polyx oil



## ComfortablyNumb (15 Nov 2015)

I'd like to slightly darken up a walnut table before I finish it. What sort of dye do I need to get please?


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## marcros (15 Nov 2015)

a non oil based one- so water based one would be easiest. I am not a huge fan of alcohol ones, but they would work too.


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## AndyT (16 Nov 2015)

I had good results using potassium permanganate under hard wax oil when I made my chair-steps. I've not used it on walnut myself but I think it would be worth a try. More here and in the next few posts

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/post726008.html#p726008


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## ComfortablyNumb (16 Nov 2015)

That looks perfect Andy. I'm trying to get a similar colour match to existing furniture that is from the Laura Ashley Garret range. I'll give the potassium permanganate a try on some samples. Thanks for your help


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## custard (17 Nov 2015)

The big question is where will the furniture be located?

Walnut is notorious for fading, English Walnut is worse than American Black Walnut, but all Walnut is susceptible. 

As Marcros said, a water based aniline dye is by far the easiest stain to apply, because it stays wet long enough for you to cover the entire piece without getting into a stew about maintaining a "wet edge", and the problem of blotching if you don't. Furthermore aniline water dyes work particularly well on Walnut. the problem is that they're fairly "fugitive" too, in other words they also fade in direct daylight.

So if your piece is in a North facing room then use a water based, aniline, walnut stain. You can keep applying coats until you get to the colour you want, and Polyx will go perfectly over the stain. And without direct sun it will last many, many years.

If you're placing the piece directly under a South facing window you've got a much tougher challenge. 

You could use earth pigments, which are light fast, but IMO they don't look great on open grained timbers like Oak or Walnut. The pigment gathers in the grain, the wood immediately surrounding the grain won't get stained, and in the case of Walnut will then bleach out in the sunlight. Within a year or two it looks awful, a speckly mess that will make you want to sand it all off and start again.

You could try spirit based stain, which even though they're often called "non fading" or "light fast" isn't really true, they're only slightly better than water based but they are much more difficult for the hobbyist to apply.

Another option is a tinted gel finish, the better ones (i.e. more expensive) tend to have UV inhibitors which significantly delays fading. Personally I find the look a bit artificial, and would normally only consider them on blotch prone timbers like Cherry. But with Walnut in direct sunlight you're really seeking the lesser of the evils, and a gel stain make be the way to go in a sunny location.

Good luck!


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## Logger (17 Nov 2015)

I use van dyke crystals and make my own dyes. Just mix with boiling water and you can make any shade you want by changing quantities. I have used all types of oil including osmo polyx oil with these crystals and they are cheap as chips too. A little will last a good while. 

Nick


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