Black Walnut for dye

[wolflobo76]

Howdy all     What are some of the ways black walnut husks are prepared for use in a dye? Just with water or can a light opil be used also?   Thanks for any info since I have a great amount of Black Walnuts every year.

[Drayton Calhoun]

Crush the shells, boil in distilled water for a few hours, watching the water. Remove from the heat and allow to steep overnight, then boil some more the following day then remove the shells and reduce by at least 75%. I have a batch that is actually three batches combined then reduced one last time by 50%. There are detailed instructions in another post in here. Mine finally came out a nice medium dark brown. I also added about a pint of rubbing alcohol to 1/2 gallon of dye to stabilize. As someone else mentioned that if the dye is a bit above room temp, it works better. I have used the same shells three times and the last batch was starting to get a little weak. I'll just dry the shells out and use them to tumble my brass for reloading.

[Slickshot]

WOLFLOBO 76

Sir if you have any extra walnut shells you could spare; I am needing some myself to use on W.G'S H.O.G rig I plan on working on once I am able (recent rotator cuff surgery).

I live in Alaska and can pay you for the shells and shipping.

Thanks,
Slickshot

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[WaddWatsonEllis]

Slickshot,

I bought mine from a company about five miles from my house here on the West Coast ....

http://www.starwest-botanicals.com/product/4oz-black-walnut-hull-powder.html#tabs

TTFN,

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Slickshot,

Pricewise this might be closer to what you are looking for:

http://www.starwest-botanicals.com/category/black-walnut-hull/

[wolflobo76]

Crush the shells, boil in distilled water for a few hours, watching the water. Remove from the heat and allow to steep overnight, then boil some more the following day then remove the shells and reduce by at least 75%. I have a batch that is actually three batches combined then reduced one last time by 50%. There are detailed instructions in another post in here. Mine finally came out a nice medium dark brown. I also added about a pint of rubbing alcohol to 1/2 gallon of dye to stabilize. As someone else mentioned that if the dye is a bit above room temp, it works better. I have used the same shells three times and the last batch was starting to get a little weak. I'll just dry the shells out and use them to tumble my brass for reloading.

Drayton,  are you talking about the shells or the husks for use in the dye mix?

[wolflobo76]

WOLFLOBO 76

Sir if you have any extra walnut shells you could spare; I am needing some myself to use on W.G'S H.O.G rig I plan on working on once I am able (recent rotator cuff surgery).

I live in Alaska and can pay you for the shells and shipping.

Thanks,
Slickshot

Slickshot I have plenty of Black Walnut shells and some with the husks on . The good Lord sees fit to provide an abundant crop every year here in Kentucky.  Do you use the shells or the husks in your dye mix?      If you are still wanting some send me a private message letting me know and we will get something worked outsatisfactory for everyone.  Hope you get healed up soon.

[Slickshot]

I will send you a private message later.

I have never attempted any dying with walnut hulls or the outside parts; in your opinion what works best?  I've made and used vinegaroon a few times; but I want to try and get a natural brown color.

Thanks,

Slickshot

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Slickshot,

What you need are the black walnut hulls ... about a pound of them .... and if you are one of the lucky ones and your wife owns a Cuisinart or Cuisinart knockoff, you can make your own husk material ... just don't use your wife's chopping blades or containers (for they will never be the same ... in fact, if you relish being single and broke like me, using her stuff to make walnut dye is a very good start .... LOL).

Then ASK your spouse for an old pair of pantyhose that one side is still good on (the other side having runs), put the ground up husks in them like a giant tea bag ( and tied on the end).

I boiled and stored my dye in crockpots ... they are usually very cheap at Salvation Army/thrift shops ... and the ceramic interiors will not (usually) react with the acid in the dyes.

Another nice thing about the crockpot idea is that if the dye is not dark enough, one can always turn on the crockpot and cook it down some more ...

[wolflobo76]

Slickshot  I have used the outside husk when it has ripened on the nut and mixed it with some light oil and used it on some wood after straining it as a type of wood stain. As for using it as a leather stain I am just getting into it and have not used it for that but have gotten alot of info here about it.  When people say use the hulls I'm not sure if they are talking about the shells or the husks that surround the Black Walnut shell which has the nut inside. I also have a good supply of Hickory nuts on hand that I have to crack and get the nuts out of. Has anyone tried to use the husks of the Hicory for any dyeing?

[Slickshot]

WaddWatsonEllis,


I have said crockpot I used to use while I was in the military , doin' chili cook-offs.

I am ready!

Slickshot

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Wolflobo76,

The husks are what you want ... the stuff that turns your hands green/brown is the same stuff that will stain the leather ... the nut hulls in my experience have little of the staining oil in them (if any), and any oil found on them (the hull) probably is just from bruised husks ....

TTFN,

[wolflobo76]

Thanks for verifying that for me WW. Thats what I was thinking.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

TTFN,

[Massive]

So just so I have this clear, the part we don't use is the shell?  All these H words have me confused.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Massive,

I know, I had to reread what I was writing to make sure that I got it correct...

But to answer your question in true left coast form, the answer would be correctimundo ....

[Drayton Calhoun]

Heck, I used everything but the nut meat. Too much sugar and causes a biology experiment. But mainly just the outer husk. I also made some coffee dye. I cheated and used instant. One jar to a quart of hot water came out a nice tan. Then, in an inspired moment, mixed in a pack of Kool Aid, raspberry I believe. Made a brilliant tan, but, dries out the leather horribly. I presume the citric acid, but, a little EVOO brought it back. Looks good. I've got a holster in here somewhere that I dyed with it.

[Skeeter Lewis]

I don't understand the difference between husk and hull.
Wadd, you say that the husk is used. But ground hull powder is cited in that website.
Am I being dim?

Also, does it matter if it's ground or not when bought?

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Skeeter,

This is probably hearsay ... I can only deal with what I have experienced ...as a kid I helped pick and remove the outer 'husks' of a bunch of walnuts ... as in bushels and bushels ...

The staining came from the husks rather than the shells ... I remember that my hands would be stained by the husk (i.e, outer/pithy/soft texture) ...and if the shells were washed to remove any liquid left over from the husks. that the shells (i.e hulls) could be handled sans gloves ... so once the outer husks were removed and the hull (or shells if you will) washed, the shells were fairly inert ....

To tell the truth, the 'walnut powder' that I used was pure powder that I bought pre-made from a neighborhood company called  Starwest Botanicals (http://www.starwest-botanicals.com/organic-black-walnut-hull_powder-4-oz.html). I do not know what they used as a source ... I am assuming that they used the husks rather than the shells (i.e. hulls), but I am unsure .... I will try to send them an email to see what is used (it is 0600 here on the left coast and I sincerely doubt if there is anyone manning a phone at the company  ...).

Once this is taken to the final step, I think we are dealing with a semantics issue ... kinda like the potahto vs potato in the old Cole Porter song ... so once I hear from the email to Starwest  I will let you know the outcome ...

[Cliff Fendley]

The outer husk is what I use, I like to do it when they are green or just turning brown because they already have a lot of juice in them.