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Im looking to buy a Turkish walnut blank but have reservations because of some stories about steaming or boiling . Apparently the steaming removes natural oils and while this permits quick drying the stock fails in a short time. Is there any truth in this or is it a tale to discredit some sellers? One auction house advertises 3 years air dried but Im doubtful that is enough time for stabilising and tempering. Any comment would be helpful. Miers | ||
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I've heard the stories but have never seen the problems. Terry -------------------------------------------- Well, other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? | |||
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I once thought about writing a book...."B.S. in the Gun Business" Decided you'd need a Peterbilt to deliver one volume. Paul Dressel was telling me about kilm drying...that's right..with an "M"...Paul is pretty knowledgeable about the various drying process used...you might give him a call...or maybe Sharon will do a post?? | |||
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When I did gun shows, I always wore hip boots and brought a shovel. I've heard those stories about Turkish walnut too but have used Turkish blanks on 4 projects. They seem to be fine, hold checkering well, etc. NRA Life Member, Band of Bubbas Charter Member, PGCA, DRSS. Shoot & hunt with vintage classics. | |||
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 I hope like hell it'll hold up. The quarter sawn straight grain english didnt, started splitting at the ass end and wouldnt stop. So I just went and redid the whole rifle! My 338/06 truck gun...updated some! _____________________ Steve Traxson | |||
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That's a mighty fine truck gun!  Terry -------------------------------------------- Well, other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? | |||
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My grandfather had a sawmill and a kiln for drying/curing.( no, I didn't learn that much  )I thought I remembered reading somewhere that the that "kilm" process was for creating wood products for out door use by 1st chemically treating and the placing in a kiln? DuggaBoye-O NRA-Life Whittington-Life TSRA-Life DRSS DSC HSC SCI | |||
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Judge each blank on its merit. Any of the drying processes if not done well, can result in a variety of maladies afflicting stock blanks. | |||
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Walnut of all species is typically steamed. This is done to darken any sapwood and make it blend in better with the much darker heart wood. I would not worry too much about it. Layout, density, and grain spacing are much more important. | |||
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check out hunterbid.com they have amazing deals on unbelieveable Turkish!!! Andy We Band of Bubbas N.R.A Life Member TDR Cummins Power All The Way Certified member of the Whompers Club | |||
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Luxus is the Gold Standard for the finest that exists right now. Take a look at what is online----that is just a fraction of what they have PLUS they are honest!! The only a couple of people who sell wood are allowed into the Guild show and that should tell you something!! Luxus Home I have spent about 30k with them with no end in site!! They also control the process from the logs to their facility in Ohio which I visited last week. | |||
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Steaming may darken sapwood, fine. It is probably done partly to increase the yield of blanks from a tree, not many people want blanks with "white wood" showing. However it is still sapwood - softer and generally more open pored than heartwood. Not for me. | |||
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juglans is spot-on, sap wood isn't just about color | |||
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I think the "secret" for a non expert in buying a stock is to deal with a good wood company... I know IF I wanted to buy a good stock, I would talk to Luxus, tell them how much I could afford to spend... What I wanted the stock to "look" like, ie dark wood, grain flow etc, and what calibre I was putting it on, and follow their advice... Look at some pictures and pick the one I liked. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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Steaming wood doesn't cover up anything including sap wood. Where did you'll get that from? Terry -------------------------------------------- Well, other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? | |||
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Finest to look at, or finest to work on????? I personally would be pissed if I bought a blank that had sapwood covered up with stain at retail prices. | |||
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Luxus, is the best. I buy only from them. josh | |||
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Well if you know Chuck Grace you can ask him he builds my wood guns----do you know Chuck??  Also, have you been to the Luxus Facility and seen the pallet upon pallet of wood that has NOT been steamed… To insinuate that Luxus does that type of thing on purpose as a means to deceive is not a good thing to do. Will inform the appropriate people and I will see you at the show where we can discuss it further if you wish--have a good one. | |||
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I said stain, not steam. They do have some great looking wood. | |||
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Sorry but I know several folks (one in Utah) that cut and control the process the entire production cycle time and do not steam the wood including Luxus. I have lots of blanks from true Circassian from near the border where the real stuff has to come from to Screwbean, Japanese Walnut -- yes they have heart shaped nuts, English, Turkish, Makassar – so heavy it will not float, and Hurricane Utah Black (very dense compared to the stuff grown in less harsh environments). Buying blanks is not for people who do not know what they are buying and what they really want. Funny how most people do not know what feather is and what causes it but they know they like it! | |||
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While I don't purport to know crap about stock making I do know a bit about cabinet making w. various types of wood. Concerning Turkish I would be very concerned about how the wood comes to market way over in the triangle. How "they" handle it initially means a lot for the end product after it gets bartered for sale to the rest of the world. If cheeking is minimal by the time it gets here a kiln IMHO is the best way to go but consistent air drying will work as well. Consistent humidity levels are key. And of course the smith should ensure moisture content is stable before machining. | |||
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IMO buying wood from a very respected stockmaker is probably the best way to go. Such a person is well qualified to judge a particular blank, and they care greatly about what they offer knowing that they might well be the person using the blank! This is certainly not to say that most blank retailers don't know good blanks, but how many of them are really accomplished stockmakers - those that are have another facet of experience to offer weight to their opinions. And how many customers out their can really judge? A dehumidifier is a good investment in some climates and allows the gunmaker/stockmaker to adjust the end moisture content of SEASONED blanks to just below the average of the area completed stocks will be sent to. This process requires time also. | |||
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Thank you for all your helpful replies.They are much appreciated. I already have a blank from Luxus but have not yet used it . I found them excellent to deal with; and its clear that they do not steam their wood. I have bought a blank from Hunterbid because it had so much visual appeal. Not very good grounds , I know , but it has good layout with straight grain through the wrist.The colour and grain are striking.It has a misture content of 9% ( From New Hampshire ) and has been air dried since2002. Since starting this post I was surprised to read a passage in the book BRITISH SHOTGUNS by noted authority Geoffrey Boothroyd. He writes: Blanks are steamed to remove the sap and kill any worm.... At this stage the moisture content is can be as high as 30% Blanks whenbrought into Britain ( from France ) are dehumified until the moisture content is brought down to twelve and a half per cent. End of quote. So it seemed that the Brits steamed their blanks - or at least the French did. The typical moisture content in Melbourne , I am told ,is between 9 and 13 per cent. It seems that my new blank has the right moisture content then , but I think I will let it settle a while before I use it.Thanks again to all who replied. | |||
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I've found that it's a good practice for me to allow an additional air-drying period of up to 2 years between the semi-inletting/shaping and the final fitting and inletting. Not always possible of course, but this additional time allows for better stabilization of any stresses that may have been relieved by the shaping and semi-inletting. You don't hafta ask how I arrived at this conclusion. I always let my wood air-dry for many years before doing anything with it, one of my blanks is now over 40 years old. Moisture content in my part of the country runs ~13-14% with a humidity range of 50-95% and so stock finish takes a LONG time to dry. Regards, Joe __________________________ You can lead a human to logic but you can't make him think. NRA Life since 1976. God bless America! | |||
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None of my business, but why aren't you buying walnut grown right in your part of the world? The Australian Walnut I've used is about as good as it gets. | |||
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Well might you ask ! The short answer is because you have all the good stuff over there. I bought an Australian blank a year or so ago and its nothing like the quality of the Luxus blank and - hopefully -the blank I have just bought from Hunterbid. The price was similar though. Its only in recent times that the Australian dollar has gone up to 90 cents against the greenback.The prices on Luxus and Hunterbid walnut look pretty good to us Aussies right now. Roger Vardy has a factory and showroom up in the mountains but its well over a hundred miles from here. Regards | |||
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I have Roger Vardy's wood on 2 rifles and another that James Anderson is doing. James and David Christman both like the way the Aussie wood works. In David's opinion a piece of wood can be dry, but not cured. He said that Maurice Ottmar pointed that out to him. Miers, a 100 miles is a short drive to get good wood. Butch | |||
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100 miles would be a short drive to be able to hand pick one from the litter! _____________________ Steve Traxson | |||
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Well..Hell...I can always send some back to you! | |||
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I'm curious if " Turkish " is a premium priced version of voodoo who do wood do ?. No such animal although it may grow in Turkey , it doesn't make it Turkish !.  http://www.treenames.net/ti/juglans.htm | |||
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