Staining and finishing european walnut?

[Artificer]

I prefer Tru Oil on gun stocks due to my own personal knowledge of how it stands up field conditions and especially how it resists differences in humidity.  I have witnessed how stocks finished with Tru Oil in Virginia and then sent and used on Okinawa, Hawaii, Southern California, North Carolina and Camp Perry, Ohio don't swell up or shrink as much with Tru Oil as with other gun stock oils, though of course I have not been able to try every gun stock oil on the market and especially not have the depth of experience with it in so many different climates. 

I imagine how "hard" one thinks Tru Oil is all depends on what one thinks of is a "soft" oil finish.  Tru Oil is used on frets of banjo's and even the bodies of mandolins.  Here is an interesting quote:  "The fact that it is thin and flexible, allows maximum vibration in the wood of musical instruments."  So obviously it is not really a "hard" finish. 

http://www.mandolinluthier.com/Hfinish-tru-oil.htm

Now of course Tru Oil is not a traditional finish, so if one doesn't wish to use it for that reason, then here is some information from Forum Member Eric Kettenburg on "Traditional Varnishes"

http://www.muzzleblasts.com/archives/vol5no2/articles/mbo52-1.shtml

Gus

[wet willy]

I would agree w/dphariss (above), some walnut does not require a stain ... a stain may even darken it too much.

A walnut technique I've used with pleasing results is, after applying a sealer such as very thin shellac,  wet sanding (320 to 600 grit) using the finish to wet the sandpaper, create a slurry of wood/finish, wait 30 mins(if the finish is too tacky, wait less time), gently wipe off with a cloth, wait a day, repeat. The wood/finish mix gets into the walnut pores, eventually filling them up. Some contemporary finishes may contain a filler, but I like using the wood from the piece being finished. My technique may take 8 or more applications!

Scratches, nicks, scrapes, etc seem easy to repair using just a smear of finish hand-rubbed in.