Depending on how dark you want the stain, you can mix linseed oil and mineral spirits with it and spray the basket. One ounce of stain, a half ounce of mineral spirits, and a half ounce of linseed oil pretty well covered a big step basket for me if that gives you some idea of how much to mix. When done, spray a little mineral spirits, aka paint thinner, through the nozzle until it comes out clear. (7/23/00)

Patti Hawkins offers this explanation of "gray wash":
A weak solution of plain ole rit dye does a GREAT wash on a basket. I do it with COLD dye, not too strong (test it first). I often use a bit of leftover dye that's sitting around cold, add some water to it, and voila! A "wash!" (Do test for color first on a scrap) I slosh the basket around in it or use a paper cup to pour it over the basket.

You can do it on the completed basket, no matter what colors you have put in the basket, as long as they aren't too pastel. Gray and taupe are both great. Lots of other colors work, too. Just sorta tones everything down and camouflages less than perfect reed. Since I always do color and plenty of twill design, I don't want that covered up by dark stain. (7/23/00)

From Tony Stubblefield: I have been a basket maker for over 12 years and I worked with walnut hull dye only once to decide it was too much of a mess. I have been using tea for years and am extremely happy with the results I get. I will use tea bags (the extra large ones are the easiest) and boil them for 15 or 20 minutes. This isn't an exact science, I just use about 5 regular size tea bags (cheap generic brands are fine) to about 4 cups of water and let it boil down to about 2 cups of liquid. I can save the left over in a glass jar in the refrigerator and reheat it in the microwave. I then use a brush to apply the stain as I do this at my kitchen table and would have it everywhere if I used a spray bottle. You will get a very natural color to your baskets in this way. I have several oak baskets that have attained the same hues with age. You can also use instant tea (or coffee for a slightly more brown color) as well. For the instant tea method I usually use about 1/8 cup of tea to 1 cup water. This is usually enough to do 1 10 x 12 inch market basket. If I am staining a number of baskets I will add more water to my mixture for each basket so they all are a slightly different color. I hate going into a craft booth and seeing 50 baskets all the exact same color. You can see two reed basket stained this way on my website. (11/22/97)

From Ann Ridgeway: Pour boiling water over walnuts, hulls and all. Let sit overnight. Throw in some vinegar, which smells better than ammonia and is used in preserving food, so it must do something good. I pour mine through a coffee filter to remove any crud and just ignore any mold.

From Cathy Bartos: When staining my baskets I used instant tea. I use one part tea to one part water. I brush it on and it looks very nice. Of course if you want it darker you can use more tea and if you want it lighter you can use less tea. It also makes them smell nice!

From Cynthia Stuck: The walnut hull stain I made a couple of weeks ago by letting the whole hulls stand in jars looks good but has begun to show some mold. What can I do to eliminate this from my dye and to prevent it from happening next time
Answers:

From Donna Weber: Black walnut hulls are only available in the late fall in our area so I have had to find alternative staining methods that produce comparable results.

I use a mixture of oil-based stain, such as MinWax, and boiled linseed oil. The ratio is usually about 2:1 stain/linseed oil, but I mix them together until I get the desired shade. I've used stain colors such as Early American, Golden Oak and Special Walnut with great results. Using the boiled linseed oil with the stain really gives the basket a nice finish and it leaves a smooth, protective coating. It does not have that "dried out" look that you get with the walnut hull stain, and I think it looks beautiful! I apply the stain/linseed oil mixture with a foam brush so I am able to get really good coverage. Remember to wipe the stain mixture off soon after applying it to the basket so that it doesn't penetrate too much, especially on the dyed reed areas which will darken. I apply the stain to the bottom of the basket then wipe it off. Then apply the stain to one side of the basket, up to the dyed reed area, wipe it off, then apply to the dyed reed area, wipe it off, and continue in this manner. When staining a small basket, such as a candle basket, I stain the OUTSIDE of the basket first rather than the inside, so most of the stain penetrates through and you only need to do touch-up staining to the inside of the basket which is sometimes more difficult to get into because of the small opening.

From Juanita Jungck: I put my stain in spray bottles like the ones you use to mist plants. Some stains require thinning so they will spray, but this does not effect the color. With the spray bottle, the stain goes on more quickly, is not as heavy, covers a larger area, and there is less waste than with brushing. I label the bottles with the colors they contain. Also, mixing colors of stain is easier with the bottles. If a thin coat of dried stain covers the nozzle, I just remove it. I spray the baskets in a plastic tub with a flat rack inside. If there is excess stain, it can be poured back into the bottle or peeled off the tub when it dries.

From Debra VanBriesen: If using an oil base stain such as Minwax, I mix 1 part color, 2 parts clear, and 2 parts mineral spirits. The 3:1 ratio of stain to spirits thins the stain enough to penetrate well yet not look "dry." The clear helps lighten the color enough to let the color shine through. I especially like Early American and Special Walnut.

From Charlotte Erhardt: I use one part Minwax wood stain to two parts mineral spirits. Mix in a jar and brush onto the baskets. Let air dry. If the color is too light or dark, just add more or less mineral spirits. Let me know if you have questions.

From Donna Weber: I use a mixture of oil-based stain, such as MinWax, and boiled linseed oil. The ratio is usually about 2:1 stain/linseed oil, but I mix them together until I get the desired shade. I've used stain colors such as Early American, Golde n Oak and Special Walnut with great results. Using the boiled linseed oil with the stain really gives the basket a nice finish and it leaves a smooth, protective coating. It does not have that "dried out" look that you get with the walnut hull stain, and I think it looks beautiful! I apply the stain/linseed oil mixture with a foam brush so I am able to get really good coverage. Remember to wipe the stain mixture off soon after a pplying it to the basket so that it doesn't penetrate too much, especially on the dyed reed areas which will darken. I apply the stain to the bottom of the basket then wipe it off. Then apply the stain to one side of the basket, up to the dyed reed area, wipe it off, then apply to the dyed reed area, wipe it off, and continue in this manner. When staining a small basket, such as a candle basket, I stain the OUTSIDE of the bas ket first rather than the inside, so most of the stain penetrates through and you only need to do touch-up staining to the inside of the basket which is sometimes more difficult to get into because of the small opening.

From Linda Justice: I like the look of Deft brand Step Saver. It is a stain and a finish in one. It goes much farther than Minwax which is also a favorite.

From Crystal Drenner: I have purchased carmel/walnut dye or extract. They come in 3 oz. containers. I mix or dilute to the color desired. I have also used White Lightening, to white wash baskets. All of this is water based. I spray all my baskets with a gloss spray.

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