How can I keep the color as light a possible while using products that will resist water?

I cut a new stock from a walnut blank. Its color is fine when tested w/mineral spirits, but when I apply an initial coat with full strength Tru Oil or Waterlox, it looks too dark.

I'm testing various areas before I take it down to its final shape. On another test I diluted a first coat of Waterlox w/50% mineral spirits. That resulted in a much lighter affect. I put another coat on top of that (50% tru oil/50% mineral spirits) and that looked fine too. However, when I put on a third coat of 100% Tru Oil, it darkened up again. I waited 24 hrs between each coat. I even bleached a raw test section and set it in the sun. I looked lighter at first, but after the initial coat, it was darker than all of the other tests.

This is for a Sporting Clays Competition gun. Waterlox under Tru Oil has performed wonderfully on my other projects. I don’t have a urethane spray setup.

[Linked Image from i.ibb.co]
[Linked Image from i.ibb.co]

Last edited by NOL; 11/15/21 04:07 PM.