How can I stain walnut to look more like an English gun finish?
The main technique is to use a yellow dye, which takes away the purplish or brownish cast of walnut. Kibler's sells a yellow Trans Tint dye, and its stains also include a yellow option. Kibler's can provide customers with scrap wood, though not guaranteed to come from the same piece as their stock, to experiment with mixing dyes, including reddish tones, into an oil finish and adjusting color as you go.