I have a pretty piece of claro walnut...but it seems unduly brittle. I 
have had a splinter come off several times now when my "sense of the 
matter" was that no splinter ought come off.  the wood just seems 
brittle.  I am trying to match a broken off piece in a carving on a bed 
for which I have a pretty good grain and color match. My hunk of walnut 
now only has enough for one more try.

I am considering whether heating the wood, lightly steaming it (I don't 
want to muddle the colors), or maybe soaking it a bit in turpentine 
might make it a bit more tractable.

Anybody heard of anything that it would soften it a bit?

John Lederer
Oregon, Wisconsin