Jerry, can you please describe what you do to "control the shade"? I not only use aqua fortis for gunstock coloring, but also for alot of other woodworking projects using maple. So far, my experience with aqua fortis has resulted in no control of the shade, I get what I get. Of course, I have only used pre-made aqua from TOW, since nitric acid seems impossible to buy, and having it around just scares the (bleep) out of me.
If I just water down the my store-bought aqua, in a measured manner, can I do things to get more control? Or, do I need to aquire the nitric and brew my own? Thanks, Bill.