For you fellas that are good wood fabricators

yes I am finishing out a stock and I did the relief around the lock mortise.
Applied stain and it seemed to create half moons on each end of the relief.
Is it just the way the grain runs that it gives that result? Is there something that I can go back and address.?
Pecatonica stock no fancy maple...just regular grade.
Tried sanding out what I thought were blemishes turns out it was just part of the grain.
Any recourse

Thanks
SM

I have no idea what you are talking about. Post some photos and maybe me or someone else can get you an answer.

It just seems that the stain gravitates to the curves of the mortice in spite of diligent sanding.
I just simply do not know how to get things even color.
SM

At each end of the mortise you are cutting across the grain, creating end grain which absorbs more of the stain. Only thing to do is seal the areas like that before staining.

A diluted glue before staining would make the different grains absorb stain more evenly. Some refer to that as sizing, some as conditioning. Commercial products are available at most paint shops, even walmart and big box stores.

There are paste wood fillers, water based please, made to fill all the pores of the wood.
Mix it, brush the whole stock with it, and sand when dry. It can solve many uneven staining problems.
You could also try adding color to the coats to the final finish only. First 2 coats tru oil, plain,follow with colored tru oil and adjust the color as you have to.

Thanks All

SM

Guess I will have to live with that halo around the mortise not a deal breaker as most of it came pretty good. It will be dragged around the woods so....
But I have mentally stored your ideas for use in the future as I progress with greater projects.

SM

Hi,
What stain did you use? A filler is not a good choice for maple and it will obscure the grain. Color pigments and dyes will migrate if you slop it on too thick and then do not wipe the excess off.

dave

dave_person said:

Hi,
What stain did you use? A filler is not a good choice for maple and it will obscure the grain. Color pigments and dyes will migrate if you slop it on too thick and then do not wipe the excess off.

dave

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Hey Dave, I had used a minwax early american stain followed by clear poly and lemon oil and pumice rub out. It did not come out all that bad except for that and I am working right now to "correct " it the best I can. When I am satisfied or fed up whichever comes first then I will post a pix of it.
Thanks for your input
SM

HI,
Minwax is a pigmented stain in a way much like really thin paint. The pigment is suspended in the solution and deposits into the pores of the wood. That is the reason the stain color can migrate and that would be particularly true on maple because it takes a while for the stain to penetrate into a dense hardwood compared with pine or a softer wood. On maple it will pool on the surface and migrate by gravity.

dave

Thanks again Dave, It was a good learning curve to do this. I will be better prepared when I move up to a high quality kit. I realize the small mistakes and learned from them. I did a CVA kit back in the eighties which also did not come out so bad. It will be used where it always has been,extensively at the range and during M.L. Season. I used a frizzen from Taylor and Co. for their kentucky Rifle some mods were needed but it sparks better than the Lyman replacement I have.

Howdy, whenever I use Minwax stain I use the Minwax Pre-Stain Conditioner. It eliminates the bloochy spots you sometimes get with there stains. It's not expensive and a small can lasts for a coons age.
Good Day, Gordy

Do not use an oil based stain on hardwood, use an aniline dye type stain or an acid based reactant, such as aqua fortis.

Gosh, "...good wood fabricators" as introduced by the OP. I had no idea there was so much to learn and consider in finishing a wood stock. In another thread in this forum, I asked about doing a pistol build and leaving the barrel in-the-white versus bluing or browning. Lot to think about there. So now in thinking about the wood prep and finishing, it's another bunch of stuff to learn. These chats are eye-openers.

I did an MLF search on Aqua Fortis this morning, had never heard of it before. Uncovered some brief chatting points about AF. However, on another muzzleloading forum I found an older, lengthy thread chat about whether or not AF works okay on walnut. Lots of very interesting discussion about various materials, which can be used, along with their helpful rabbit trails, too. What I found cool was one fellow's summary comment about the many choices out there, and especially about the "answers" to what is best to use:

Most of us have many cans of stain, many bottles of dyes, fillers of various types, and many different bottles of finish around that we've experimented with over the years. I might use very different finishing techniques and compounds on different jobs depending on the wood and what I want the final finish to look like. No easy answers.

Thanks for the enlightenment in this thread about wood care. You all are sure keeping me busy "in school!"

wiksmo

Zonie said:

I totally agree with you.

IMO, Minwax products are made for finishing pine bookcases and maybe a pine table, if you aren't too fussy about what you want it to look like.
I don't think any Minwax product should be used on any firearm. There's absolutely nothing Minwax can do that can't be done better with an alcohol or water-based stain and a good cabinet or stock finishing oil or, for the puritans in the audience, Aqua Fortis and a good stock finishing oil.

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I agree. Aqua Fortis is the only way to go on maple. The finish would be the major point of contention with most builders. Sutherland-Wells Polymerized Tung Oil works well. For that matter, Tru-Oil works well, too.

Keep in mind that A/F will turn walnut almost black. It's mainly for maple.

Ile jump in here. I use Fiebings leather dye British Tan suits me .I add a bit of their Marine Black if I seek a darker colour.
Rudyard

Rudyard said:

Ile jump in here. I use Fiebings leather dye British Tan suits me .I add a bit of their Marine Black if I seek a darker colour.
Rudyard

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Funny to learn that I'm not the only one who has used fiebings dyes on wood. Worked great on the maple handle of the last knife I made.