1st application of stain..Help

[labrat]

Applied iron nitrate, heated & stained with Laurel Mt. antique stain, Maple, & burnished. I thank you all for your previous suggestions on stain but with my in-experience I went the easiest Kibler route. I like the results but really tried to get a lighter yellow/reddish background. I also have an area that came out dull. I sanded it back with fine scott bright pad & reapplied a small amount of stain with little improvement. Have not used any sealer yet. Don't know if that was a mistake or not. What is needed, if any, to improve this? Also overall can I get a lighter background? I am also thinking of covering up with a patchbox........................Labrat (panic mode)

 

[Phil Coffins]

The dull area is because there’s no curl there. I.E. no end grain to take stain, either fake curl or a patch box is my guess.
I like the color so far.

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
Do you have any scrap wood? You might try brewing some strong black tea, painting the wood with that and then adding more ferric nitrate stain and heat blushing. The tea will add a little tannic acid to the wood, which the ferric nitrate will react with and reveal any figure that might be there. But I would not do that unless you can test on scrap wood. I've done this myself and it works but you risk going too dark and may have to rub back the stain to lighten it. I believe it is as Phil mentioned, there just is not much figure at that spot. A patch box would make the rifle look better IMO.

dave

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Do you have any scrap wood?

What about in the barrel channel right under where the barrel rests? If it goes bad nobody will ever see it, OR under the butt plate?

LD

 

[Norman Brooks]

Looking good, really good. The color might change a little when you apply the finish. As far as the part missing the curl. I have several like that and I don't think it distracts from the overall appearance of the wood itself. With the carving and engraving you have done people will be looking at that and saying I wish I could do that...

 

[JBird]

My rifle was lacking a little curl in the same area and the patch box does help break it up. However your rifle still looks great. The carving helps draw your eye a good bit.

My plain gun for example

 

[Tn poor boy]

What about in the barrel channel right under where the barrel rests? If it goes bad nobody will ever see it, OR under the butt plate?

LD

Dont put iron nitrate under barrel in channel

 

[Steve Martin]

I think the color and finish is great looking. The area on the butt is just part of what gives the gun it's individual character. You can go to the trouble of a patch box if you wish and that would add a nice touch to the gun but otherwise, I think it looks great.

 

[labrat]

Thanks again for all your help & comments. I will try the tea application on some extra curly wood I got from Jim. I really love the outcome of the stain & imperfection of the wood as it does give character to my rifle. What I would like to correct is the dullness of that one corner not necessary the lack of strips there. I love the wood & prefer not to have a patch box cover it up. I am waiting on my Laurel Mt. Permalyn sealer to come in and hope this will give it the shine I'm looking for................Labrat

 

[Bucolic Buffalo]

That yellow/reddish look, like found on some old Browning shotguns is really hard to do. I used the Honey Maple stain and still did not get it. But I have seen some beautiful longrifles with maple stocks that had that color. The wood will do what it wants to do.

The Permalyn Sealer and finish will add a shine. I did as many thin coats as I could stand to do over nearly a month. The depth of the shine kept increasing.

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

I think it looks good, if you want to do more, if the tea thing doesn't work, maybe a simple patch box?

 

[PathfinderNC]

One thing to note as well, is the finer grit you sand the wood, the less tooth the wood surface will have and less stain will sink in. This is my experience with oil based finishes, I can’t speak to aqua fortis or similar liquids. I think water based applications absorb well nonetheless.

 

[dave_person]

Dont put iron nitrate under barrel in channel

Hi,
Iron nitrate made from ferric nitrate crystals and water is a very weak acid. If you stain the barrel channel simply wipe the channel with ammonia , water with baking soda, or water with lye and any residual acid will be gone. Theoretically, after blushing with heat, all the hydrogen ions (acid part) should be driven off leaving only iron oxide bonded with the wood. No worries for the barrel.

 

[ord sgt]

Not enough heat in the lighter colored area. I used the LM acid on a stock and overheated some areas, almost to the point of burning the wood. It turned very dark. Oh well, just another lesson learned.