Aqua Fortis Question

[Micah Clark]

Zonie,

That's very interesting. I may try that. The link was very helpful. I've printed it out. Sounds like this lye process then the LMF lancaster maple stain would really be pretty and enhance the curl I have which is in about 30% of my stock.

THANKS !!!

Do you happen to have any pics of ML stocks with this treatment?

 

[Zonie]

These all received the lye water treatment.

They were all stained using alcohol based stains, usually a thinned Birchwood Casey Walnut base with either thinned Solar-Lux Brown Maple or Mahogany.

I think the one on the left was done using Birchwood Casey Colonial Brown, a alcohol based stain that is no longer available.

The difference in the stripes intensity is due to the wood more than it is due to the lye water or stain I used.

Each and every piece of wood will respond differently to stains, lye water or Aqua Fortis.

For this reason, if your after a certain color it is a good idea to try staining some area on the stock to see what is going to happen.

A well finished barrel channel works good for providing this sort of information.

 

[Micah Clark]

Thank you !! I like all those brown colors with the light one in the middle the least, but its fine. What I really don't want is a dark antique mahogany furniture, aged look.

Nice stripes curl in all these. They all are lovely rifles - btw. great works of craftsmanship.

Much appreciated.

 

[Micah Clark]

BTW . . . It is my plan to use Laurel Mountain Forge, "Lancaster Maple" stain, which is alcohol based.

 

[Micah Clark]

Incidentally, I printed out your instructions and just looked them over again.

After you have painted the stock with the Lye/Water mix . . . and it dries, you then paint it with white vinegar.

DO YOU WIPE IT DOWN WITH WATER OR ANYTHING OR JUST LET IT DRY AFTER VINEGAR NEUTRALIZER AND THEN STAIN IT?

 

[Zonie]

Just let the vinegar dry.

It and the lye water may raise the grain some but if you did a good job of whiskering the surfaces by doing it several times, the raised grain will be minimal.

By the way, whiskering is important regardless of which staining method you use.

They all will raise the grain to some degree.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Is it true that like browning a barrel . . .one needs to stop the chemical process of Aqua Fortis? If not the gun could get darker and darker over time? With what, is the AF process neutralized?

The gun I posted a picture of done with nitric and water (no metal desolve) was done about 1995. No neutralization whatsoever.

 

[Onojutta]

So does that little bottle of Aqua Fortis we've all seen from suppliers like TOTW have iron already dissolved in it?

If sounds like many guys are using it right out of the bottle without adding iron.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Yep, if it is called aqufortis it is the finished product.

 

[Gustavo Hoefs]

Do you know what the strength of the nitric solution was that you used on this stock It can be purchased in different strengths from 70% down to 20% or even less

 

[Capt. Jas.]

5:1 water/57% aqua fortis (nitric acid) :hatsoff:

 

[don hepler]

AF will enhance the staining process, by opening the wood pores, and the heat draws the red natural maple out of the wood. When you apply AF and add heat, it will go to a grayish color, then to a greenish color, and finally to red. At this point the grain is raised, and the stripes are the softest part of the wood, in between the stripes the wood is harder. At this stage, the softer wood will absorb stain, the harder wood will not take much stain, thus remaining lighter.

Without the AF, it is difficult to get the softer wood to absorb the stain.

AF alone will result in a natural maple. Adding any colored stains will color over the natural maple.

That's how it was explained to me.

 

[Micah Clark]

AF will enhance the staining process, by opening the wood pores, and the heat draws the red natural maple out of the wood. When you apply AF and add heat, it will go to a grayish color, then to a greenish color, and finally to red. At this point the grain is raised, and the stripes are the softest part of the wood, in between the stripes the wood is harder. At this stage, the softer wood will absorb stain, the harder wood will not take much stain, thus remaining lighter.

Without the AF, it is difficult to get the softer wood to absorb the stain.

AF alone will result in a natural maple. Adding any colored stains will color over the natural maple.

That's how it was explained to me.

That's really good information. I am printing this out and putting it with a few other things I want to reference when that time comes.

I am looking at Aqua Fortis or a Lye treatment was described too . . .and then using LMF "Lancaster Maple Stain" to get the brown I want.