Aqua Fortis Recipe

[rootnuke]

I have been experimenting with Aqua Fortis for about a month. Here is my recipe so far, combined in the following order;


120ml H20 Distilled Water
8" 50 year old rusted barb wire (gives me the rust color)
1 16d nail (adds darkness and cuts the red/orange look)
150ml HN03 Nitric Acid

I combine and let it cook for about a week. (gives me the red)

The above is applied to the curly maple.
Once the sheen is gone from the AF application and it soaks in (about 30 min) I apply heat.
Once the maple is a nice brown (minus any green) I apply a wash of baking soda (1 tsp/ cup of water) to neutralize the Nitric Acid, then rinse with clean water.
Once it is dry I apply Lye ( 1 tsp/cup of water) to raise the tennin.
Once it is dry I apply a coat of Vinegar to neutralize the lye.
After is is dry I apply a 50/50 mixture of True Oil / Turpintine.
After the second coat I rub with steel wool between coats until level of coat and look is achieved.

Here what I get, just a little more brown than represented.

I invite your comments and suggestions. If all is well then this is my next step. :master:

 

[GobblerKnob]

Very pleasing color, Rootnuke. Do you store the finished product in an amber bottle to maintain it's stability? I imagine you must replenish the ingredients eventually. How do you know how much of each to add to the remaining brew? The color you have achieved has grown on me considerably and I'd like to try it on my own rifle. I never really liked the reddish color, preferring the darker brown instead. I cannot wait to see your finished project!
Rick

 

[rootnuke]

...Do you store the finished product in an amber bottle to maintain it's stability? I imagine you must replenish the ingredients eventually. How do you know how much of each to add to the remaining brew? ...
Rick

I just make what I need so storage is not an issue. Once I apply it, whatever is left over is trashed, which is not much.

 

[bob1961]

yer brew is home made and is like the Aqua Fortis ya can buy....what kinds of metals make what color or what ya git it what ya git....what is better....i'm also looking into the vinager stains that sound the same....could ya clear this up fer me a little bit....i'm looking fer something on the red side but not to red for my .54 i'll be starting real soon................bob

 

[rootnuke]

I have done atleast 30 different recipes with different metals and acids. What I have found is that newer metal like a 16d finish nail has additives (possibly manganese) and has a dark brown addition in color. In contrast 60 year old metals like barb wire introduce a rich rust color. A combination of new nails and old barb wire yeild a brown with well defined rust under tones.

Allowing the AF solution to dissolve for 10 days to break-down all microscopic particles of metal tends to enrich the red look which cancels the yellow/green tone.

Any greenish tones that are not removed by the AF heating process seem to be diminished considerably by the red rust tone.

I have recorded all my experiments, times mixed, chemicals used, and measures etc. Whenever I get finished with this .54 I will post other recipes and findings.

In addition, when using brass as a metal additive it has a rather unique and wicked look.

:redthumb:

 

[bob1961]

brass wicked look hummmmmm....have ya got any pictures of that..................bob

 

[CrackStock]

Root,

Have tried using degreased steel wool? You can degrease and let is set for a few days and then add it to the acid.

Also, where did you purchase your nitric acid?

CS

 

[CrackStock]

Root,

How are you prepping your wood before applying the AF to it? Some scrape it , some use various substances to get oils out and others wash to get the grain to show through. I am interested about this step as I believe that it caused a serious problem for one of my guns.

YMHS,
CrackStock

 

[rootnuke]

Root,

Have tried using degreased steel wool? You can degrease and let is set for a few days and then add it to the acid.

Also, where did you purchase your nitric acid?

CS

I tried steel wool early on and gradually migrated away from it. Using nails and wire of specific size and length just seemed easier.

As long has it is free of grease, it's steel, try it.

I purchased the HN03 from a local chemical supplier. ~38.00 for a hazard fee in shipping was too steep. Find someone local.

 

[rootnuke]

Root,

How are you prepping your wood before applying the AF to it? Some scrape it , some use various substances to get oils out and others wash to get the grain to show through. I am interested about this step as I believe that it caused a serious problem for one of my guns.

YMHS,
CrackStock

I wear latex gloves during the final carving and whiskering process. On the past three whiskerings I use isopropal alchohol to raise the grain and sand 500 grit then 800 grit (just because I had it). Isopropal alchohol is cheap, drys fast, raises the grain and removes any hand oil.

BTW: Claude, add a spell checker :curse:

 

[CrackStock]

Have you ever tried to wash it with washing powder? I was told by a guy who has built a few that this causes the AF to give a greater variation in color.

I have not tried it as I could not find the powder in this area.

I will try the use of gloves in the final prep on my next project. My sideplate panel shows little of the tiger stripe that I know is there. Disappointing. I may need to refinish that gun in the near future.

YMHS,
CrackStock

 

[rootnuke]

Have you ever tried to wash it with washing powder? I was told by a guy who has built a few that this causes the AF to give a greater variation in color.

I have not tried it as I could not find the powder in this area.

I will try the use of gloves in the final prep on my next project. My sideplate panel shows little of the tiger stripe that I know is there. Disappointing. I may need to refinish that gun in the near future.

YMHS,
CrackStock

It's probably not the washing powder in general but more likely the individual chemical in it. Don't know what the general break-down of washing powder is. If there is lye in washing powder then that could be it. I don't think I would want to deal with a situation where I introduced a bunch of chemicals to the wood I did not know. You have to neutralize the chemicals or they will just keep doing whatever until you have a 59" long black stick in 5 years.

 

[Flintandsteel]

rootnuke,
I've been dealing with this Aqua-fortis thing for a couple of years now. Nitric acid is hard to find, expensive to ship, dangerous to handle, etc, etc, etc.
A viable alternative is Ferric Nitrate powder. It is basically what you get when you dissolve iron in Nitric acid. Comes in powder form, safe, easy to use. (just mix with water) Does exactly the same thing as the Old Nitric or Aqua Fortis we used to use.
You can buy enough to make a gallon for about $15 including shipping. :m2c:

 

Do you have a source you purchase from? I might be needin' me some o' that stuff in the not-too-distant future.

 

[rootnuke]

If you cannot find it through a local chemical supplier then you need to order Ferric Nitrate Powder.

Also find yourself a local lumber supply store that handles high-end cabinet wood and get a couple of Curly Maple sticks to test with.

If you screw up your pistol stock it's gonna really be a pisser.

Also, since you've been out shooting you gonna have hand oil and powder residue on your wood. You need to sand and wash with alchohol (not the kind you drink) to make it clean for whatever stain. Go buy some latex gloves to handle the stock through this entire cleaning and staining process.

 

[rootnuke]

rootnuke,
I've been dealing with this Aqua-fortis thing for a couple of years now. Nitric acid is hard to find, expensive to ship, dangerous to handle, etc, etc, etc.
A viable alternative is Ferric Nitrate powder. It is basically what you get when you dissolve iron in Nitric acid. Comes in powder form, safe, easy to use. (just mix with water) Does exactly the same thing as the Old Nitric or Aqua Fortis we used to use.
You can buy enough to make a gallon for about $15 including shipping. :m2c:

I may try your Ferric Nitrate powder. For the time being I have 2 more gallons of Nitric Acid, probably enough for 100 stocks.

 

[Flintandsteel]

Static,
You know, offhand, I don't remember which place I got it from. But, the first time I paid wa-a-a-a-y to much. I got a couple of ounces for $15 plus shipping. Only made about a cup of liquid.
The last time I got a pound for the same amount, should make a gallon or more.
Just do a search for the stuff, you will come up with several suppliers. Choose the amounts and prices wisely. You'll find it way cheaper and easier to handle. And, like I said before... it's the same stuff.
:m2c:

 

[elmonk]

rootnuke,

I have been working with ferric nitrate (nitrate of iron) for close to 25 years now. In 1984 I wrote an article for the Black Powder Report on stock staining with nitrate of iron.

Commercial ferric nitrate crystals will not give the same color effect that you get with ferric nitrate solution made from nitric acid and iron. The spent acid seems to add a bit to the final color pattern.

With the nitrate of iron you are applying a water-soluble form of iron to the wood. Then you convert it to iron oxide. That may be done with GENTLE heating or through the use of a mild caustic like baking soda or potassium carbonate.

Actual colors produced depends on the particle size of the iron oxide formed when you convert the ferric nitrate to iron oxide. How you convert it plays a role in the colors.

The color of iron oxide will vary from a bright yellow (yellow ocher) to a very red iron oxide that looks almost black in high concentrations. With iron oxide pigments the color is effected by how many molecules of water are attached to each molecule of iron oxide. With a yellow ocher you have about 8 molecules of water attached to a molecule of iron oxide. Heating the iron oxide above the boiling point of water begins to drive off this water attached to the iron oxide. The color then changes to an orange, then brown and then red.

Wood preparation is critical to the finished appearance of the stain. If you use very fine sandpaper on the wood you fill the surface with sawdust. The stain solution will not get into the wood the way it should. Especially in the "curl". Scraping the wood with a good sharp scraper gives an open surface that allows the wood to pick up stain solution in proportion to how open the grain is. This is critical in bringing out the curl in the wood.

Concentration of the stain solution applied will govern how dark the stain will get with time.

The maple has tannic acid in the wood. The amount of tannic acid varies greatly from one piece of wood to the next. So if you use a high concentration stain solution on a piece of woiod that is high in tannic acid the finished stock will darken considerably in the first five years after you finish it. But the curl becomes a really intense black color.


I had played with caustic potash rather than baking soda or potash. This was a problem with boiled oil finishes. The caustic potash ash that remains in the wood will with a bit of time soften and degrade a boiled oil finish. It is trying to turn the boiled oil into soap since the linseed oil is a fatty acid.


In selected the iron to be used with the nitric acid.
A bit of manganese in with the iron does not effect final colors. If there is ANY chrome in the iron it gives really funny colors.
The early 19th century formulas for making nitrate of iron called for clean iron. If you use rusty iron the acid must break down the iron oxide before it can convert the iron to nitrate of iron. This gives the finished stain solution a lot of suspended muddy material.

 

[bob1961]

all i can find for now is "Ferric Nitrate, Nonahydrate, Crystal, Technical"....would this be the same stuff...........bob

 

[Zonie]

all i can find for now is "Ferric Nitrate, Nonahydrate, Crystal, Technical"....would this be the same stuff...........bob

I think that is what Dutch Bill is talking about when he says:
"Commercial ferric nitrate crystals will not give the same color effect that you get with ferric nitrate solution made from nitric acid and iron. The spent acid seems to add a bit to the final color pattern."