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StarnesRowan

40 Cal
Joined
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Messages
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Hey everyone this is my first build on a pecitonica VA rifle to use for rev war reebacting and a litte hunting. what is the best looking and most authentic look?

P.S I know aquafortis is what was used in original 18th century guns what brand would be the best to use.
 
Hi,
Jim Kibler's mix is pretty good but I recommend not buying prepared AF. Instead, buy ferric nitrate from a source like the Science Company. Then you can mix the powder with water or alcohol to make aqua fortis stain. It is essentially the same as AF prepared with nitric acid but is a weaker acid and easier to adjust concentration. Most guns from the Rev War period were finished with a linseed oil-based varnish. Any modern mix of linseed oil or tung oil with a varnish like polyurethane or spar can be used to capture an authentic look. In addition, polymerized oils, which means they are heat treated by the manufacturer to speed drying, will also yield an authentic appearance if applied right. Examples of polymerized oils are Sutherland-Welles polymerized tung oil and Tru-Oil (polymerized linseed oil). Below are photos showing rifles, stocked in maple, and finished with ferric nitrate and polymerized tung oil.
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dave
 
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AF
[B]dave_person[/B] walked me through refinishing my rifle with aqua fortis which sounds hard when you are preparing but i found it easier than any staining i have attempted, with a way nicer result. buy the ferric nitrate crystals and mix them yourself. it doesn't take a lot of ferric nitrate to do a rifle stock i bought the smallest quantity the chemical place would sell and i still have enough for probably 10 more guns.
the only other thing i needed was a heat gun, they are cheep too.
 
Hi,
Theoretically, ferric nitrate dissolved in water or alcohol doesn't need neutralization because the hydrogen ions (acid part) are driven of by the heat blushing. The same should be true of AF made with nitric acid but complete removal of hydrogen ions usually does not occur and neutralization is required. However, I always neutralize AF or ferric nitrate with a wipe of ammonia or a wash of water with baking soda. My choice depends on if I am willing to tolerate the smell of ammonia or not on the day I decide to neutralize the stain and if I am too lazy to make a baking soda solution rather than pour ammonia out of a bottle. Honestly, that is how I decide.

dave
 
Hi StarnesRowan,
You have to experiment. I usually use 1 part powder to 4 or 5 parts water by volume but some wood needs a higher concentration to bring out the red colors. Apply it with a brush and let dry. It will be an ugly grey color. Then blush with a heat gun until it turns reddish brown. You can also use a propane torch but keep the flame moving over the wood so you don't scorch it.

dave
 
The thing about neutralizing is that you don't know if you really need to until your stock turns green quite a while later. That's why I just do it. It's not difficult.
 
Aqua Fortis under any name is still aqua fortis. Nitric acid.

That is correct, the historical name for nitric acid is aqua fortis. But, let's not confuse people.

Nitric acid is not used to stain maple. It is also pretty dangerous to work with, it is also now a controlled substance. The old timers made ferric nitrate by dissolving iron in nitric acid. There was residual acid that can cause problems. Stay away from the idea. Buy prepared ferric nitrate solution (marketed as "aqua fortis"). Or, make your own by dissolving ferric nitrate in water.
 
Hi,
Let's clear up some misinformation. Nitric acid is not a controlled substance and can be bought from companies like the Science Company in dilute and concentrated form. It simply cannot be shipped out of the continental US and requires ground shipment. Generally the shipper will also want a signature on arrival. I bought a substantial supply just a few months ago, no problems. Aqua fortis means "loud water" and was originally the archaic term for nitric acid. Nitric acid alone, has been used as a wood stain since at least 1100 AD and is described as such in Theophilus' famous treatise "On Divers Arts" published in the 12th century. Alone, it gives wood, including maple, pink, orange or yellow tones when blushed with heat. Centuries later, the label "aqua fortis" was associated with a stain made from iron dissolved in nitric acid. In fact, our common usage of the term to mean that stain is likely a relatively modern phenomena. Making aqua fortis stain by dissolving iron in nitric acid is not hard and makes a fine stain for woods like maple that have little tannin in the fibers. Woods such as cherry and walnut have considerable tannin and may almost turn black when stained with aqua fortis. However, the acid is fairly strong and should be neutralized after blushing with heat. As I wrote previously, complete blushing theoretically drives off all the hydrogen ions leaving iron oxide behind permanently bonded to the wood fibers and should not require neutralizing as no acid remains. However, complete blushing usually does not happen in practice and a basic solution such as ammonia or baking soda in water should be applied. Ferric nitrate powder dissolved in water makes the same chemical solution as modern aqua fortis stain, iron dissolved in nitric acid, but the acid part is much weaker and poses little danger to the user. The weaker acid should mean that no neutralizing is required after blushing but I still do that step just to make sure. Ferric nitrate is much simpler to use than modern aqua fortis stain because you can adjust the concentration much more easily. It produces the same effect in maple as aqua fortis stain. With the availability of ferric nitrate, I don't fool around with modern aqua fortis stain any more. However, I do still occasionally use nitric acid as a stain when I want to give maple a reddish or orange undertone as a base under some other stain.

dave
 
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