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My finished Kibler SMR

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Really very nicely done!
And I like the darker coloring; my Colonial Longrifle (extra fancy Maple) was finished exactly the same as yours; Jim's Iron Nitrate and Tried & True.
But seems a little lighter than I had hoped; really like your deeper, darker stock.
I also used Jax Black on the lock and barrel.
Had the same experience with Bone Black as you found; it seems to be able to be put on, but wipes off once the Tried & True has "dried".

Wonder how you managed to get the darker finish on your stock?
Well, as RMH said, I believe every piece of wood may be a little different.
But as far as my process went, I started with two coats of Iron nitrate, heated after each coat. Then I started with the T&T Oil. At first, I cut it with mineral spirits on a piece of scotch brite. I probably applied that, maybe two coats, then started with the bone black. But when the bone black wasn’t sticking, I tried straight T&T Oil by hand. Still having a hard time, and let me remind you I’m letting the stock dry for 2-3 days in between. I even let it set in direct sunlight for a couple hours here and there. For whatever reason I decided to go to the hardware store and grab some turpentine, and mix the oil exactly how Jim does in his videos. And somewhere in between, I also added a little Honey Amber trans-tint, to give the light areas a little pop in the sunlight (which I believe worked well). So even with the bone black not completely darkening like I originally envisioned, I could tell I was still getting some darkening,( which probably worked out for the best). My last coat or two were straight T&T Oil.

All in all, I probably have at least 12 coats of oil. Could be a lot more honestly, I lost track. The finishing took a ridiculously long time, but it was winter, and I wasn’t going to just settle until I was happy with it.
 
I just wanted to share my Kibler SMR that I finished up about 2 months ago. I finally got around to getting some better pictures.

It’s a .40cal with a Fancy Maple stock. I finished the stock with Jim’s iron nitrate solution, and Tried and True oil varnish. I tried my best using bone black in areas, but I was having a hard time getting it to stay with adding coats of oil. I can still see where it was applied, but I had to draw the line somewhere.
I finished the iron parts and hardware using Jax Black. I also added in a toe plate, just giving it a slight radius at the top.
Overall I’m very satisfied with how it came out. This was my first kit build since I put together my Lyman GPR over 20 years ago.
So far, I’ve settled on a .395 ball, pillow ticking patch over 35gn of Schuetzen fffg. Although, next outing I’m going to try a .020 patch, to see if my grouping tightens up a little more.
I thank you all for answering my questions. There is so much to be learned from all you old timers out there😉
Looks great. Super job.
 
Jim sent along to very nice pieces of Maple about six by three by one inch wrapped Up and glued down for test wood, I had no idea what it was at first but then I remembered talking to Bree if he would put a piece in the ship box. I’ll test one with Aqua Fortis then sanded back and apply a coat of LMF Lancaster Maple and after drying hit it with some tried and true. Some people cut their T and T with Turpentine so as to dry faster but some guys say not to. Any answers to cut or not to cut.
 
Jim sent along to very nice pieces of Maple about six by three by one inch wrapped Up and glued down for test wood, I had no idea what it was at first but then I remembered talking to Bree if he would put a piece in the ship box. I’ll test one with Aqua Fortis then sanded back and apply a coat of LMF Lancaster Maple and after drying hit it with some tried and true. Some people cut their T and T with Turpentine so as to dry faster but some guys say not to. Any answers to cut or not to cut.
I’ve done 3 stocks with T&T following the directions each time, I’ve done a few as 3 and up to 5 coats. I’ve never thinned it. But now, on the current Maple Woodsrunner stock I’m applying the T&T with my bare finger tips and massaging it in. Did the 2nd coat today and I’m very pleased. I still wiped it down after an hour, it really seems to be more uniform and is drying a bit faster. I still wait 24 hours between coats.
 
How did you finish your ramrod? I had a hard time getting stain to take. I used BC Walnut as the water based stuff seems to work better on hickory.
I may have tried using a little Trans Tint dark walnut that I bought by mistake, to darken it up a little. Otherwise it got the same basic treatment as the stock.
 
Beautiful job! Understated elegance. Love the wood color against that metal. I love my .45 Walnut SMR.

Nice guns to all who replied here BTW!
 
Really very nicely done!
And I like the darker coloring; my Colonial Longrifle (extra fancy Maple) was finished exactly the same as yours; Jim's Iron Nitrate and Tried & True.
But seems a little lighter than I had hoped; really like your deeper, darker stock.
I also used Jax Black on the lock and barrel.
Had the same experience with Bone Black as you found; it seems to be able to be put on, but wipes off once the Tried & True has "dried".

Wonder how you managed to get the darker finish on your stock?
I really like the finish on your rifle, looks great.
 
I am muddling though a SMR in the same caliber. I have made a few mistakes along the way. Was the lock hard to take apart and reassemble? I will also give it a Jax black treatment. Yours looks really nice. I won’t be sharing pictures of mine unfortunately.

SR1
Just don't lose the little fly in the tumbler.
 
I used 2 coats of iron nitrate. Then 6 coats of Minwax Tung Oil. No wax. Fire blued the metal.
This was a partial build by me, because I paid Jim to pre-assemble the rifle. I don't know if he does that anymore. Anyway it was easy to finish because Jim did such a good job.
I also fire blued the frizzen, and it lost the hardness, so I had to buy another frizzen. Live and learn.
I also had a gunsmith mount adjustable aperture sight on the barrel, and fiber optic front sight. Shown here on a January deer stand in the mountains of PA.

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