Stock finishing questions *pics*

[windsor]

Hello all,

I know I already made a thread about Tru-Oil and inlays, but I have a couple different questions now. I've applied my first coat of Laurel Mountain Forge Lancaster Maple stain on my stock. It looks much darker than the test stains that I applied before from wood of the same blank. The pics here represent stain as after 1 hour of application. So, my questions...

1. Is it safe to do only one coat of stain? I fear it getting too dark. On my test stains, I did two applications and was quite happy.

2. How do you all support your stocks once stained and you're applying finishes? I am going to do some layers of Tru-Oil followed by Stock Sheen and Conditioner. I only ask as you can see my setup here for drying won't allow for adding much pressure to the stock while rubbing in the oil, etc. Is it safe to do one side of the stock and then the other?

3. How long should I wait between applications of each finishing step? The LMF stain says 4 hours before applying finish...

Thanks all and enjoy the pics. This is my first build ever and believe it or not, the first time I've applied stain to anything that mattered. :hatsoff:

 

[bioprof]

You can dilute the stain to go as light as you want. If it gets too dark for your taste, you can wipe some of it off with denatured alcohol. Most people dilute the stain at least 50:50 with denatured alcohol before using. You can get the denatured alcohol at just about any hardware store by the gallon. Don't worry. Alcohol based stains are fairly forgiving.

 

[AeroncaTAL]

I like the color that is showning on the stock. Whether it is too dark or light is up to you of course. I think I would look for places that are uneven in the staining and put on thnned coats per what bioprof suggested. Your finishes will probably make the stock come out darker than it is now. I've not delt with the combination you are using so I don't know how much it will darken. It's looking good though... :hatsoff:
Scott

 

[bioprof]

If you rub down the stock with fine steel wool after you apply the Tru-oil and before it dries, you will increase the contrast between the light and dark areas of the curl. Also, the more you rub, the lighter it will get.

 

[windsor]

Thanks guys. I was hesitant to use steel wool after reading some threads about it sticking in the wood grain. However, before I read those threads, I used steel wool on the hunters star area to get a nice sheen to it. Afterwards, I could see where the wool was sticking in the wood, but only slightly. Now, after the first stain, it is invisible (to my eye).

I haven't looked at the stock yet tonight, but I believe I will do another coat of stain. In my tests, it provided more contrast with more coats, but man, they weren't this dark!

 

[gonzomann]

Nice work, Winsdor! :thumbsup: The star looks great and the stain does too. I can't really tell the exact shade because the colors look slightly different in each of the photos... ahhh the magic of cameras!
What did you use to retain your hunter star, pins?

You gotta share photos of the completed gun with us, ya know!

 

[roundball]

Thanks guys. I was hesitant to use steel wool after reading some threads about it sticking in the wood grain. However, before I read those threads, I used steel wool on the hunters star area to get a nice sheen to it. Afterwards, I could see where the wool was sticking in the wood, but only slightly. Now, after the first stain, it is invisible (to my eye).

I haven't looked at the stock yet tonight, but I believe I will do another coat of stain. In my tests, it provided more contrast with more coats, but man, they weren't this dark!

I'll offer a slightly different view...I've refinished a few walnut stocks now, and several coats of Tru-Oil by itself will darken a stock very much...coupled with too much dark stain to begin with you may find it will become so dark much of the grain & figure may disappear or at least lose it's sharp definition.

If it was me and I was going to use Tru-Oil from this point on, personally I would not apply any more stain...just my .02 cents...