vinager stain............

[bob1961]

here's the vinager stain that ed street asked fer...............bob

1. brass
2. engine bolts
3. wire fence 3/32"
4. nails
5. unkown iron
6. cut nails
7. cast iron pipe
8. metal banding

8 coats of stain
8 coats of boiled linseed oil

 

[bob1961]

i have to add that yer stain might come out different then mine....ya gotta use some samples of yer stock to see what ya git....if you use the same maple from a different tree it will be different....sorry i didn't add that to the first post....those are some samples of my stock i used..........bob

 

[BadHeart]

Do you put the brass, nails, metal etc... in the vinager? If so how long do you let it set before you put it on the stock? Also, do you strain it first? Thanks.

 

[bob1961]

just dipped the foam brush in the jar....the ones fer stain....i think it was bout 2 - 3 months after the batch was made....yes ya do put the metal in the vinager....i also still have the stain going in the jars to see how long they last............bob

 

[Bolink654]

What, if anything, did the brass do in there? Did it eat the brass like it eats steel?

Anybody ever try any wine vinegars? Would they work at all?

 

[Charly_the_rebel]

Vinegar stain ?
I never hearde about it before !
What kind of stain is it ?
How do you create it ?
What will be the resulst later on ?
How do you should apply it on the gunstocks ?
What do you have to watch out for ?
and so on and so on...

Would be glad if you're explain it to me.
If too often shown here in Forum - maybe private Message or via e-mail ?

 

[bob1961]

have the brass still....didn't eat it at all....but colored the vinager and brass....used cider vinager..........bob

 

[Zonie]

"...have the brass still"
___________________________________
THAT'S MY OLE BUDDY BOB!

Now, what we'es got ta du is ta get 'bout 300 pounds O sugar an sum korn an Ah thin a litle yeest mite hep her alon.

Than, whil wee's watin fer her ta rest a lil, wee's got ta chop sum farwood. A hole bunch o farwood as Ah remembers.
Does ye hav any charkole? Ah thin that taks sum of tha bite out o' it.

Vinager? What ta hel does we want with vinager?

Sumhow Ah thin wees talkin 'bout too different stills har.

 

[Raynor]

Thanks for the info,

Looks like I need to mix up a batch of that, really like the darker #5 through #8.

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Vinegar stain is made by tossing pieces of iron (nails, etc) in vinegar and letting the acid dissolve the iron. When you apply it to the wood, it causes a chemical reaction in the wood changing the color to a dark brown or black. It is similar to aquafortis, but uses acetic acid (vinegar) instead of nitric acid. Some people say that apple vinegar works best. I've not used it, othre than some experimenting. I found it kind of tricky...
Scott

 

[renovato]

Wow, vinegar stains sure do make for some very striking colors. I like what I'm seeing more than any commercial stains I've ever seen. How well do they work long term? Do they continue to darken or fade? Does the acid have any long term effect on the wood or finish? Sorry for all the questions, but I'm fascinated.

 

[bob1961]

so far the colors stayed the same since may 05....but haven't been in the sun and handled like yer gun would be....but being sealed i don't see how or what could happen...........bob

 

[renovato]

I was mostly curious if the sun would bleach out the color, or the acid would continue to darken the wood or maybe break down the finish over time. They sure are pretty stains though.

I guess I'll know soon enough as I've been out scrounging various metals to make my own test batches. Thanks for posting the info!

 

[AeroncaTAL]

I was mostly curious if the sun would bleach out the color, or the acid would continue to darken the wood or maybe break down the finish over time. They sure are pretty stains though.

From what I have read about it, after aplying the stain to the wood, you neutralize the acid with a base, such as a soda solution...

 

[bob1961]

at 5% acid to start with i think it loses it power to disolve....i haven't heard of anyone haveing to neutralize vinager stains.........bob

 

[subknave]

I made a batch up with Cider vinegar and steel wool I boiled to get any oil out. One thing I found is that the roughness of the wood had a lot to do with how dark the color got. On wood finished with 220 grit the color was almost black but the wood finished with 600 grit took several applications to get a nice brown tint. A lot of factors come into play so I would suggest trying it out on some scraps first.

 

[crgabel]

I make my own AF and have found just as you have. If i raise the grain 3-4 times and use 600 paper after it dries the stain does get lighter. If i only raise it 1 time (and yes, on the same pc. of wood) it will be darker.
Craig

 

[bennypapa]

I have been pondering this and wondered about speeding up the prep time for the vinegar/iron.

Is there another form of acetic acid that is stronger than common vinegar? I am impatient to try this.

How much iron needs to be disolved? (You didn't happen to weigh the iron samples before and after soaking did you?)

Do you heat the wood after the stain application?

I have some pure iron oxide powder soaking in some vinagar right now but it doesn't seem to be disolving very quickly. I put in about a teaspoon to a pint of vinegar. Just a guess at the amounts

 

[bob1961]

2 years ago i started mine when i started building my rifle but got sick and it had to be put on the very back burner i think april was when i start them....started the mix with 30 grams metal in each jar and 8 oz of red apple cider vinegar....still looks good too.........bob

 

[Norskie]

I used to work in metal finishing, and yes, there is industrial acetic acid available. 55 gallon drums, in fact. At this concentration it is as dangerous as hydrochloric or sulfuric. :shocked2: Stick with vinegar.