WOOD FINISH

[R.C.BINGAMAN]

Hi, All have a question I hope this is right area to post, I am in the process of building a rifle display stand, Good figured maple and have it all cut out, sanded, and fit together. I want to use AQUA FORTIS to show the figured maple prior to final finish, and have never worked with the stuff. What is the best way to proceed. These projects are the practice runs to hone my capabilities and skills prior to building a rifle. Things such as small metal finishing projects,Carving and fitting inlaying ect.Thanks R.C.

 

[54ball]

Make sure you get good stuff. Sometimes the homemade concoctions use contaminated metal and that can finish green.

Some use Ferric Nitrate powder which to use the old Korean term is, "same same....but different".

Whether you use yellow bottle Waycon Bay (sic-spelling) or a Ferric Nitrate powder, (get both from a reputable supplier) they apply the same.

The wood needs to be clean of grease or oil. If it's not you will see it.
Apply the solution and the wood will turn yellow. Use a dobber or a cloth to apply. It drys quickly. After the wood is dry apply heat (usually a heat gun, tradition method was a hot iron from the forge) to the stock taking care not to burn it especially on the edges. The more heat the darker it gets....Again be careful not to scorch the wood.

Sometimes there may be little greasy spots where the finish did not take. You can spot finish these areas bay gently scraping or sanding that area. After that apply AQ with a Q-tip let dry, then heat move the gun around to feather in the color.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Another thing is to not let steel wool near the stock until after the AF has been applied, blushed and neutralized. Steel wool will leave little flecks of metal in the wood that you can't detect and they will turn black when the acid hits them, giving you a freckled stock.

 

[ZUG]

I have never had this happen when using steel wool. I finish sand to 320 or 400 then whisker with water and sand paper two or three times then 4/0 steel wool. I then blow off any dust with an air compressor then wipe down with a tack cloth then apply the AF let dry, heat then apply my sealer - no red flecks anywhere and I've been doing it this way since the 60's. Maybe some people need to sand with a finer grit and whisker more than once :v .

 

[Col. Batguano]

I yield to your experience. It was a warning I'd read in several places, one of which was "The Art of the Pennsylvania Long Rifle", a source of dubious worth to be sure.

I figured it was easy enough to do a build around the use of steel wool, so no real need or reason to tempt fate, or go against the awesome authority of the printed word.

 

[ZUG]

No problem here - I think if you did not prepare the wood surface smooth enough then the steel wool "fibers" can get caught in the wood and create red rust spots - for me I never had it happen :v . Merry Christmas .

 

[MSW]

not to throw Zug a cheap shot, but i have had "a bad experience" with tac cloths ... many of these are impregnated with a waxy substance which can end up smeared on the wood ... results may be disappointing, to put things gently...

just sand and use a clean cloth, turning thoroughly and often, then re- wipe several times.

good luck with your project!

 

[Zonie]

I have also had bad experiences using steel wool to smooth the stock prior to staining.

The rust freckles helped me learn how to creatively use some of my old standby foul words in long strings.

The way I figure it, why use something that possibly could cause problems?

I'm here to say, steel wool used prior to staining can cause problems so IMO, "Don't use it.", are words to the wise.

 

[Gustavo Hoefs]

Scraping and burnishing seem to have Become a lost art.......

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Scraping and burnishing seem to have Become a lost art.......

I like denim and burlap for materials on my hand-rubbed burnishing methods, and also like rotten stone to dull an otherwise gloss finish.

Here’s a great link to finish burnishing: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/methods-polish-wood-99586.html

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
No, they haven't.

dave

 

[don hepler]

I've had good luck with Aqua-Fortis made by Laurel Mountain. (I think) Purchased from Track of the Wolf.

I wipe it on, then use a heat gun. It will turn a grayish hue, then it will start to turn red. I add my stain to darken or add a red if you want that color. I tend to go on the darker side.

Some wood, that is well figured, may not need the Aqua-Fortis, but it will enhance the stripping.

I gave away the last of the bottle, that I had, so kind of uncertain about the name.

A friend of mine, who is an accomplished builder, told me to sand with black automotive type sanding paper. He says that it does not flake off the sand, like normal sandpaper does.

 

[Dane]

To avoid unspent acid, just buy ferric nitrate crystals. It IS what you get when you dissolve iron in nitric acid. No need to neutralize, does the same job, and no hazardous shipping fees.
As stated previously, paint it on, let it dry, blush with a heat gun, and voila....NOTHING bring out curl like ferric nitrate.
Remember, it will NOT produce curl,that isn't there.