Chambers York, First build. PICTURES!

[Ohioan]

Well, my first build.  Finally finished.  She shoots pretty nice. Well, after I polished up the lock a bit.
















The white stuff around the carving is dried wax.  I forgot to clean it out from around the carving. 

I would also like to say a big THANK YOU  to everyone on this forum who took the time to answer my questions, critique my ideas and give support when I struggled with certain issues. 

[Bioprof]

Congratulations!   Have you already started thinking about your next one?   Looks like you did a nice job, but every one is a learning experience.   I think that's why most new builders are already thinking about the next one before the finish is even dry. 

[Ohioan]

I have two stock blanks waiting for parts

I'm going to make an Ohio rifle (Barnhart) for me and the wife.

Hers will be a kid-sized version of mine. 

[Buffler Razz]

Very nice! Congratulatins on your first build, it's quite an addiction isn't it?

[rich pierce]

Looks like a beauty.  Let's hope it is the first of many!

[ironwolf]

  She's nicer than my first.  Good job.

  KW

[t.caster]

That's looks like my third one! Guess I'm a slow learner....of course Al Gore hadn't invented the internet yet, back then and no Chambers kits around!
It's a whole new ball game when you start from a blank! Good luck and enjoy the adventure!

How many coats of Chambers stain did you use? I would have gone a bit darker, but that's just me, not a criticism.

[gibster]

Looks good.  I'd take a old tooth brush and clean out the old wax and hit the range and enjoy it.  Let us know when it makes meat .  I'd like to see pictures of your next builds.
Gibster

[Ohioan]

Well, the stain was my own mix of Aqua Fortis.  It just wouldn't get darker on the stock.  I tried everything.

Now, my dad used the same stain and it's too dark for him.  I wanted mine as dark as his, and he wanted his the same as mine. 

I guess that's what you get with aqua fortis eh?  Next time, I'll probably use the Homer Dangler Stain or the Laurel Mountain Forge stains.

Thanks for the positive feedback everyone.

[Dphariss]

Well, the stain was my own mix of Aqua Fortis.  It just wouldn't get darker on the stock.  I tried everything.

Now, my dad used the same stain and it's too dark for him.  I wanted mine as dark as his, and he wanted his the same as mine. 

I guess that's what you get with aqua fortis eh?  Next time, I'll probably use the Homer Dangler Stain or the Laurel Mountain Forge stains.

Thanks for the positive feedback everyone.

If possible put more iron in your AF it need not be acid to work you can deplete it completely with iron and it still works fine.
Next question is how was it heated? AF needs the wood to be heated deeply to work right. Shallow heating of the wood (propane torches, hair driers) causes problems with AF. This said some stocks just stain lighter.
Your first effort is much better than mine was.
You might want to stay with AF. I think it works better with less work than many of the modern stains.
You can also get better color by avoiding clear finishes and using a dark oil instead.

Dan

[Brian Jordan]

Awesome job for a first rifle. I am planning on doing my first build this winter. All these new rifle pictures are getting me excited.

[Ed Wenger]

It's amazing how every piece of wood reacts a little different with AF...  Congrats on your first build and thanks for posting the photos.  It's a very exciting time when everything comes together and you get that first cloud of smoke from something you created with your own hands.  Sounds like you got the "bug"...

[Ken G]

Well done!  Congratulations on your first build and very nice one at that.  the simple carving goes well with the wooden patchbox.
Thanks for posting the pics. 
ken

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Zach, its great! its definitely a gun you can be proud of.  congratulations!

[Ohioan]

I used a fancy wagner heat gun to heat the stock.  Trust me, it got plenty of heat.  I had a little "accident" at one point and had to do some resanding and staining. 
thats a big benefit of aq, it's easy to blend into the rest of the stock if you need to resand.

[Karl Kunkel]

Thanks for sharing Zach.  It came out real nice.