Problem with stock sealer

[gunsports]

I need your help. I have completed building an Isaac Haines long rifle and for the first time, used Beechwood Casey's stock sealer and filler on the wood; a magnificent piece of tiger stripe maple that I imported at great cost from the USA. Following the instructions on the bottle, it says that the sealer can be applied and then the stock can be stained. This I did.

Problem is, the stain will not take! Not spirit stain, not water stain; nothing!. You apply stain and it wipes right off.

As is, the wood is too light for my liking and I need to remove the sealer/filler without re cutting the entire stock. Not only will this throw the dimensions out of kilter, it will also destroy the carving I spent many, many hours on.

Help please!

[Birddog6]

You have 3 choices.  Live with it, Sand it off, Strip it off with paint stripper.  Sealer is sealer & it worked & not letting the stain penetrate.  And you don't need a grain filler on maple, so the product is not necessary for a maple stock.
I would use a paint stripper, then resand it, then use a alcohol base stain on it, most likely Danglers stain.

Keith Lisle

[bob in the woods]

If you can't strip it, you can try mixing stain into some sealer, then applying on top of what you've got now.
Test on a spot in the barrel channel , or on a scrap piece of maple first. I do this all the time when finishing
instruments. Not my choice for a rifle, but it is an option.

[keweenaw]

You can almost surely strip it off with a methylene chloride paint stripper.   Put on lots of stripper, wipe with burlap or very coarse fabric.  Put on more stripper and steel wool it off, repeat . That filler is designed for walnut and for use with non penetrating stains.  Even after it's stripped you might not get the color penetration you want with your stain.  Of course not all types of stain work well on maple.  If the stain you're using doesn't give the depth of color you want you can go over it with a light fast aniline dye or you can tone your finish.

Tom

[Dphariss]

I need your help. I have completed building an Isaac Haines long rifle and for the first time, used Beechwood Casey's stock sealer and filler on the wood; a magnificent piece of tiger stripe maple that I imported at great cost from the USA. Following the instructions on the bottle, it says that the sealer can be applied and then the stock can be stained. This I did.

Problem is, the stain will not take! Not spirit stain, not water stain; nothing!. You apply stain and it wipes right off.

As is, the wood is too light for my liking and I need to remove the sealer/filler without re cutting the entire stock. Not only will this throw the dimensions out of kilter, it will also destroy the carving I spent many, many hours on.

Help please!

I am sorry for your difficulty.
This incident is a poster child illustration of why most mass produced "stock finishing products" sold at chains stores and gun shops are generally useless for the purposes of finishing a Kentucky rifle.

I would try some combination of Laurel Mtn Stains but they often require several colors to get the color right. Tough to do with a test pieces. I never use the stuff so I am guessing.
Its probable that a strip and very care light sanding with 320-400 grit may be the only answer.

Dan

[Jim Kibler]

It's likely you will not be able to remove much of the finish that has penetrated the wood.  You might consider some of the dyes sold for coloring leather.  These seem to be stronger than other aniline dyes and might color the wood more effectively.  The downside is that over time you might get some fading. 

[Ron Brimer]

The problem is ,you are supposed to stain before you use the filler. Try the stripper,and or the alcohol.
Hope it works, may have to do it more than once.     Ron B