Suggestions on staining Osage orange

[scottmc]

I'm stocking up a late lancaster rifle for a guy who gave me the Fred Miller prepared dreppard stock but in Osage orange.  It's hard as a rock and is 40 years old.  He doesn't want any stain on it but yesterday I tested a scrap piece and with just oil, it stays kind of yellow so no pretty.  I tried another piece with lancaster maple and I have to se what that looks like when finish hits it.

Any personal experience suggestions on getting a nice color using anything else.
Attached is a picture of the tang inletted and you can see how yellow the wood is after you get under that 40 year surface patina.

[scottmc]

[Martin S.]

Osage orange will naturally turn brown over time.  IIRC, it takes about a year.

[Daryl]

My osage ram rod us a VERY pleasant reddish colour.
Perhaps Taylor can chime in and tell us how he finished it.

[BOB HILL]

Sounds like the customer knows it will change on its own. That may be why he asked  for no stain. It won’t take long to oxidize with just oil.
Bob

[scottmc]

My thinking is that he thinks it will be oxidized color even after I get done working it.  But I will discuss with him before I get to that point, for sure.  Was just wondering what others may have used as a stain so I can present another option if needed.

[rich pierce]

Try lye and ferric nitrate separately on a test piece. I predict ferric nitrate would turn it black. Water or aniline stains probably won’t penetrate.

[scottmc]

I'll give them a try.  Sounds like maybe natural will be safest .
Thanks Rich!

[Robby]

Chlorox will turn it a nice bronze color but letting it sit in the sun will give it a nice metallic bronze color with depth.
Robby

[Habu]

I've worked a lot of osage orange.  From what I've seen, a summer in the sun will darken the wood about to the same point that stock is.  I've never liked the results I got staining osage orange, though it can be done. 

You'd probably have better luck matching the aged color of the wood you show by fuming the wood with ammonia. With this wood, I had best results at higher than usual temperatures (usually I want it less than 80 degrees F when fuming).  I tented the wood and put the ammonia in shallow saucers beneath the objects being fumed.  Then I let it sit 4 hours at ~95 degrees F before removing the tent.  After airing out for about a week, I finished the wood as usual.  In the years since, I've not heard any concerns about color change. 

[scottmc]

Ok.  Thanks everyone for the options.  I'll do some experimenting.

[Keith Zimmerman]

All of my osage bows turned dark naturally.

[scottmc]

Thanks Keith.  The more I hear this, the more I'm inclined to just oil it up and call it a day.

[Eric Krewson]

Ferric nitrate on osage;



Clorox will instantly darken osage to pleasant brown color.

Leave it alone and it will darken over time (perhaps 50 years) to a dark purple. Sometimes when I want a new bright yellow bow to darken more quickly, I leave it out in the sun for a few days at a time until it turns.

Here is about 15 years of natural darkening.

[Daryl]

That's about the colour of my ramrod, Eric.
Wishing Taylor would chime in on how he got that colour.

[Bill in Md]

Oil it and leave it in the Sun for periods of time and forget it.

[longcruise]

It will turn color faster than you may think.  Ask your customer about their expectations.