Will Chambers Oil Finish Darken Wood?

[Mattole]

I know that there is a bit of darkening with any finish, thus the suggestion to wet the stock with water before staining to see if further darkening is desired, but does the Chambers Oil finish darken the wood more than a clear finish would? I am hoping so, since I want to darken my stock a little, and don't know if stain is necessary.

Any before & after photos you have of using Chambers Oil would be greatly appreciated.

[Meteorman]

i think the answer is yes, it will darken the wood "a little" more.
Of course one man's "little" is another person's "not at all" is another man's "a lot". 
top: before
bottom: after (with slight shading variations rubbed in).
/mike

[Mattole]

Thanks Meteor Man, that is very helpful.

[AndyThomas]

Yes, it has some sort of stain in it. I can see it in the barrel channel. It's great over AquaFortis, though!

Andy

[Dennis Glazener]

I would try it on a sample piece of wood (same as stock if possible, maybe under the buttplate). Like Andy says it has a reddish stain in it but it does not darken much. I have used it on several stocks hoping to darken them somewhat and they did but not much darker than they turn with a clear oil finish. They did appear to have more red tones in them but not much darker.

Dennis

[jeager58]

the sample piece of wood is under your butt plate.  try it there and make any adjustments ....phil

[rich pierce]

agree, just make sure you compare the top (comb) part of the buttplate inlet.  End grain always darkens a lot, of course.

[AndyThomas]

agree, just make sure you compare the top (comb) part of the buttplate inlet.  End grain always darkens a lot, of course.

Inside the barrel channel is a good place to try it. Plenty of wood there that will eventually get covered. The grain flow there is the same as the rest of the gun.
Andy

[Dphariss]

I know that there is a bit of darkening with any finish, thus the suggestion to wet the stock with water before staining to see if further darkening is desired, but does the Chambers Oil finish darken the wood more than a clear finish would? I am hoping so, since I want to darken my stock a little, and don't know if stain is necessary.

Any before & after photos you have of using Chambers Oil would be greatly appreciated.

Natural oils darken the stock to some extent.
More importantly they enhance the figure giving it more depth, especially the walnut varieties.
But it often takes a week or more to get the full effect so don't expect it to be like putting on a stain.
Maple needs a stain or a VERY dark oil thinned with a little turp for penetration to look good.
Walnut seldom does if finished with a fairly dark natuaral oil.
Clear modern finishes like the various "thanes" (vara/ure etc) sometimes make the grain look like it was painted on, no depth.

Dan

[Dave Waters]

I used Chambers Stock Finish on clero walnut on a swivelbreech I'm building. I was really worried because everything I had tried on scraps seemed to darken the wood and hide the grain. I talked to Jim at Friendship spring shoot and he encouraged me to try it. WOW! I'm so pleased! Even tho it is an oil and it did seem to darken the wood like Dan says, it still brought out the grain. I am well satisfied with the results. I just sealed the wood and have put on several very light coats with a rag stretched over my finger and rub it on like your spit shining shoes. I still need to hit it with some 400 w/d and put a final coat on. I'll do that after I do some engraving and metal finishing.

[Mattole]

Really beautiful, Dave. I am really looking forward to using the Chambers Oil on my Lyman GPR stock soon..

[KLMoors]

I've used it quite a bit and I think Dennis nailed it. It only darkens it a little, but it definitely adds some reddish tones. I take that into account when staining and try not to get the stock too "red" before applying the finish. It is good finish and touches up real easily too.

[Daryl]

I know that there is a bit of darkening with any finish, thus the suggestion to wet the stock with water before staining to see if further darkening is desired, but does the Chambers Oil finish darken the wood more than a clear finish would? I am hoping so, since I want to darken my stock a little, and don't know if stain is necessary.

Any before & after photos you have of using Chambers Oil would be greatly appreciated.

You are asking if stain is necessary, or will the oil darken the wood to show the grain?

Stain is necessary to show the grain in maple - probably not in most walnuts.  Putting the oil on, will further darken the finish, a bit, as shown in Meteorman's post on maple, and in Dave's post in walnut.