Thanks everyone for the kind words on the rifle - Believable is what I was shooting for. It's going to be difficult to pass off to the next owner at Dixon's, but I know the owner is going to shoot it often and enjoy it more than I will sitting on the wall next to the others.
I found this to be a challenging rifle to shape, particularly through the wrist. I initially made the gun thicker, then tweaked it 2 or 3 times before I was satisfied with the profile. I think the wrist came out at 1 7/16" high, which seems enormous to me, but is on par (or less) for the specs I have from several other Becks.
Prior to staining, I spend a good hour going over the stock with a glancing light and small detail scraper to clean up any areas that I inevitably missed during the earlier shaping stages. I have 4 different strengths of Aquafortis I've made that usually range from dark to light maple, but this stock came out the same color with all strengths of the stain on a test piece. Neutralized with a quick wipe down with ammonia, then I got to burnishing. I used a worn out scotch bright pad, polished antler tine, and a hard piece of wood - all with lots of pressure. This alone gives the wood a killer shine and smooth texture (similar to what wet-sanding with 400 grit would do). If it were just for show, I'd consider leaving it at that and a coat of wax. From here I applied bits of walnut dye in the carving, then sealed with a spit coat of seedlac. A tung oil blend was applied sparingly with lamp soot and powdered earth pigments. Trick is to apply things thin enough that the oil cures, and not to make an opaque paint out of things.
Speaking of burnishing...
Trivia: There are two massive doors at the Metropolitan Museum that have a mirror shine and look ancient. In fact they were finished with nothing more than steel burnishers and a coat of wax, about 35-40 years ago.
-Eric
