For the wood scraping crowd

[Mauser06]

After you scrape your stock prior to finishing....


Do you whisker?


What do you use to whisker?   

[flinchrocket]

220 grit garnet paper.

[Eric Kettenburg]

If sharp scrapers are used that aren't just making dust (sign of a dull scraper), a water based stain should only raise grain minimally.  It can be burnished back down with something like a brown paper bag, or a coarse piece of cloth etc.  Then sealed and finished.  It's not going to be as slick as a sandpapered stock, so it all depends on what you're after.

[Nhgrants]

I thought I recently watched a video where the builder was using a smooth piece of deer antler
To burnish the stock.  Would that be a correct method After scraping?

[smart dog]

Hi,
Here is what I do.  Before I do a final scrape, I stain the stock with a water based light colored aniline dye as shown below. 

I then scrape the stock removing all of the stain, which shows me where I still need to scrape.  During this process, I am also whiskering the stock.  I usually only need to do this once before applying my final stain.  After staining, if I want a smooth finish, I burnish the stock with a polished antler tip:

Then I apply finish.  However, if I am building a military musket, I don't usually whisker at all.  I apply stain after the final scraping and then a first coat of finish.  Then I burnish the stock with the antler when the first coat is dry.  That creates a slightly textured finish appropriate for these guns.
 

dave

[Mike Brooks]

I don't spend much time whiskering any more. I apply my first coat of finish with a scrubby pad which mellows out my color and removes any whiskers that may still be around. This is secret stuff, don't be spreading this around.....

[Nhgrants]

It was not a video that I saw where the antler was used but it was Dave's Brown Bess tutorial.

[Frank]

I don't spend much time whiskering any more. I apply my first coat of finish with a scrubby pad which mellows out my color and removes any whiskers that may still be around. This is secret stuff, don't be spreading this around.....

What color scrubby pad do you use?

[Mike Brooks]

I don't spend much time whiskering any more. I apply my first coat of finish with a scrubby pad which mellows out my color and removes any whiskers that may still be around. This is secret stuff, don't be spreading this around.....

What color scrubby pad do you use?

I don't think it really matters. I happen to be using purple at this time because that's what I have on hand. If I had some other color I'd be using it.

[Eric Kettenburg]

Oooh, using fancy scrubby pads are we?  Too high and mighty for we worms with our brown paper sacks! 

[Mike Brooks]

Oooh, using fancy scrubby pads are we?  Too high and mighty for we worms with our brown paper sacks! 

They don't give out brown paper sacks at the grocery store in Iowa any more! Rubbing stocks with those flimsy plastic sacks doesn't do the trick.

[Mark Elliott]

I whisker at least three times by lightly scraping with a sharp scraper.   After I stain,  I rub the stock down with a green or light gray ScotchBrite pad.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I have a short length of 1" manila rope whipped about 3/4" from each end, that I use to burnish the stock.  I whisker twice just with water to raise the grain, but I like Dave's method with the light stain...want to try that.  The stain will show you places where you did not get a scratch out, that plain water will not.

[bob in the woods]

I use a wash of water with yellow food colouring . It shows up all the little imperfections and is pretty innocuous as far as the final finish is concerned.

[B.Barker]

Scrubby pads are those like the thing a ma jigs and whatcha macallits?

[Mauser06]

Thanx all!   Good info as always!   



I know there isn't really a right or wrong way...

The food coloring or very light stain is a great idea.  I had several areas show up after the first coat of finish was on that I wasn't thrilled with on my last stock. I don't mind a few marks but it's amazing how even bigger marks can go unnoticed on maple till finish is applied. 

[Eric Kettenburg]

One thing that REALLY will help is getting the stock off the bench and into natural daylight so you can 'roll it around' and let the light hit it at different angles.  This helps a lot not just with marks that may have been overlooked but also can help a lot with the shaping as well as areas that may be lumpy or otherwise may need to be addressed will show up much more easily than when the piece is relatively stationary in a shop under artificial lights.

You can also do somewhat of the same thing indoors or without sunlight by using a simple drop light and moving it all around the stock.  Helps while carving too.

[bama]

I like to do my final scraping using cross lighting. I turn half of my shop lights off and look at my stock from all angles. It is amazing what you can see, when you are in the dark, so to speak 😜. The shadows cast by the cross light will show up many of the imperfections. I have always heard the old saying to view from a different light but didn’t understand the saying until I started building guns.

[Mike Brooks]

One thing that REALLY will help is getting the stock off the bench and into natural daylight so you can 'roll it around' and let the light hit it at different angles.  This helps a lot not just with marks that may have been overlooked but also can help a lot with the shaping as well as areas that may be lumpy or otherwise may need to be addressed will show up much more easily than when the piece is relatively stationary in a shop under artificial lights.

You can also do somewhat of the same thing indoors or without sunlight by using a simple drop light and moving it all around the stock.  Helps while carving too.

Best advice here. I take a stock outside for inspection several times a  day when I'm shaping or carving . I also have just one incandescent bulb going when I'm shaping inside at my bench, the rest of my shop is dark. I use full light when I inlet and engrave.