Aquafortis Color

[SHARPS4953]

Need advice on nitric acid stain. Ive made my own and used it on several builds. Mine always turns out a light brown color. Ive noticed on rifles ive seen built on Hershel House and Mike Miller Videos as well as others their application produced a darker brown color. Ive achieved dark colors by using tanic acid with nitric acid but I was just wondering if im doing something wrong with my "recipe". Does aquafortis always just produce a milk chocolate color on its own? They say aquafortis darkens with age, are we talking 100 years? lol. I try to keep as original as possible.

thanks
Scott

[Phil Neal]

I achieved a much darker color by applying multiple applications of both.

[Scota4570]

Nitric acid is nasty stuff.  I worked in a laboratory for 30 years and would not have it in my house. 

Try ferric nitrate solution.  It makes rust color.  It is always my first step in coloring maple.  IF you want it darker use tannic acid.  IF you want a different tint use due stains. 

[rich pierce]

Scott, I’m assuming when you say you’ve made nitric acid you mean iron saturated diluted nitric acid.

This stuff acts very differently on soft and hard maple and even within one species of maple. Red maple goes yellow to dark brown to black tones for me and sugar maple turns more reddish brown in tone. More applications give darker color. 

[LilysDad]

In Olden Days, did gunsmiths spend much time fiddling with the colors of their stocks; or did they just accept whatever occurred?

[Eric Krewson]

If your homemade stuff is too light buy a bottle from Track, it will be dark with one coat and get darker even if it is neutralized.

One coat of Tracks Ye Original Aquafortis;



One coat of Kibler Iron Nitrate;

[Not English]

Sharps, I've always mixed up my own. I have found that there's a lot of variables that affect color besides wood. I think a stronger acid mix will give darker colors. The amount of iron disolved in the acid affects color as well. I think filtering the mixture also tends to lighten it - less rust particles. But the biggest factor is the amount of heat used to bring out the curl. More heat will darken it more. If too dark, take it  back with steel wool or scotchbrite.

[Ats5331]

From tips I have received from multiple sources on the forum, try adding a layer or two of some Laurel Mountain forge stain in between.

Took my stain and finish to a whole new level. Fun to experiment with as well!

[Eric Kettenburg]

I know in one of Hershel's old videos, he mixed up a fairly stout acid mix which alone would give you a fairly dark color if heated properly.  However, he also slopped linseed oil all over the stock *before* heating it.  This will not only allow for more effective heating (especially if just using a torch as he did) but it definitely will create a darker stock.  Also, given the apparent strength of the acid mix he used, with no neutralization, I'd expect a stock so treated to go very dark over a fairly short period of time.