finish suggestions

[fix]

I'm getting to the point where I am looking at finishing options for this rifle.

I am thinking about oil satin as opposed to AquaFortis.
Is there any benefit to the antique oil stain TOF sells, or is it pretty much standard oil stain? I could avoid shipping charges if I could buy the stain locally, but I want the gun to come out nice. Either way, I will be looking at oil stain and not poly.

As for the barrel and hardware, I am considering blue rather than brown. I haven't attempted to age this rifle in any way, and I think that the blued parts would look good on the gun. I'm willing to be convinced away from the blue however, if there are good arguments.

It seems that TOF also sells some Blueing and Browning agents. Are there suggestions as to which brand or type to use. I'd like a permanent finish, and the liquid wipe on blues seem to wear off pretty badly on the other guns I've used it on.

Thanks for the help.
The gun probably won't be ready for deer season, but that deer season rolls around every year, so I'll get 'em next time.

[fix]

Oh, in case you haven't been following along. The gun is stocked in Curly maple, and it it a well figured chunk of wood. I know that this usually leads to an aquafortis stain.

It is a long flint gun, but I haven't tried to mimic any particular school.

It's actually somewhat modeled after a gun my grandfather shot in the sixties.

 

[jwh1947]

There are so many good products out there...stains based with water, oil, alcohol, polymers...that aqua fortis is used simply because people want to be "traditional" in their approach.  They usually apply this tradition to a rifle adorned with a shiny touch hole liner which screams "I'm modern."  Read, then go to your local art supply store and look around.  For finishes, many accomplished professionals frequent their art supply store and local woodworking store more than they patronize mail order rifle building vendors.  It would pay you to make a visit and see what options abound at these specialty stores.  The options are far greater than at a gun store.  I would submit that Carl Pippert was a fine artist who used a gun stock instead of a canvas.  He's one who pointed me toward these useful outlets.  Incidentally, what happened to that great thread in honor of him that Frank started?

If you insist on blue steel, try Van's blueing.  Available on Internet.  A friend who goes by moniker "The Irish Talker" will sell you either a 4 oz. or a 32 oz. bottle.  A 4 oz. supply will do about 4 long guns.  Prep your metal according to the instructions.  

[Ky-Flinter]

Hi ya Fix,

For highly figured maple I haven't found anything that makes the curl "pop" like aqua fortis.  The oil based stains I have experimented with seem to muddy up and obscure the curl, alcohol based to a lesser extent.  I would suggest you experiment on some maple scraps (preferably cutoffs from your stock) with the various stains you are considering and see what you like.

Just curious....  you mentioned "TOF sells" stains, etc.  "TOF" is an ALR member.  Does he sell these items?  Or did you mean "TOW", as in Track of the Wolf?

Good luck with the staining and finishing.

-Ron

[fix]

Yeah, TOW

I'm not sure how that typo happened. Those two keys aren't even close on my keyboard.

I have some cutoffs left that I figured I would experiment with.

I'll probably try the Aquafortis on the scrap, but I'm worried about neutralizing it completely. I don't want the stock to continue to darken years down the road.

[jwh1947]

Y'all familiar with "Trans-Tint" for popping and highlighting details?  Carbon black from your flue can also be used to accentuate maple curl, if used properly.

[KLMoors]

Fix, I use a lye water treatment of the stock first. Depending on the piece of wood it can help pop the curls a little or it can pop them a LOT. Then I use alcohol stains and have had good luck with them. I'm a carpenter so I'm used to working with stains of various sorts so that is why I use them. The alcohol stains can be diluted way down and this allows you to sneak up on the color you are looking for. I've never tried aqua fortis.

I use Formbeys tung oil (which isn't really tung oil) as my first coat after staining. It really soaks in deep with no build up so I slop it everywhere in all the inlets, barrel channel etc. Then I usually go with a coat or two of Tru-Oil. I use it as a sealer. It builds up pretty quickly and seems to toughen up the surface of the stock. I steel wool pretty heavy between coats and that takes most of the tru-oil off of the surface of the wood. Then I apply several coats of Jim Chambers Oil Finish. It is great stuff to work with and it leaves just the right sheen that I like. You can put it on heavy and then wipe it off or you can put it on thin with a rag or paper towel. I haven't decided which technique I like better but it really is sweet stuff to work with.

[jwh1947]

I concur w/ Capt. Fred.  Alcohol-based stains are my staple.  Leather dyes won't gunk your wood.  I use nitric acid only to candy-stripe rods.  Tung Oil used here, too.  Trans-tint to accentuate before oil application.  Sealers, cheap paint (mostly backed-off), spar varnish and aerosol lacquer, and acrylic pigments all have a spot on many professionals' benches around here.  Burnt sienna and jet are standard pigmentations used here.  Sometimes darken with carbon black first, sometimes not.  Distress, pull back, re-do to your satisfaction.  Experimentation fun on wood.  Alcohol allows for this; acids not nearly as much.  My experience.

[fix]

I used alcohol stain once on a guitar I built.

I liked it, but it was difficult to find. I believe I had to order it.

Any suggestions on where I could find it again?

I might just rasp and sand down the scrap I have left and try all the stains I can get my hands on.

Thanks

[bob in the woods]

Stewart MacDonald  has stains, both water and alcohol types. www.stew-mac.com
 

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Jim Klein has Homer Dangler's Stains and they work very nicely, even in combination and you can add a  little more denatured alcohol and sneak up on the color as Wayne says. Homer has been around many originals for may years and built many a fine gun. His development of the stains was based on use for long rifles dot just general purpose stains.
Jim is one of our members and a top notch builder and supplier.  I like his stain and his browning solution.

http://www.jklongrifles.com/

[fix]

I'm very familiar with Stewart MacDonald. That's where I got the alcohol stain I used last time.

I'll check out the Homer Dangler's stain as well.

I don't want to have a fortune in stains, but I wouldn't mind having two or three types to try out before I get to the gun.

Thanks

[smallpatch]

All the LMF stains are alcohol based and work very well.  You can mix them, apply various combinations directly to the wood, etc.


BUT..... Nothing brings out the curl like Ferric Nitrate.  (aqua fortis)