Gaeckle, Your rifle has a lot of 'character.' I love things that are 'different,' but I gotta say this Hackberry wood really worked you over. I give you a lot of credit for sticking through all of the challenges it presented.
Q. Was your blank cross-cut or quarter sawed?
Q. Did you try aquafortis on any samples to see if the wood responded to it?
Look forward to learning more about your build.
I don't know if the stock was quarter sawn and yes, i did try aquafortis....the aquafortis baiscaly turned the wood a muddy brown color that was displeasing. There was no variation and was pretty much lackluster.
By using stains, dyes, shoe polish and the spray paint I was able to build up, remove and manipulate these different colors almost like an artist pallet. I could layer on color and if I didn't like it I could reduce it's impact via steel wool or scraping. There was a particular spot in the area of the lock mortise that the wood just kept peeling away and revealed a very open grained texture. To alleviate this from the viewer's eye I used some spray paint and while tacky I pushed in some shoe polish and sorta made a paste that I could use to fill and hide the offending texture. I then used a cotton rag to smooth out the area. Color does not seem to penetrate too well.
This was all a learning curve that I hope could help me gain in my skills to become a better builder. I figured if I couldn't pull it off I would simply turn the stock into BTU's for the winter fireplace.
I need to add that I have another chunk of this stuff, but it is cut for a halfstock. I have comming to me a barrel, old and original, that has been reemed out and re-rifled by an associate. It has a signiture on it (initials, by the breach) that is being breached. It would make a perfect candidate for another build. I've got a pile of original parts: buttplates, triggers, gaurds, thimbles and locks.....once I clear my bench of some promised jobs I may try to tackle another hackberry rifle.
