Staining and Finishing Burl Maple

[Jim Kibler]

For the last while I've been working on building a late 17th or early 18th century burl stocked fowling piece.  Burl can be an amazing stock wood, but presents some challenges in working and finishing.  I've added a blog post to my website detailing the process I used in finishing this material.  You can check this out by clicking here:  http://www.jimkibler.net/blog/           

This is a shot of the results.



As an aside, if you would like to receive email notification when I update my blog, you can sign up on my site. 

If you have any questions or comments, this would probably be as good of a place as any to talk about things.

Thanks!
Jim

[E.vonAschwege]

Jim that is excellent work, and thank you for sharing the tutorial.  I read once in an original source - I wish I could remember what it was - that after the initial staining, the first several coats of finish were heavily mulled with lamp soot to create a thin paste.  The wood would absorb the black/oil mix in the open grain and accentuate the dyed figure even further.  I've got a chunk of burl that I'm intending to use on a long barreled pistol - your exploration so far will be of great help. 
-Eric

[ScottH]

Absolutely Stellar!
 Question: did you blush with heat after applying the ferric nitrate?

[jamesthomas]

For the last while I've been working on building a late 17th or early 18th century burl stocked fowling piece.  Burl can be an amazing stock wood, but presents some challenges in working and finishing.  I've added a blog post to my website detailing the process I used in finishing this material.  You can check this out by clicking here:  http://www.jimkibler.net/blog/           

This is a shot of the results.



As an aside, if you would like to receive email notification when I update my blog, you can sign up on my site. 

If you have any questions or comments, this would probably be as good of a place as any to talk about things.

Thanks!
Jim

 Wow! that's beautiful!  Also because of the "Waves" in the wood isn't it called "Flame Maple"?. Just thinking out loud.

[Jim Kibler]

Eric,

Perhaps this is the article you were thinking of  http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/2010/11/early-18th-century-queen-anne-flintlock.html?  I tried to use this general process and it didn't work for me.  When working off the dark stain it makes a very dark paste that tends to fill any small holes or perhaps end grain to some degree.

Scott,

I did blush the stock with a heat gun, but it didn't seem to do much of anything.  I don't think it's required or necessary.

James,

Burls have a wide range of grain structures in them.  There can be eyes, curl, flame grain, quilted grain etc.  The key point is that the grain is very irregular and the wood comes from a burl growth.

Thanks guys for the nice words.

Jim

[James Rogers]

A top shelf first post! I am of course signed up for more updates.

[KLMoors]

Wow, that's pretty work.  I signed up too, and am looking forward to more of your work.

[smart dog]

Hi Jim,
Fantastic.  I am so glad someone else has discovered the wonders of the 17th century other than just producing doglocks and English Civil War guns.  I am a kindred spirit in that regard.  Your finishing method on the blog will be very helpful.  Remember the fowler I bought from you?  I am using that gun as a model to produce a cased garniture of a fowler and rifle.  In addition, in the case will be a horse pistol and turn-off pistol, both of which will be stocked from a piece of fantastic burl maple that I have.  My only worry is that burl maple was abandoned as stock wood because it cracked and checked so easily.  From the plank that I have, I can easily understand that concern, although I think there are very stable sections that I will use.

dave

PS I really like your website.

[Larry Pletcher]

Jim, I really like the wood and the finish.  I'm a real sucker for incredible woods and finishes.  I just signed up.
Regards,
Pletch

[FALout]

Jim, does this method of using the tannic acid create a problem with the carving areas when cutting back the black?  It really looks like it adds depth to the appearance of the finish.  I also like you website.

[Dphariss]

Abrading the wood back is a very neat way to lighten a stained stock. I used 1500-2000 grit wet or dry on the one I did. The eliminated the need for further polish.
I my case is was a two piece stock and I blew the making of the forend. The curly maple buttstock finished a really deep reddish color but the different forend simply would not darken so I sanded the finished buttstock till it matched.

Dan

[Mike Brooks]

Exceptional work, nobody doing stuff like this.

[PPatch]

Beautiful Jim! And timely, I am currently working on a stock from a 40 year old blank of walnut that has nice burl in the butt area. I can see that I need to really test finishes on scrap and learn to develop the burl to best advantage.

I've got the barrel bedded and RR channel done, working the tang in now. I've not done any real shaping as yet but I have noticed that the burl is quite chippy and wants to come out in chunks if you're not careful with rasping.

Any tips on handling that problem?

dave

[Dphariss]

As Mike said its an outstanding job using a technique few think of between the wood and the work done its stunning. Like something  one would see in some castle museum in Europe.
Dan

[James Rogers]

Like something  one would see in some castle museum in Europe.
Dan

Or cut back for a bayonet with possible use in America

[kaintuck]

Nice....!
"And you never would believe where those Keebler guns come from, theyre made from a hollow tree, and what do think makers those Keebler guns so special? They're made by Jim, and there's no factory!!


 

Tomtom made me say that.....

Marc

[Jim Kibler]

Thanks everyone for the warm response.  Glad you've liked the website and the project I'm working on. 

As far as burl maple goes for gunstocks, there's good and bad.  It's beautiful wood, but requires a lot of work to use often has a lot of defects that must be dealt with and it isn't the strongest, particularly in the forestock.  But it is so spectacular I think it's worth the downsides.  The best 17th century builders must have thought so too.

Carving does pose a bit of a problem when working back the blackened finish.  Scotch-Brite helps with this as do little bits of paper or even light scraping.  In some ways, this is not a problem though, as it shades the carving.  This is often something I do in subsequent finishing operations with colored finish and glazes.

PPatch:  Walnut may occasionally have burls, but it's more likely just some variant of normal log figure in the stock.  Perhaps crotch figure.  The burl wood I'm speaking of comes from an abnormal growth on the side of a tree as shown in the picture on my blog post.

Thanks again for all the encouragement.  This has been a big project, but fun.  Few people work on guns of this style and period and it's good to see the positive response.  I do believe this might be the first burl stocked gun of this period made in modern times.  Well, at least I can't ever remember seeing another... 

Any questions or comments, let me know.  I'll be adding more blog posts before too long. 

Jim 

[Daniel]

Oh my. That is beautiful. Like clouds and smoke twisted together.

[Mark Elliott]

Great information with beautiful results.

[gumboman]

Smartdog, can you post pictures of the fowler you bought from Jim? I am researching fowler schools for an upcoming project and would love to see what Jim has created.
Thanks

[smart dog]

Hi Gumboman,
I will post some photos later today.  I have to take some of the gun.  It is an original English fowler from 1760s-1770s that Jim restored.  His restoration was expertly done.  Also, go to Jim's website listed above and he has photos of an incredible fowler he built as well as a few photos of my gun in his selection of original guns.

dave   

[Turtle]

 I have a James Klein Peter Berry(my first build) that has flame maple. I prefer flame stripe to  best striped maple. It isn't as spectacular as your beautiful gun though. I painted the unstained stock with artist pitch black and the sanded it off and stained it. Don't know if that improved it, but it sure is pretty!
                                    IHS,Turtle

[whitebear]

I have a James Klein Peter Berry(my first build) that has flame maple. I prefer flame stripe to  best striped maple. It isn't as spectacular as your beautiful gun though. I painted the unstained stock with artist pitch black and the sanded it off and stained it. Don't know if that improved it, but it sure is pretty!
                                    IHS,Turtle

Could you send me some pictures of this gun?

[Turtle]

 Sorry, but my computer/computer skills aren't up to sending a picture. I will say I swore never to black paint a stock again!
                                    IHS,Turtle

[t.caster]

Your method turned out freekin beautiful, Jim!
I signed up for updates.
Your Dolep lock looks close to some of the old German Jaeger locks I am looking at for a future project. But it may be too small....back to the drawing board to find out.