Making maple wood REALLY dark,as in almost black

[mountainman70]

Hi y'all,I am working on an older project,the stock has some figure,and I would like to make this stock really dark,sorta like a dark bl walnut.Going for the old timer found in a attic look.Any help will be appreciated.Thanks,Dave

[Mike Brooks]

aqua fortis, not neutralized.

[mountainman70]

How do you use it?never tried the stuff,I hear it will stunt your growth!!!

[E.vonAschwege]

Overly-acidic Aquafortis will get the stock dark, then add some walnut dye on top of that, then turn your oil lamp wick way up so it smokes and smoke the entire stock.  Rub the soot in, add some more black, rub that in, then begin applying your oil finish with continued applications of lamp black.  That will get truly dark and will require heavy rubbing or even sanding to lighten things up and show off your figure. 
-Eric

[mountainman70]

Thanks.Now where to get the stuff? 

[Jim Kibler]

Ebonize it with tannic acid followed by iron nitrate.  Refer to recent post on finishing burl maple.

[Mad Monk]

Stain the stock with a strong iron stain.  Then use a solution of tannic or gallic acid to turn the iron black.  The common writing ink up until the introduction of steel pen points was a packet of ferrous sulfate and a packet of tannic acid.  Mixed together in water.  After about two weeks it would thicken and not work with quill pens.

Mad Monk

[Mad Monk]

You can find ferrous sulfate in drug stores as an iron supplement.  Grind up the tablets and dissolve in water.  Also to be found in garden centers but figure on having to buy a 5-pound bag of it.


Mad Monk

[mountainman70]

Thanks fellows.I am becoming allergic to so much stuff,I dont dare mess with this.Think I will just use some darkened brown water base stuff.Best regards,Dave

[PPatch]

Ferric Nitrate, which is an alternate to aqua fortis, will turn a stock quite dark, very dark. Typically you use it just like aqua fortis, put it on, let it sit for a bit then heat treat it. If however you put it on and leave it a day the stock will get extremely dark. I learned this the hard way by leaving a stock overnight. it was treated with stain, but not heat treated which totally stops the process. Once the finish went on it the rifle looked fine, sure did give me a heart attack when I first saw it all dark though.

You can buy it here: http://www.sciencecompany.com/Ferric-Nitrate-100g-P6384.aspx

Get the smallest container as it will lump up pretty quickly over time. Mix is: 5:1, FN to alcohol, you can use plain water also. You could go a bit stronger with the FE to liquid ratio I'm betting.

dave

[bonron]

You might consider Danglers dark brown and dark brown with yellow stains. I used this on a nicely figured maple early Lancaster . I applied three coats of the stain and lightly steel wooled it down a little. Used 3-2-1 finish rubbed in thoroughly and it came out very dark but the figure was easily seen. Very easy with no exposure to chemicals or their fumes.

[Mike R]

I agree with the simple aqua fortis treatment left unneutralized.  You can also dissolve a bit of steel wool in it if you wish.  The first rifle I made has a tight beautiful curl which I almost ruined because I was told linseed oil would neutralize the acid!  The stock turned almost black--but it took time.  You can accelerate the darkening with heat [as in wisping a blowtorch along the treated stock].  I think the combo of aqua fortis and linseed oil did the blackening trick, because I restored it a little by removing some of the 50 coats of oil!  But it is still dark.

[Keb]

Black paint will make it, well, black. It has been done.

[gunmaker]

One of the Swedish or Norwigen guys talked about that while ago, he's restocking a musket and he used some kind  a tar product.  Common up there 2 centurys ago I guess.   

[bgf]

One of the Swedish or Norwigen guys talked about that while ago, he's restocking a musket and he used some kind  a tar product.  Common up there 2 centurys ago I guess.   

Was it asphalt & turpentine?  That's what I seem to remember...and that a few southern rifles used it also.

Vinegar and iron always gives me a gray/black finish.  I put it on below a color stain to darken things up.  I've never gotten the rich red/brown others do from vinegar and iron, but I like using it my own way anyhow.

[shortbarrel]

One some of the rifles I have built, southern mostly, I use MINWAX JACOBEAN  on them. Stains and seals. Go by the directions on the can. Use a test piece to get things right. Use  boiled linseed oil as a finish. I do ten coats rubbed in every seven days (or till the linseed is dry). Use fresh linseed oil or it will never dry. Used this method on all white woods for a dark finish.

[David R. Pennington]

Mountain Man, I have some I made with nitric acid and steel wool. It is not all that toxic after it eats the steel. That is my favorite stain. You put it on and apply heat. Just keep it up till it gets as dark as you want. I haven't seen a need to neutralize it. It seems to darken a little overnight so I always try to stop a little lighter than I want it. I could let you try some if you want only I won't be at the turkey shoot this month. Appears that is the only weekend we could get everyone together to make apple butter this fall.
Let me know if you want to try it.

[satwel]

I have no experience personally with asphaltum, but I once read that it can be thinned with turpentine and used to produce a dark stain.

http://www.dickblick.com/products/asphaltum-liquid/#description

[Osprey]

LMF offers an alcohol based Ebony stain, will make it black as night, or sand it back to make the stripes contrast more.

[Robby]

If you go here http://www.jimkibler.net/blog/   and scroll down to the section on burl, Jim give a very good description of how he does it.
I tried boiling down some sumac the other day, trying to get some concentrated tannic acid to experiment with but it didn't seem to work. Anyone ever try to extract tannins from plants with a high concentration of it. Maybe I'll have to buy some

[T*O*F]

For some reason, this just popped into my head as I was working.  Rub the gun down with Jerrold's Inletting Black.  I'd put some on a small pad and use it like I was polishing shoes.  Work it well into the wood.  There is nothing blacker or more nasty than that stuff.

[Robby]

I don't know T*O*F, I'm thinking other than water, just about any finish would act as a solvent and leech that stuff right back out of the wood.
Robby

[Scota4570]

Black leather dye

[okawbow]

I would stain and seal the stock with a nice red brown color, then put several coats of black violin varnish, followed by rubbing down the "wear" areas until some of the red brown color shows.

[T*O*F]

I don't know T*O*F, I'm thinking other than water, just about any finish would act as a solvent and leech that stuff right back out of the wood.
Robby

I doubt it, but so what?  It would still be black and any that did would dry with the first coat of finish.  I would only use an oil or varnish, not shellac.