Staining a stock black

[David Rase]

I have a project that will be ready for finishing in the next couple of days.  The gun is stocked in a plain piece of hard maple with little to no curl.  I want to make this stock as dark as possible, almost black.  I have used aqua fortis in the past and with enough heat have successfully brought the wood to black or close to it.  I really don't like to heat up and dry out a stock that much to get it to turn black.
I am looking for other methods from you guys to take a maple stock past brown to black or almost black.
David 

[Jim Kibler]

Ebonizing.  Tannic acid followed by iron nitrate.  Repeat.  Google "ebonizing and popular woodworking" and I think you'll find a decent article on the subject.  One of my blog posts talks about this as well.

[Robby]

Another option, though I like Jim's better.
https://generalfinishes.com/professional-waterbase-finishing-products
Robby

[Daniel]

 I have used Tandy leather dye. Not the water based though.

[kaintuck]

LEATHER DYE......
test on a small space 1st tho.....and I use a small rag to apply~ works wonders to 'age' plain cherry~~~~

marc n tomtom

[WadePatton]

Ebonizing.  Tannic acid followed by iron nitrate.  Repeat.  Google "ebonizing and popular woodworking" and I think you'll find a decent article on the subject.  One of my blog posts talks about this as well.

This is the method i would try.  The leather dyes fade-and you don't want a stock getting lighter as it ages...well I don't.

[LRB]

 While it is usually true that leather dyes fade, all black dyes and paints are made using carbon black. Carbon black dyes or paints do not fade. That said, I would try Jim Kiblers method first. Depends on how black you want. You will not get any blacker than Fiebings USMC black leather dye. May be too black.

[smart dog]

Hi David,
Jim Kibler's method works well and will not fade over time.  Depending on the wood and darkness you desire, you may need to repeat the procedure more than once.

dave

[eddillon]

Logwood?

[Hungry Horse]

Ebonize it, in my experience few leather dyes are sunlight resistant when applied to wood.

         Hungry Horse

[David Rase]

Thanks for the replies.  Thank you Jim.  I just read the Popular Woodworking article and decided to give the ebonizing a try.  Ordered me a half pound of quebracho powder to make the tannic bark tea and will wash up some steel wool and get it soaking in some home made vinegar I acquired from Steve Vance.  Looking forward to experimenting and checking out the results. 
David
Rest assured, I have no desire to use leather dye.  It just does not look right to me, regardless of whether it fades or not.

[WadePatton]

Logwood?

Technically speaking (not), it's a close cousin to Treewood and in shorter specimens is commonly known as Firewood.
 

[Clark Badgett]

Logwood is very fade prone, at least in cloth. It will turn tan in a few weeks of exposure.

[Gaeckle]

I was asked to darken a Pederosoli Brown Bess that had 'European hardwood", basically a birch. I used aqua fortis, followed up with black oil artist paint that I rubbed into the stock by hand. I let it set for a week, applied dark brown leather dye to take the edge off the harshness of the black (it helped reduce the opaqueness of the paint). I then rubbed back certain areas to give an aged appearence and oiled it up. It looks like old black walnut.

[Bob Roller]

 

While it is usually true that leather dyes fade, all black dyes and paints are made using carbon black. Carbon black dyes or paints do not fade. That said, I would try Jim Kiblers method first. Depends on how black you want. You will not get any blacker than Fiebings USMC black leather dye. May be too black.

Blacker than a bruised crow,maybe?

Bob Roller

[littlefat]

I used dark blue Ink on a Les Paul knock off  guitar kit for my son. It was dark but still transparent enough to see some grain.  black ink might work. never used it on a rifle

[Bob Roller]

I used dark blue Ink on a Les Paul knock off  guitar kit for my son. It was dark but still transparent enough to see some grain.  black ink might work. never used it on a rifle

Tom Dawson used India ink to create a mineral streak in a copy of the Medina/Modena Hawken
 and it looked good.

Bob Roller

[Osprey]

Laurel Mt Forge makes an ebony, alocohol based stain in that line, pretty darn black.  I've been using it a lot lately as a first coat, then sanding back before the color stain to make the dark curl have higher contrast.  I remember reading a tip in Muzzleblasts about roofing tar soaked in kerosene to do the same thing.

[galudwig]

Ebonizing.  Tannic acid followed by iron nitrate.  Repeat.  Google "ebonizing and popular woodworking" and I think you'll find a decent article on the subject.  One of my blog posts talks about this as well.

Thanks for the info Jim.  My first "CC class" rifle has a straight-grain maple stock and I also want to get a "past brown to black or almost black" stain like Dave is looking for.  Read the article and the blog and ordered some Quebracho Powder for myself.