Iron Nitrate gunstock stain

[T*O*F]

So as not to hijack Jim's classified ad, I thought this might be of interest.

A young, Eric Kettenberg also marketed such a product many years ago.  At the time, he was just finishing construction of his gun shop and his two kids were about knee high to a grasshopper.  He gave me several bottles of his concoction to try.

The label reads:
Nitrate of Iron Staining Medium
Historically accurate as applied to wood,
horn, leather, fabric, etc.

While frequently discussed here as a gunstock stain, none have ever talked about its other uses.  I did stain a shooting bag with it with good results.

I don't suppose anyone else ever used it.

[Dennis Glazener]

While frequently discussed here as a gunstock stain, none have ever talked about its other uses.  I did stain a shooting bag with it with good results.

I bought 2 bottles of it from Eric, one of my friends bought one of them and I used the other. Just last year used the last of it. I used it on wood and also some horn straps that I made. The horn straps came out a dark gray not the black that I expected but not bad looking so I left them that color. That was several years ago and I still have the horn and the dark gray color is still the same as the day I stained them.
Dennis

[P.W.Berkuta]

They were in pint plastic bottles with tape around the caps & he sent them through the USPS -- I bought 6 bottles and have one left - I think I paid under $50 for all six but that was a "few" years back.

[Mark Elliott]

I bought several bottles from Eric and have about 1/2 of one left.   I use it on leather when I want a nice dark red/brown color.  Otherwise, I use vinegar and iron.  A couple of coats of Erics' AF on horn gives a wonderful orange color.    I have some new Ferric Nitrate I bought from Kent Smith that I will start using soon, but I will miss Eric's stain when it is gone.   

[Mad Monk]

He made and marketed the classic nitrate of iron solution.  That being ferric nitrate in spent acid.

Prior to the mid-1800s this had been used on leather and other protein based goods along with cotton or linen fabrics.  Nitrate of iron was used to yield a color on cotton known as Nankeen Buff.

There had been some nonsense published out of a museum group that the mineral pigment dyes, based on the acid salt of certain metals, would destroy leather goods.  Claiming that residual acid in the leather would cause it to harden and crack.  Totally ignoring industrial writings indicating that sulfur fumes in buildings was the cause of acidification of the leather.  Coal furnaces giving off sulfur fumes.

Mad Monk

[P.W.Berkuta]

Good info to know -- I did not want to use this for any thing other than maple wood stain but now I will give it a try on leather and horn - Thanks for the info.

[Mark Elliott]

He made and marketed the classic nitrate of iron solution.  That being ferric nitrate in spent acid.

Prior to the mid-1800s this had been used on leather and other protein based goods along with cotton or linen fabrics.  Nitrate of iron was used to yield a color on cotton known as Nankeen Buff.

There had been some nonsense published out of a museum group that the mineral pigment dyes, based on the acid salt of certain metals, would destroy leather goods.  Claiming that residual acid in the leather would cause it to harden and crack.  Totally ignoring industrial writings indicating that sulfur fumes in buildings was the cause of acidification of the leather.  Coal furnaces giving off sulfur fumes.

Mad Monk

Previous attempts to neurtralize the acid in the AF I used on leather caused me more problems than the AF.   Baking soda washes I used to use on leather seemed to cause the leather to dry rot.   I have not had that problem, at least to the same extent,  since stopping that practice.   I do rinse all my stain (AF, vinegar,  or oil) out with lots of water, mainly to make sure it doesn't run in the rain.   

I wish all leather was so treated.  A leather hat band in a well know producer of period hats, left me with an orange forehead after one N-SSA shoot in the rain.   

[longcruise]

So as not to hijack Jim's classified ad, I thought this might be of interest.

A young, Eric Kettenberg also marketed such a product many years ago.  At the time, he was just finishing construction of his gun shop and his two kids were about knee high to a grasshopper.  He gave me several bottles of his concoction to try.

The label reads:
Nitrate of Iron Staining Medium
Historically accurate as applied to wood,
horn, leather, fabric, etc.

While frequently discussed here as a gunstock stain, none have ever talked about its other uses.  I did stain a shooting bag with it with good results.

I don't suppose anyone else ever used it

Is this the same stuff we make with ferric nitrate crystals?

I recall some years back You recommended the ferric nitrate solution as leather dye.  It works very well and has produced color ranging from deep black to dark gray.  The one exception turned a blue gray.  Really more blue than gray.

[Mad Monk]

Previous attempts to neurtralize the acid in the AF I used on leather caused me more problems than the AF.   Baking soda washes I used to use on leather seemed to cause the leather to dry rot.   I have not had that problem, at least to the same extent,  since stopping that practice.   I do rinse all my stain (AF, vinegar,  or oil) out with lots of water, mainly to make sure it doesn't run in the rain.   

I wish all leather was so treated.  A leather hat band in a well know producer of period hats, left me with an orange forehead after one N-SSA shoot in the rain.   

Keep in mind that leather is considered to be an "acid" material.  Being composed of DNA and RNA.  Caustics destroy acid materials.  What you see as "dry rot" is the effect of the caustic on the acid proteins making up the leather.  I would describe it as making the leather brittle.
When they would "full" the leather in the old tanneries they would use an organic oil such as wool fat or fish oil.  That would work into the porous structure of the leather and have no effect on the proteins act as an internal lubricant in the leather.

Mad Monk

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I used a super saturated solution of Ferric Nitrate crystals in water to stain an oak tanned leather cartridge belt.  It made the leather black which was my goal, but I could not keep the brass cases from corroding.  The residual acid wanted to eat the brass.  So just a heads- up.