Stain to enhance detail?

[QuanLoi]

I'm almost at the end of this build and my intent was to build a patchbox for this gun. But the detail in the grain pattern seems too attractive to cover up.  Any suggestions on how to stain it in order to increase the contrast and enhance the pattern of the grain?




multiple image hosting

[smallpatch]

Are we talking "grain", or figure?

[Stoner creek]

Do you have any extra wood (scrap) from the stock? I like to experiment with stain combinations. I always start with a honey amber color water based wood dye. Trans Tint Honey Amber available from Woodcraft. You can also eBay the stuff. Mix 1 part dye to 4 parts water or denatured alcohol.  That gives me the gold undertones. Apply whichever color you like over that (after thorough drying). I frequently use Laurel Mountain maple and Lancaster maple to get the color I want on red maple. On hard maple I’ll use a nitric acid or iron nitrate stain. Every piece of wood is different and color is a very personal thing. Practice up!

[QuanLoi]

Are we talking "grain", or figure?

I guess I'm talking "figure".  To tell you the truth, in the limited number of guns I've built, I've never had such attractively patterned wood... It wasn't an expensive piece and certainly not visible when I purchased the blank at the Fair last July.  As I said, I'm somewhat reluctant to cover up all that "figure" with a patchbox.

[mfharper]

I just refinished a stock and used Aqua fortis. I really liked the results.

[oldtravler61]

  Take the advice an practice on a piece of scrap if you can.

[rich pierce]

That is grain not figure and will never be prominent in maple, though it would be in ash.

[dogcatcher]

Quan Loi?  I spent a little time there, starting Oct '69 and then off and on until I DEROS'ed in June '69.  I was with Charlie Company, 2/7 Ist Cavalry Division, Air Mobile. 

[Mike Brooks]

That is grain not figure and will never be prominent in maple, though it would be in ash.

What he said.

[smallpatch]

I'm not seeing much figure.  It would be vertical across the stock.  Figure doesn't show up well in photos sometimes.
As others have said...... try your stain on a scrap of the same wood.
In my experience, tannic acid wash, ferric nitrate will bring out figure better than anything else.
BUT, it can only bring out what's already there.

[mark esterly]

the grain is attractive and i see a modest amount of curl.  i would blush with af to enhance the curl.

[QuanLoi]

Quan Loi?  I spent a little time there, starting Oct '69 and then off and on until I DEROS'ed in June '69.  I was with Charlie Company, 2/7 Ist Cavalry Division, Air Mobile.

I was there for the Cambodian invasion and beyond.  I was with A Troop, 3/17 Air Cav... If I remember correctly, the 1st Cav flew with us out of Quan Loi during the invasion.

Welcome Home...

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Before you stain the stock, I'd like to see you inlet that trigger guard finial so there is no vertical brass showing.  Looks like it is retained with a screw, as I see no pin hole.  If you want to see that grain, you will have to use a very light stain.  It will disappear with a dark stain.

[Mike Brooks]

If you want to see curl in that stock you might consider painting it on. It is historically correct too.

[QuanLoi]

Before you stain the stock, I'd like to see you inlet that trigger guard finial so there is no vertical brass showing.  Looks like it is retained with a screw, as I see no pin hole.  If you want to see that grain, you will have to use a very light stain.  It will disappear with a dark stain.

In fact, the trigger guard is fully inlet, although not fully seated.  The tab is intact but I haven't drilled the hole for the pin since I have a little more work to do under the lock inlet.  Thanks for all the replies...

[Mikecooper]

I think you are referring to the swirling pattern of dark lines in the white wood.  That's the dense winter growth lines.  If you put a dark stain on it the softer white wood will absorb the stain and turn dark and the dark lines will look light in contrast but that's the look of ugly cheap department store furniture.  It's called grain reversal and it's hard to avoid that.    I would avoid pigmented stains for sure.  Aqua fortis can still cause grain reversal but not as bad as more modern stains.   

The stuff in a can at the hardware store that's labeled boiled linseed oil is not really that. It's actually raw oil with metalic driers but it does tend to darken quite a bit over time and so you could just use that but always test on scraps first.  I've seen maple with only linseed oil that has turned very dark but it takes a long time. 

[Nordnecker]

Make the patchbox.

[Mr. Bubbles]

It's a Lehigh county or Philadelphia styled gun isn't it?  Those almost all had brass patch boxes.  Most were simple flat 2-pieced symmetrical affairs.  Additionally, very many of them were carved as well.  Most of the time it was incise carving, but not always.

[smallpatch]

Disagree with Mr Bubbles.
As in most locations, wood boxes were very common on earlier styles, brass on later.

[Mike Brooks]

Disagree with Mr Bubbles.
As in most locations, wood boxes were very common on earlier styles, brass on later.

Ditto, or nothing at all. Who is this mysterious Mr. Bubbles?

[Mr. Bubbles]

Agree that wooden PB's were earlier than brass, and that they existed on the guns, but within the Bethlehem / Lehigh school, the comb nose was generally straighter (Peter Neidhart for instance) and general profile more robust on guns with wooden PB's.  The subject gun here has more of a Roman nose to it, which is a more prominent feature that developed somewhat later, closer in styling to Jacob Kuntz, Stophel Long, and to a lesser extent, John Young than it is the earlier work of Neidhart and Rupp.   The style sort of evolved and merged in to the Philadelphia school later on.  My reference source for the observations is the KRA # 10 disc, and many conversations with Erich von Aschwege.