Question about finish on pear wood

[Dennis Glazener]

I have a Kibler kit 32 that has been ready for finish for several months, being a house husband has kept me hopping and I have had little time to finish it. Hopefully I can do it after the TN show next week.

Anyone have experience with staining pear? So far I have applied two applications of tannic acid. Just assumed I would apply either aqua Fortis or ferric nitrate then got concerned about turning it black like it does on cherry. I have no spare wood to test it on and don't care to test it in barrel channel.

Next is the actual finish. I want to try some of the original satin finish Waterlox and was curious if anyone else uses it and if so how did you apply it? Brush or by rag like Danish oil or Chambers oil finish? I am hoping to get a finish that is in the wood rather than on the surface of the wood.
Dennis
 

[KC]

I know Jim Kibler has at least one Pear rifle in his "custom work" gallery on his web site, he'd probably have some advice seeing as it's his kit. The finish he got is really nice. I hope you post some pictures when you get it done.
K.C.

[E.vonAschwege]

I haven't played with it myself, but if the wood is anything like Cherry, it will react better with a caustic solution instead of acid - try wiping some ammonia, or even lye solution (easy off oven spray) in the barrel channel and check for color.  I've seen a few pear stocks that were simply oiled and allowed to darken naturally, they were quite pretty. 

[Jim Kibler]

The one I built was finished only transtint dye mixed with the finish.  I don't recall the color, but probably honey amber.  It's on my website.  Check it out.

Jim

[Maalsral]

image ru






Here are a few pictures of Jim Kibler's gun.

[Jim Kibler]

Here are a few more pictures in different lighting conditions.

https://www.jimkibler.net/rifle-3.html


Jim

[Daryl]

Beautiful, Jim. Very fine, tightly grained wood.

[Jim Kibler]

As an aside, I have one of our Colonial kits shaped out in a very nice piece of pear wood.  If interested we can ship immediately in .54 caliber.

Jim

[Dennis Glazener]

Thanks all, I am going to test with lye water. I have some in a plastic coffee can from my last cherry stocked rifle. It's probably 4 years old but has been capped the whole time.

Jim yous looks great.
Dennis

[Hungry Horse]

I am curious as to what variety of pear trees get big enough to get a gunstock out of. My Dad raised Bartlet pears in Northern California for over fifty years and I never saw a tree big enough to get a gunstock out of. Some of those trees were full grown when my Dad bought the ranch, and we chainsawed them down in 1987. Just curious.

  Hungry Horse

[Mauser06]

I believe Jim used Bradford Pear...not a true fruit bearing tree....more of an ornamental landscaping tree. 


I have 2 in my front yard I am cutting down because I absolutely despise them.  Their limb structure is garbage.  They hold leaves most the winter so ice and snow pile on and tons of limbs fall off...then late spring they bloom and I'm allergic to them lol.   



Considering saving the trucks and seeing what I can do with them.     Not sure if I can get a couple longrifle blanks or not.  Will be close.  Width is probably there. Length will be tricky.   If it's decent wood I'd like to build a Fowler from one which will have a little shorter barrel.   

[Dennis Glazener]

I believe Jim used Bradford Pear...not a true fruit bearing tree....more of an ornamental landscaping tree. 

Maybe but I seriously doubt it. All the bradford pear I have handled is far too brittle for a long rifle, especially the long slender forearm on the Kibler mountain rifle kit.
Dennis

[Mauser06]

I knew I posted about it a while ago....

[Jim Kibler]

Yeah, the rifle shown is Bradford Pear.  This came from Wallace.  It was a tree he planted and blew over in a huricane.  It worked well and was plenty strong for a rifle stock.  It was probably equal to good quality red maple.

I'm not sure of the type of pear the last batch of lumber I got came from.  It has a similar look to the Bradford Pear from Walace, but is harder and quite heavy.

Jim

[smart dog]

image ru






Here are a few pictures of Jim Kibler's gun.

I've always loved this gun.  I call it Jim's Art Deco gun because the patch box makes me think of the Chrysler Building in New York City lying on its side.  Also those posters from the 1920s showing buildings in some futuristic city somewhere.  This is truly one of the few uniquely artistic guns out there.

dave

[Daryl]

Spot-on, Dave. The rifle has an inviting, almost a romantic attraction. It's carving is indeed lovely - makes you want to handle 'it'.