I think that curly maple that is stained with spirit stains will not develop that wonderful three dimensional quality that is seen on some modern builds, and many high end antiques. I boobytrapped myself by trying a couple of tannic acid washes, followed by a couple of coats of vinegaroon, was on a piece of curly maple scrap from a previous build that I had used spirit stain on, and was quite pleased with. I followed Jim Kibler’s instructions from his video, and after the two coats of tannic acid, and two coats of vinegaroon, and a good rub back with Scotchbrite ( I don’t use steel wool in my shop). I wiped on a little true oil just to see what I had. I was stunned, and to be honest a little sick at my stomach. My rifle looks good, but it was immediately apparent that I had only accentuated the surface curl with the Dangler stains I used. From here on I will only use spirit stains on maple to tint projects that have already gone through the acid staining process.
Hungry Horse
