Olive green pistol stock

[frogwalking]

I had not planned to build another gun, but bought a pistol barrel  here that was for sale cheap.  I finally got the stock finished and, using the same nitric and iron stain that has successfully been used on at least a dozen rifles, I went at it.  It came out a very striking olive green, but I had seen this before.  My electric heat gun, this time, did not convince it to turn brown.  I tried again, but no success.  I toasted the stock until it began to burn.  No dice.  Why did this happen, and how do I fix it?  The Nitric acid originally came from TOW 20 years ago, and the stock us maple, likely red.

[rich pierce]

I’ve only seen this with the so called magic maple stain. But each piece of maple reacts differently to remaining active acid in iron-saturated nitric acid. I think some AQF recipes like Whakon Bay also had hydrochloric acid in them.
I would slop on some hydrogen peroxide and more heat.

[Not English]

Rich, what will the hydrogen peroxide do?

[Clint]

I agree with Rich, I have used peroxide on vinagaroon stains which will often come out dark gray. The peroxide brightens the tone and reacts with the iron left by the aqua fortis to bring up the reds.

[frogwalking]

Should I allow the hydrogen peroxide to dry, or heat it still wet?  I felt that oxidation was the answer here, but did not know how to sccomplish it.  Thanks.

I will let you know how it works.

[rich pierce]

I’d put it on, let things dry 4 hours, then hit it with heat.

[Hungry Horse]

I’ve only experienced the “greening” when chromium trioxide was part of the mixture. Some of the old maple treatments had this in it. It usually didn’t turn green instantly, but could get very green with a little time. Odd reactions happen sometime when the maple isn’t hard sugar maple. Silver maple which can have fantastic curl often has weird reactions to acid stains.

  Hungry Horse

[Nordnecker]

I had this same experience with my last stock. I thought my AF might have gone bad and ordered new Wahkan Bay AF. I ended up stripping and bleaching the stock 3 times. My test pieces (and stock, for that matter) would blush to a nice reddish brown and over the next hours would turn green. It was very frustrating.

[mikeyfirelock]

Just on the off chance that there is chromium trioxide present, wear really good mask if sanding.  It’s toxic.

[frogwalking]

(I am aware of the Chromium trioxide bug-a-boo.  There has never been any of that in my shop.)   I lathered the hydrogen peroxide on the offending puke-green stock.  It looked better when wet, and perhaps the green was slightly less offensive after it dried and had been heated, so I did it again.  Not much difference.  I have been building for over 50 years.  I apparently have had enthusiasm, but little talent.  Perhaps that explains why my patience exhausted, I slapped the linseed oil finish on the green stock and it miraculously turned brown.  I only hope it stays that way. 

Thanks you for your patience with my ineptitude.  Perhaps one of my great grandchildren will value this pistol. 

[Metalshaper]

Magic maple, heat blushed and then a slight wash of walnut stain.. Covered with the Old durable finish
20 yrs old.. Guess I just got lucky??

Respect Always
Metalshaper/Jonathan