Ferric nitrate ..how dark??

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

OK so this is one coat of Ferric Nitrate 1:5 solutin and then heated.  Can I put another coat on and not lose the curl?  I want the gun to be dark but for plenty of curl to show.  If I put another coat on will it just become brown??/darker or will the curl still show in more relief??

[Karl Kunkel]

Tim,

I've purchased some ferric nitrate to experiment with, and plan to first use it on a super curly walking tick I picked up at Dixon's before i use in on a stock.  So I will be interested in following your progress.  Please continue to post updates, particularly after you apply finish.

Thanks for sharing these pictures, I'm surprised at the brown color you got from a 1:5 colution, I had thought to use 50/50, but I'm re-thinking that now.

[Joe S]

Quien sabe? Why not try it in your patch box, or maybe under the trigger guard and see how it comes out?

[Kentucky Jeff]

In my experience the curl will stand out more with a darker finish until it crosses a point where its nearly black.  If you go too far you can cut it back with some steel wool.  If that's one coat it looks like your Nitric is not a strong solution so I would go ahead and do it again. 

[erdillonjr]

I use a solution of 20% and it works well for me. Ed

[Dphariss]

The curl does not really stand out until the wood is oiled.
If you oil it with a dark oil it will darken and the curl will as well.


Stained



Seal coat, home cooked BLO, turpentine and Grumbachers Painting Medium III


Second coat still wet. <edit>I think this is the day after the second coat now looking a the date.


One seal coat, one top coat of home boiled oil mixed with Grumbachers Oil Painting Medium III.


Over the first few days, especially with sun exposure the natural oil tends to darken and increase the contrast and improve the look of the wood.
They do this much better than clear/synthetic finishes.

Dan

[rich pierce]

Agree, without wetting the stock you won't be able to "see" what it will lok like oiled.  Swab with a wet rag (water) and you'll get some sense of it.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Well here it is with the stain job finished.......on the top of the rack....just stuck the trigger, TG, Lock and barrel in it to get a glimpse of it The stain is burnished..no finish yet.  The second coat of AF darkened it some but it was a color of brown I didn't really like so I mixed Homer Dangler dark brown and reddish brown stains and put a coat over the AF..... its still a little more brown than I prefer but better.  I think I may try some black spray paint before I put the Chamber's varnish on...

[California Kid]

Dr. Tim put a couple coats of finish on before you do the black spray paint.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Ok, here it is finished.. not good pics yet...I will post better pics of the gun next week when  I get some clouds ...and time. I did as California Kid suggested. It is very dark..but in daylight the curl is beautiful....  The AF/FN was just to golden brown for my taste. The light coat of stain over it and then the Chamber's oil varnish darkened it up nicely.

[Mad Monk]

OK so this is one coat of Ferric Nitrate 1:5 solutin and then heated.  Can I put another coat on and not lose the curl?  I want the gun to be dark but for plenty of curl to show.  If I put another coat on will it just become brown??/darker or will the curl still show in more relief??

Tim,

The black color in the curl develops with time.  It is the result of a chemical reaction between the tannic acid in the wood and the iron oxide of the stain.

Once a finish is on the wood you should see the black curl color develop.
As the wood "breathes" with changes in relative humidity the migrating moisture carries small amounts of tannic acid to the surface of the wood where the iron oxide stain rests.  When the tanninc acid comes in contact with the iron oxide it forms a water-insoluble iron tannate complex.

The amount of time here can vary.  Such things as how much tannic acid is in the wood.  How rapid and extreme are the changes in relative humidity in the air around the stock, etc.

But if you get carried away with excessive amounts of stain on the wood the whole surface may turn a very dark brown or brown-ish black in color.

[Dphariss]

The problem with demanding certain colors from the wood is that the result may not be what was desired. In a few months or years.
I tend to stain with my shop made stain and take what comes. Just like the makers of the 18-19th century.
Natural oil finishes tend to darken in the first week or so what one sees an hour after putting on oil is not what appears in 2-3 days or a week sunlight will speed this.

Dan