Thoughts on French red for black walnut.

[NDduckhunter]

I’m building a kibler fowler in walnut. I would like a darkish stock with a reddish tone and perhaps some yellow. My first idea was just to use art’s French red filler and oil finish. My second plan was to use my aniline dye powder with water to make stain and use first black and whisker back to enhance the grain then, yellow and whisker back, then use French red then oil finish. Is my second plan too much? Do I run the chance of obscuring the grain?

[smoke and flames]

I just used medium brown leather dye and finished with minwax antique oil finish. I did rub in some flat black powdered pigment to age it a bit.  Happy with the way it turned out

[JPK]

French red that I’m familiar with is a paste meet to stain and fill the grain. To me it looked cloudy so I went to other ways for my work. It is a good product for a manufacturer but doesn’t suit my taste. Your eye may see it entirely different. Try it on a scrap piece of walnut before you put it on your project.

[NDduckhunter]

Smoke, I like the darkness of your stock. Hopefully I’ll end up with enough scrap to test out a couple things before I shoot. I have bone black to add to the finish too if needed. I’m a little on the fence with the yellow. I know some folks use flat black paint and sand it off leaving it just in the pores, it looks good to my eyes but I’m not sure how that would work in conjunction with French red. This stuff is a filler mixed in an oil stain from what I can tell, I wouldn’t call it a paste consistency but yes I’m worried about clouding things. I might need to get a good sized chunk of black walnut to try a couple things. I have two walnut kits in line to be built right now. I’ve only finished maple, though I have done many refinish jobs on walnut but I never tried to match their color or age ect…

[smoke and flames]

ND I basically use the same finish and technique on walnut when I am doing an old winchester that I have engraved. Basically I just do more coats to fill the grain.  Fillers can work also. I do not like using yellow although some do.

[smoke and flames]

You can also rub in with the finish some artists oil paint.  Burnt umber or yellow ochre work well.

[hudson]

I have done several walnut stocks through the years. One quarter saw strait grain in particular was sort of on  light side. This stain was recommended by the Hawken shop and worked wonders. Dangler’s Reddish Golden Brown Strain James Klein as on the label.

[Crow Choker]

I've used French Red stain/filler on around three walnut stocks and have been well pleased with the result. My first time was using what the old Herters company out of Waseca, Minn offered, bought my last can from Brownells. Have used both a brush on finish, rubbed with lava stone (first time use) and a Tru-oil similar product offered by the Arrow Finish Company on latter stocks. Really like that hand rubbed Arrow Finish and the French Red.

[NDduckhunter]

Did the French red obscure the figure or help it pop? The stuff I’m using is supposed to be similar the the Herters French red.

[Crow Choker]

The walnut I applied the French to were not highly figured stocks, but what figure and grain was there it wasn't hidden by the French Red and can be seen. I see Brownells offers both just a French Red stain and one with a pore filler. Alot from what I've read over time many advise that walnut needs the pores filled by some means whether by using a filler or using successive coats of finish. Brownells still label it as 'Herters' but is offered and supplied by an outfit out of Missouri called Arts Gun Shop.

[NDduckhunter]

That’s good, I have seen this used on a couple guns before and it seemed to not cloud the grain but I like to hear it from guys who have applied it before, this stock has pretty decent grain to it but not a lot of figure, which is fine. I have two of the same kits , one in 20 and one in 16. This first one is going to get beaten up so I’m not too concerned about perfection and was willing to try something new on it to see how it turns out.

[Crow Choker]

Besides using the F. Red on more modern stocks, I stripped my '74 bought TC Hawken some time back and used the F Red on it. Hand rubbed Arrow finish. Really came out a soft red hue with the brownish tints of the original wood. I used the F Red with filler. I have no qualms about using it again on a walnut stock. Of course every piece of wood is different but the walnut stocks I did do with the F Red came out very nice and pleasing. FWIW, I'm not in the crowd of muzzleloaders that every smokepole needs to be completely constructed and finished like they were in the 18th/19th century's. I do what pleases me, nothing wrong with doing as back in the day, but not completely my M.O.