The Stripes In Curly Maple.

[Dphariss]

Yes, heat is heat but how the heat is APPLIED makes the difference.
In this case flame heat is not the same as radiant heat.

I have reacted stocks by putting them in the corner behind my wood stove. Over electric stove burner elements.
I have done a 2 piece stock in my wifes oven. Worked great.

A torch or flame will not heat the wood as deeply as radiant heat does. This, I am told on excellent authority, can cause problems with the stain. But neither I or may source, SFAIK, burn  stocks black.

My comments on radiant heat are what was passed on to me. Its a chemistry thing. People are free to take it or leave it. I really have not the slightest interest in how anyone stains their stocks  or why. There are any number of ways people do things that work for them.


Balance of rant deleted

Dan

[Acer Saccharum]

You'll get a green stock if you use Chromium Trioxide(Magic Maple).
Chuck Dixon told me the only way it goes green is if you don't dilute it. Use it straight.





If you don't heat the Aqua Fortis, I suppose it might be a yukky color, gray to green.

[Acer Saccharum]

This my results from using AF, heated with a heat gonne, radiant heat. I have used a torch on sample pieces, but the high spots get 'toasted', and it's pretty hard to get an even 'burn'.

Bigbat, I like the sound of the torch and oil. I am putting that in my folder for wood finishing. And keep a fire extinguisher handy!  I guess I'll be doing this outside!

[bigbat]

a very Lively discussion, torches, oil and heat  almost Medieval!

[Acer Saccharum]

don't forget Magic
Maple. 

Tom

[bigbat]

I will try to take pictures of my wifes Brennan rifle that was finished in the way I described (tomorrow, I am pooped I just finished the detail work on a powder horn)

[Chuck Burrows]

I don't see how the nitrate of iron can make black

Dan - not the best pic, but note the vertical face of the piece on the left - that dark turning to an almost black color is nothing more than AF unneutralized, coated with homemade linseed oil varnish, and exposed to the summer sunlight here at 6500' ASL for about 6 hours - so yep it can turn black on it's own........

[Dphariss]

I don't see how the nitrate of iron can make black

Dan - not the best pic, but note the vertical face of the piece on the left - that dark turning to an almost black color is nothing more than AF unneutralized, coated with homemade linseed oil varnish, and exposed to the summer sunlight here at 6500' ASL for about 6 hours - so yep it can turn black on it's own........

I was thinking of the normal staining-reacting process. I have tried to heat a stock to get a little darker color. They simply will not do it on command during a *normal staining operation*. It darkens to a certain point and stops. I have depleted my current batch of stain with iron to the point it is nearly neutral so getting a black by letting the acid burn the wood is not likely to happen.
I think I stated it would change color over time. I have not seen it at this speed it has always taken longer when I left test pieces go without neutralizing oiled them and then in 6 months or a year endede up with a dark brown to near black result where no curl could even be seen, would not leave acid on a stock without reacting and neutralizing. I suspect if I took straight or even dilute nitric I could oxidize a stock very quickly too.
I go for typical AF color since I don't do "aged" finishes and can't imagine turning a curly maple stock black. Though years ago I had some stain that was used by staining the stock near black when washing it back to get the color desired. Too much work really.

But I have put a stock in an oven for quite some time, 2-3 hours but no oil, to react it and while dark, did not turn black. Just really dark reddish except the curl. I screwed up the forend and had to make one from another piece and I could not get it to darken to match though I used everything in the shop, including extra heat for the AF and eventually I had to wet sand the buttstock with 2000 grit to lighten it to get a match for the forend.

Dan

[Mike R]

the lower rifle I did with aqua fortis/iron and heat and no neutralizing--just rubbed in alot of linseed oil over a period of time--the upper rifle was done with dyes.

[Mike R]

P.S., I just realized that I did not credit the builder of the top rifle: Larry Curnow. I made the lower one back in 1978...