aqua fortis choices

[Stophel]

This reminds me, I have to make up some more. What I had is probably fifteen years old, and it's pretty much gone.

 

[godutch]

The lye definitely adds some color and depth to it that you don't get with either ammonia or baking soda doesn't it?

I actually enjoy the experimentation process. Try putting a stain over the heat blushed and neutralized finish and then rubbing it back some with steel wool to see if you like that effect too. Steel wooling your raised carving will lighten the tops and convex surfaces and leave the bases and concave areas darker which will add to the illusion of depth. try it with a simple carved couple of volutes in your test piece to see how you like it. Carving just a couple of them for the purposes of testing shouldn't take more than 10-15 minutes.

I actually didn't even try anything else but the lye, and yes, it gives the 'orange' highlight. Omit the lye rinse and you get a basic golden brown. One thing I did find out/stumble on is that just wiping down the lye with a wet cloth doesn't seem to kill it. It goes back to gold/brown. But, if thoroughly rinsed clean with a stream of water the orange highlight seems to stay there. After two days of 'aging' my test sample seem to have darkened a bit too. 'Can't say I like that but the jury's still out on that one. I still have some playing around to do.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

57% nitric acid (aqua fortis) cut with 5 parts water to 1 part nitric. No iron added and clear as moonshine.
Here is a maple stock (by Jim Hash, can be seen in Three Centuries of Tradition) colored with same over 30 years agoView attachment 66474

Thanks for this information. I had some nitric in the shop and just tried your 5/1 recipe. It does indeed impart a orange tint when blushed.

 

[Booneliane]

I’ve only ever used the stuff sold by track of the wolf. It’s a bit dark for my taste even diluted better than 50%.

I too would like to hear of a lighter, more orange/yellow undertoned recipe.

I do like it. It’s like magic putting the heat to it.