AQUA FORTIS DILEMA

[JOHN ZUREKI]

I AM IN THE PROCESS OF FINISHING A STOCK WITH AQ.AFTER I FLASH OFF THE AQ AND THERE APPEARS TO BE A COLOR I AM HAPPY WITH,I ALWAYS WASH THE STOCK WITH BAKIN SODA WATER TO KILL ACID. I HAD A BAD REACTION WITH THE BRASS LONG AGO. THIS STOCK WAS HANDLED MY USUAL WAY. AFTER MY SODA BATH I NOTICED A GREEN CAST TO THE STOCK, MORE THAN USUAL. HERE'S THE QUESTION. COULD I LITELY SAND THE STOCK AND REAPPLY AQ AND FLASH AGAIN? MAYBE I SHOULD USE ANOTHER STAIN ON TOP OF WHAT I HAVE NOW. I HAVE USED A CHERRY WASH IN THE PAST TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. IT MAY BE TOO LATE IN THE GAME TO HIT IT WITH MORE AQ. PS, I DONT HAVE A SAMPLE OF THIS PIECE OF MAPLE TO EXPERIMENT WITH. WHAT SAY YE? THANK YOU ALL FOR ANY HELP.

 

[rich pierce]

Usually if there is a greenish tinge the AQF has not been adequately heated. If you have already washed with baking soda you will need to wash the stock with a LOT of water then apply AQF again and re-heat it thoroughly.

 

[JOHN ZUREKI]

THANK YOU MR.PIERCE FOR YOUR HELP. I MAY HAVE NOT FLASHED THE STOCK AS WELL AS I THOUGHT. MY LIGHTS OVER THE BENCH ARE NOT WHAT THEY NEED TO BE. THE LIGHTS OVER THE LAUNDRY TUB WHERE I WASHED THE STOCK INTIALLY ARE MUCH BETTER. I WASHED THE STOCK AGAIN AND APPLIED THE AQ. I FLASHED IT IN THE LAUNDRY WHERE I COULD SEE MUCH BETTER. 100% IMPROVEMENT. NO GREEN COULD BE SEEN. I THINK I WILL NOT WASH WITH SODA AND TAKE MY CHANCES. THIS WOOD HAS SEEN TOO MUCH WATER. BETTER LIGHTS AND A HIGHER POWER LENSE IN MY OPTI-VISOR ARE NEEDED. THANKS AGAIN

 

[Vaino]

Am just applying the final finish on a Bucks County and used the old "Wahkon Bay" AF and it has to be heated up quite a bit....just short of turning dark. Neutralized and let dry for a good bit and smoothed over w/ degreased 0000 steel wool to get rid of any residue. then applied LMF Lancaster Maple. After 2 coats of LMF sealer, a good rubbing w/ 0000 steel wool really brought out the curl. Seems this combination worked quite well on this piece of maple.......Fred

 

[crgabel]

I think too that your problem is not enough heat.
Craig

 

[tallbear]

A trick I learned a while back(from Chris Immel I think)is after I blush the stock I go back and coat the stock with paint thinner and dry that with my heat gun.This seems to drive the heat deeper into the stock and eliminates any underlying green tinge without burning the stock.This method has worked very well for me.
Mitch

 

[JOHN ZUREKI]

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THE HELP. WE FINNALY GOT A LITTLE SUN HERE IN MICHIGAN. IN THE SUNLIGHT I WAS STILL ABLE TO SEE A LITTLE GREEN. I AM NOT ABOUT TO HIT THIS WOOD WITH MORE AQ. I BELIEVE THAT I'M NOT GETTING ENOUGH HEAT TO MAKE HER TURN, MAYBE THE WOOD IS TOO DENSE. THE MINERAL SPIRIT IDEA IS INTERESTING,I THINK AT THIS POINT I WILL JUST OVER STAIN AND ACCEPT ANOTHER LESSON LEARNED. THIS PROBLEM HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE. JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU GOT IT FIGURED OUT...... THANKS AGAIN JOHN Z

 

[bioprof]

I'd be careful with paint thinner. It's pretty flammable.

 

[Stophel]

The paint thinner idea I modified from what Hershel House[url] does...stain[/url] then linseed oil, then heat. Of course, he doesn't neutralize.....

And yes, be VERY careful with the paint thinner. Do NOT use any kind of flame to heat it. Use a heat gun, and be wary of it always.

The simplest thing to use here might be just water. I haven't tried this in replacement for paint thinner. After the stain dries, just wet it again with water (but NOT with the stain, which will undo all that "pre-darkening" that you just accomplished by letting it dry). I need to get out and just test this to see if it will work.... :hmm:

One thing that you probably need to do is stain again. When I do a stock, I end up staining it at least a half dozen times. Stain, check and see if everything is all right. Fix problem areas, stain again. Rinse and repeat until satisfied. I have definitely noticed that with one application of stain, that there is often the tendency to remain green, but on the second application and heating, the green will go away.

By the way, I also do not purposely "whisker" the stock. By the time I am done staining and heating, and staining and heating, and staining and heating, the wood is SLICK. So slick that often the stain does not want to penetrate into the stock. I think I am actually scorching off the grain hairs that would be cut off during whiskering.

 

[Bountyhunter]

I wipe on the AF, and then heat the stock over the high flame of a coleman camp stove until well singed. The greenish color will turn red and then brown and begin to char if you hold it too long. My rifle on the big buck on the hawken thread is an example of that. It was heated until well charred and then neutralized with hot linseed oil/beeswax mix.

If you have green color left, you need more heat.

Bill

 

[Stophel]

linseed oil will definitely NOT neutralize the stain! Linseed oil is highly acidic in itself.

Most people use a wash of baking soda to neutralize the stain, but I have been using a lye wash, which was the traditional way to do it (though I bought my lye in a plastic jar at the grocery store, rather than leaching it out of wood ashes!)

 

[Tumblernotch]

Boiled Linseed Oil works just fine to "kill" aquafortis. That's all I've ever used. In fact, that's the only finish I use after staining.