AquaFortis ?????

[beardedhorse]

I make my own stain using diluted full strength nitric acid. I politely disagree with the statement of not needing to neutralize aqua fortis. If you don't neutralize it will not only oxidize and prevent or burn out a subsequent stain from staying in the more porous strip of the wood it will leach a chemical out of any brass inlays in contact with the wood and react with iron furniture too. I blush my nitric acid and aqua fortis with heat from a heat gun or if carefully done a propane torch (careful not to scorch or burn). After neutralizing with baking soda solution I sometimes use potassium permanganate stain to get the darker stripes in the more porous wood. It is dark purple crystals which make a purple stain that dries brown on your latex or vinyl gloves. It is also a good chemical along with glycerin to make a chemical fire so before careful with it around oxidative chemicals. I paint the dark stain completely over all the stock and rub with scotchbrite or in old days, steel wool with linseed oil to lighten. I stop lightening when I get the color I want. Many gunstockers now use alcohol based stains to bring out the contrast in the curl. Peter - the Gunsmith of Grenville County has not had luck using potassium permanganate but in 48 years I haven't had any problems if I completely neutralized the acid. Old time gunsmiths sometimes added a red dye to the varnish or linseed oil sealant to get the red color you sometimes see on fiddles. Dewhiskering is necessary both before acid treatment and before the dark stain. Green River Rifle Works had some gunstockers use the chromium trioxide that turned the curly maple stocks green later own. Instead of sanding to dewhisker I use single edge razor blades. You don't want to clog any pores of the wood with sanding dust.