Checkering

[crockett]

This is probably a really dumb question but when do you checker a stock? I have read that you are supposed to finish the stock and then checker, that the finish holds the wood together so it doesn't chip out. Then you rub in some finishing oil and you are done. That would be okay on walnut but what about stained maple? Wouldn't the checkering remove the stain and create a finishing mess. It would seem to me that you ought to check before staining however would that expose end grain that would soak up stain and darken the wood?

 

Checkering is done after the stock is finished, however, I don't think it has anything to do with "holding the wood together". It is because you dont want stock finish in the checkering. If you checker maple and then stain, it does seem reasonable that the exposed end grain will be darker. Is that a bad thing????. No different than incise carving turning darker. After all, checkering is just incise carving in straight lines. I would think the key to doing maple would be to checker first as you suggest, then stain, but then mask the checkering to keep the stock finish out. Then oil the checkering afterwards with diluted linseed oil.
:m2c:

 

[musketman]

Checkering is done after the stock is finished,

It would be hard to sand the stock without removing the checkering, I would do it before I stain it though...

On the other hand, I can only imaging the look on someone's face after the stock is all done and they mess up the checkering...
:curse: <---urge to feed the stock to beavers

 

[crockett]

Well, it goes to show that there are some unanswered checkering questions out there. I suppose the smart thing to do is practice a bit on some scrap wood. I could avoid the whole problem with black walnut because I wouldn't stain it, just oil, but it seems to me there were maple stocks with checkering. Maybe the answer depends on how deep the stain goes into the wood. I'm going to try out a couple of ways and post the results. I also noticed on some photographs of actual originals that the checkering looks more like it was done with a saw, just crisscrossing lines as compared to the diamond points we now have on modern guns.
All this is going on the grip of a pistol, Hawken or American style. I suppose another option would be cherry. I could just oil it and it would probably look pretty good. I've used cherry on base plugs for powder horns and the look is pretty good.
What about aqua fortis? It seems it must soak pretty deep into the wood. I still have a bit of it around but someone told me it is no longer available(?).