Ferric Nitrate tips?

[1BadDart]

I'm just about ready to apply the ferric nitrate solution to the maple stock for Virginia rifle build. Does anyone have any tips or do's and don'ts to share? I bought the crystals and mixed up the solution a couple months ago to use on my knife handles.

Thanks, Justin

 

[deerstalkert]

 

[user 34300]

Start with about a teaspoon in a cup of water. You can try more.

When you have to much orange powder will sit on the surface of the wood. It comes off easy with scotchbrite and will smell like acrid rust.

 

[longcruise]

Test in advance on a piece of cut off from the stock or int in the barrel channel or any other place it won't show. I use it quite a bit on other than gun projects and the variations from one piece of wood to the next can be a wide range.

 

[TommyG]

Yes, test on scrap or somewhere unseen first. I usually mix my crystals using denatured alcohol as it does not raise the grain on my carving. That said, on test pieces I have tried using a water mix and that seems to have a more reddish hue. I usually mix at 5 parts (DA or H2O) to 1 part FN by volume. Apply using a brush or dawber, let set for a few hours, then heat blush. I usually do this twice. After the second application, I wash down the stock with a lye water mix (2 tablespoons to 10 oz water), I do this more for the color it gives than to neutralize. Let that dry overnite and rub back the stock using 4/0 steel wool. Just a note on rubbing back, you might need to really shred some steel wool to get the desired effect of striping contrast on curly maple,, just be cautious around your edges. Depending on what color you're after, you can add additional color using analine dye stains

 

[1BadDart]

Thanks guys.

 

[boberator]

That video is pretty good for first timers to get the feel of applying the stain and making it blush. I find it best to get the wood as smooth as possible before staining.