Flintlock Kit Help

[Zonie]

Nice color but I've got to throw in here, Aqua Fortis "MAY" give the wood that color.

Because the color is largely a matter of how the wood reacts to the acid and subsequent heat needed to bring out the color, one never knows what the final color is going to be if they use Aqua Fortis.

It's kinda the luck of the draw.

Of course, there's no law against adding very light coatings of stain to modify the color to the desired shade after using Aqua Fortis.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Thank you :grin:

Sage advice as usual Zonie. Aqua fortis is rather unpredictable and your idea of adjusting the color with stain is spot on. And test strips are your friend!

 

[fishmusic]

Dremel makes a tool holder that can act as a grinding wheel. I ground my pistol trigger guard with it to remove the casting lines. Then I sanded it with progressively finer sand paper (that black wet dry stuff is good) to about 500 grit.

Go easy with the initial grinding of the cast parting lines on the Dremel. A little at a time with a fine grit tapered tool bit worked for me. Use sand paper wrapped dowels to get the tight curves.

To get a real good polish I used the Dremel again with the little buffing wheels and a compound for taking the swirls out of guitar finishes (Stewart-McDonald guitar building supplies). Wear goggles and an apron for this.

 

[don hepler]

I use Laurel Mountain Forge stains, after using Aqua Fortis. As you apply heat to the stock, after wiping on the Aqua Fortis, it will turn from grayish, to greenish, then the red of the maple will turn to a blush. You can add the stain, anything from a bright red maple, a nut brown, or even a dark walnut. If you don't like the color you can sand it back, to remove some of the color. The areas between the strips, on maple are softer than the golden lines, that we are used to seeing and the soft wood takes the stain, while the harder wood reveals the strips. Some of my rifles are red, but my favorite are black as an antique, Church Organ.

That's my experience, yours may vary.

 

[Birddog6]

My advice is to take a lil drive one morning, and by that evening you will know more than you can imagine by visiting Tip Curtis Frontier Shop 615-654-4445. Tip is in Cross Plains, TN and you can ask him & he will show you Allot. You are very fortunate to have someone close & also a Huge inventory of parts close to you.

I guarantee you will leave there amazed of what you will learn in a day. Give him a call before you go to insure he is doing to be here. :thumbsup:

Keith Lisle

 

[SAJones]

Well, after years of abuse my hands are a bit stiff & the file & abrasive paper route is difficult if I have to do much. So my last couple of builds, I used the Dremel type sanding drum, but not the sanding cylinder. Instead I cut narrow strips of whatever grit paper I need, tape it on the rubber cylinder & use my Foredom to do the brass removal. Takes a bit of a learning curve, but I can get it down to almost a mirror finish w/ 600 grit. Really great on the inside of the trigger guard. Yep, the corners need hand work, & flat surfaces like trigger guard bases need the flat board trick, but it sure helps my hands.