Fantastic work on your rifle. it's absolutely beautiful, I fact used the photos in your post as a model for mine. This is the exact color I 'm looking for. I'm finishing up a Kibler SMR also stock in Cherry, I see you used Lye to color your stock. Can you tell be the ratio of lye to water you used and how you applied it. Also, did you neutralze the lye with vinager? I assume you put the Permalyne sealer on after the lye.
Unfortunately Trapper Scott is no longer on the forum. If you read through the thread I believe you’ll find your answers. I don’t remember exactly what he used.
You need to focus on a lye solution for YOUR piece of cherry wood as not all cherry wood is the same.
I would suggest experimenting with a dilute lye (sodium hydroxide) solution on inconspicuous places. Dissolving the lye in warm water seems to intensify the color change. With a dilute solution, you can give the wood two or more treatments to get the color you want. Once you get the concentration dialed in, lye produces a beautiful reddish brown.
