Relief carving....later?

[roklock]

Was wondering if anybody has done relief carving after a gun had finished applied?

I was wondering if I applied one or two coats tongue oil finish to just give it some protection from the weather then in 30-60 days come back and add some incise and relief carving? At that point apply the stain and final finsh.

Reason...want to hunt with it in late season.

Thanks,

Steve

 

[flintriflesmith]

Lots of rifles made in the 1830s had relief carving added in the 1960s so you know it is possible! :grin:

Seriously, the only real problem would come in trying to stain or raise the grain of any part of the stock that had already been penetrated by the oil. If you use a none-penetrating finish (shellac or varnish) in the area to carve while you are hunting you could scrape it all off later when you have time for the carving.

 

[rich pierce]

Gary could pull off some things maybe you and I couldn't. Whenever a pro says, "it can be done" I think, "Maybe by YOU!"

If you do finish it a little to protect it, make sure you do not stain it at all. Then whatever staining you do after stripping and carving will stain everything uniformly. You'll probably have to use a spirit stain, not aquafortis, etc, if you go this route.

 

[LRB]

I would advise against it. If you are young, exercise patience. There's always next year, and that gives you time to do it right.

 

[George Holton]

Amen to that.