Stain for maple stock Committee of Safety

[Rusty Musket]

I'm currently stripping a polyurethane finish off of a maple musket stock.

It's not a curly maple or anything exciting but a plain light colored stock.

I'd like to darken the stock some but not alot.

Anyone know of a good stain or dye that might accomplish this?

Then after staining I'd like to seal the stock with a sealer that might be more period correct to a committe of safety musket in 1776. No varnish or shellac something like linseed or tung oil. Not sure how well they would Penetrate the maple.
Thoughts ?

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
It would likely have been stained with aqua fortis back in the day. You can accomplish the same thing with ferric nitrate crystals dissolved in water. Paint on the stain, let it dry, and then blush it with a heat gun. With respect to the finish, don't fall for the idea of a dull oil in the wood finish. It would be a linseed oil-based varnish and originally be a bit shiny. You can accomplish the same effect by using Tried and True linseed varnish or polymerized tung oil. Note I wrote POLYMERIZED tung oil. This is tung oil that is heat treated and mixed with solvents such that it dries in a matter of hours. No finish ever penetrates deeply into the wood but tung oil has superior weather resistance compared with linseed oil and the polymerized versions can be made to look like original oil-based varnishes. Here is an example of a maple stocked militia musket I made a few years ago. It is stained with ferric nitrate and finished with Sutherland-Welles polymerized tung oil medium sheen.

dave

 

[Phil Coffins]

I’m glad to see an accomplished builder clearly state that the often thought of linseed oil being a finish for guns is simply wrong. No gunsmith or government contractor could spend weeks or months on a finish which is why linseed oil is a BASE to make a varnish for guns.

 

[Rusty Musket]

https://emuseum.history.org/objects/27959/restocked-fredericksburg-infantry-musket
Look I'm going for

 

[andy52]

I like the look of Feibings medium brown alcohol dye, it gives maple a redist tint.
Here's a knife handle I used it on.

​

 

[dave_person]

Hi Phil,
Thanks, and they used linseed oil not because it was very good but it was readily available and cheap. That is why it was mixed with a resin or copal varnish so it would protect better and dry within a human lifetime.

The methods and materials that I described for you can give you that look.

dave

 

[Rusty Musket]

I like the look of Feibings medium brown alcohol dye, it gives maple a redist tint.
Here's a knife handle I used it on.
View attachment 219898

​

Any special sealer ?

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Use nitric or ferric nitrate and blush for color. Linseed VARNISH for finish.

 

[andy52]

Any special sealer ?

The only thing I used on the handle was beeswax melted and rubbed it.

 

[Redlemur60]

Hi Phil,
Thanks, and they used linseed oil not because it was very good but it was readily available and cheap. That is why it was mixed with a resin or copal varnish so it would protect better and dry within a human lifetime.

The methods and materials that I described for you can give you that look.

dave

Ye shall know them by their fruits
DAVE has very beautiful fruits
So there you go!

 

[Redlemur60]

Hi,
It would likely have been stained with aqua fortis back in the day. You can accomplish the same thing with ferric nitrate crystals dissolved in water. Paint on the stain, let it dry, and then blush it with a heat gun. With respect to the finish, don't fall for the idea of a dull oil in the wood finish. It would be a linseed oil-based varnish and originally be a bit shiny. You can accomplish the same effect by using Tried and True linseed varnish or polymerized tung oil. Note I wrote POLYMERIZED tung oil. This is tung oil that is heat treated and mixed with solvents such that it dries in a matter of hours. No finish ever penetrates deeply into the wood but tung oil has superior weather resistance compared with linseed oil and the polymerized versions can be made to look like original oil-based varnishes. Here is an example of a maple stocked militia musket I made a few years ago. It is stained with ferric nitrate and finished with Sutherland-Welles polymerized tung oil medium sheen.

dave

A baby butt , wishes too be this smooth!