staining maple

[hangfire1755]

Mike,
I've got to say, a few years ago at Fort Frederick, Md. I seen a Hudson Valley you built VERY,VERY, NICE. :thumbsup:

 

[Mike Brooks]

Thanks, I have several of those out on the east coast. All stained with AF too! Got a 6' barel waiting for another too!

 

[fatboy]

Man Mike i would need a step ladder to load that one !!! :grin: I'd like to see one up close never handled a gun with that lenght to it .

 

[TANSTAAFL]

If you have a scrap piece of maple and some Birchwood Casey Plum Brown, give it a try, you may be pleasantly surprised.

I did an experiment with BC PB a couple of months ago on two pieces of scrap maple with varying applications. The results with a little heat and a baking soda/water kill were very good indeed. I contacted BC and they said they would run their own tests.

If you read the ingredients of BC PB, guess what one of them is? Yep, nitric acid.

Here is couple pics of said experiment:

 

[hangfire1755]

I've got a 60" barrel on order from Ed Rayl, should be here soon!

 

[Swampman]

I just spent 2-3 hours trying to get a Black Walnut stock to look like English Walnut. Fiebing's Med. Brown leather dye finally did the trick. It went right thru 2 coats of linseed oil with some MinWax Red Oak stain added to it, and 3 coats of Dangler's Dark Brown. I wish I'd used the Fiebing's first. Fantastic stuff!

 

Well I'll swear, Necessity IS the Mother of Invention. That's a pretty neat trick. Ever since Wahkon Bay folded I have had to mix my own.
Thanks,
Don

 

[Kuckus]

Exactly how do you mix the aquafortis solution? My old-time supply is running out! :bow:

 

Nitric Acid 2 1/2 oz.
Hydrochloric Acid 2 oz.
wire nails 1 oz.
Distilled Water 30 oz.

Mix acids in a Large Crock or Pyrex container.
Drop in the nails and run like the Devil is after you. The reaction is volcanic and the fumes are deadly. Mix this outside but keep an eye on it so nothing bothers it. After the nails dissolve pour in the distilled water. This will keep best in brown bottles or painted clear glass bottles. Keep from freezing or sunlight. This makes a good browner as well as a stock stain.
P.S. This brew seems to work best if mixed at a crossroads at midnight on Halloween. :grin:
Good luck,
Don

 

[Swampman]

I just put steel wool in Nitric Acid until it won't take anymore. It gets very hot and produces some amazing colored smoke.

 

[kentucky bucky]

I've got some 80 year old rusty barbed wire. Would this be good for a aquafortis type mix?

 

Weigh out 1 oz. of it and I bet it would work just fine. :thumbsup:

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Sorry Swampman, intended post in response to Cooner54. (old timers disease, et all)

Hence the edit:

I found washed and rinsed steel wool worked the best, did fume and smoke a bit. (so all safety precautions should apply) Diluted it to varying degrees cut with distilled H2o to find right strength.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Cooner54, see post#217648, was intended for you, I miss posted it to Swampman. My bad

 

An old friend of mine that used to work at GRRW used that too. He degreased it first before putting it in the potion. I guess some steel wool has grease or some film on it to keep it from rusting. The recipe I posted is only one of many that I have found published in various places. The one posted is the only one I have first hand experience with though, so I can't vouch for any of the others. This one works real good like the old Wahkon Bay Aqua Fortis that we could buy before 9-11-01. That date changed a lot of things.
P.S. Since that BC Plum Brown looks so good, I doubt I will bother mixing anymore of this stuff. That bottom piece of wood on your post looks real deep and is the color I shoot for on my rifles. I appreciate the tip.
Don