Stock Stain Ideas

[jbullard1]

I'm useing this old CVA as a practice gun. It is a kit that was put together very sloppily in the early 80's and I'm redoing it just to get some practice. I've found some pretty interesting grain in the stock and need to know what will be a good stain to help bring it out. I've wet the wood for the pics

 

Since you are practicing for a future build, why not use Aqua Fortis and LMF Sealer with Tru-Oil over that. It will look like an original.

 

[tom hargrove]

that has some nice grain :thumbsup:

 

[patriot59]

I used Fiebings Leather dye on several stocks.

Read about it a while ago. It is alcohol based so it can be diluted.

I painted a stock with stripes then went over the whole thing and finished with Formbys oil finish.
Has a very faint striping under a slightly reddish brown color. Have had compliments on it.

on another stock I built up "layers" of color, brought out the grain well.

 

[Mike Brooks]

Those old CVA's are stocked in beech. I'd go with Aqua fortis

 

[rich pierce]

That's beech all right. Tough hard wood. Usually as plain as cousin Jane. But you got an unusual piece there. It will stain pretty uniformly as the winter wood does not take stain that differently from summer wood. Not like ash or oak that way.

 

[Jim W]

An idea you might like to try, with the grain structure showing, you might want to use two to three different color stains sort of 'feathering' them between alternate growth rings. I was playing around with an old stock and was really impressed with the outcome. :grin: (Fun idea but I guess boarders on 'cheating')
Jim W

 

[paulvallandigham]

I did a stock with either birch or beech wood, by first using a cherry stain, that gave a red tint to the hard growth rings( the lines). When it dried, I sanded and steel wooled off the red stain from the soft wood. The I used a good walnut stain on the soft wood. The red in the hard growth rings helped them "pop" out a bit through the walnut stain, but the walnut stain muted the cherry stain, so you cannot see a separate " red " color in the hard growth. I then finish with Tru-oil.

The stock came out very nice, with the hard growth rings showing very nicely through the finish. The original finish had been a walnut brown PAINT! and the gun's owner had no idea what wood the stock was, and had never seen any grain. When I handed him back his gun, he was shocked, and wanted me to reassure him it was the same piece of wood. Then, he was so pleased with how it looked that he decided he was going to leave this rifle to one of his grandsons as a family " heirloom ".

 

[jbullard1]

Here are the results after a tea and leather dye staining and 4 coats of tru-oil buffed with 0000 between coats

 

[paulvallandigham]

Looks good. I would put three more coats of Tru-il on it, then spray it with a good wax, and put the furniture on the gun and go shooting. :hatsoff: