ToW aquafortis?

[Archie]

Reading through the online instructions for ToW's aquafortis and it does not mention nutralizing the acid after applying it to the stock. Did I miss something or is that not needed with their product?

 

[necchi]

That is interesting, no mention at all even in the pdf download instructions.
Could be that Dave at Track just doesn't beleive in the practice of neutralizing the acid and doesn't consider it important. (he's stubborn like that)

Neutralizing is an easy process, I wouldn't skip it,
, again.!

The first time I used Aquafortis was years back on a pistol stock, I kept that pistol for many years and it did indeed continue to darken. By the time I traded it off the wood was near black. The pretty grain the Aquafortise help "pop" was barely visible anymore,
That was the olde "Wahkon Bay" stuff.

 

[tallbear]

Archie
TOW's aqua fortis tends to be a liitle on the acidic side.If you don't neutralize you run the risk of the color darkening over time.Some builders like that,Hershal House comes to mind.Some builders do'nt want their color to darken so they neutralize.The choice is yours.I use house hold ammonia to neutralize and am please with the results.

Mitch Yates

 

[Rifleman1776]

Could be they are selling the product and not in the business of teaching gunsmithing.
Some thinks are self-evident. It is acid. Do you want it to remain active forever in your wood?

 

[Col. Batguano]

Why don't you give them a call and ask. It would be interesting to know what they say.

How deep does this stuff go in to the wood? Wondering if once it's black, if you could sand down beneath it easily, and then re-treat it with the proper neutralization.

 

[Cknerr]

I use it as an oxidizer for scorching. Leave it on long enough to dry and react a little, then start waving a blow torch over it to start getting that caramel color. Keeping moving the color line like sweeping leaves with a leaf blower.

It seems the scorching "uses up" the nitric acid. Scorching without using the acid really causes problems. In 40+ years of doing it, don't recall much darkening beyond the oil finish doing it's thing. Now if you want to talk about holding the torch too long in one place... In days of yore, a red hot chunk of iron was moved over the wood to do the same thing as a blow torch. Aqua Fortis (nitric acid)was used as an oxidizer, not usually left alone as you are finding out.

When you leave it alone, of course it will continue to react and oxidize the wood as time goes by. Try scorching -it really is easy.
Chris

 

[tallbear]

Tha stain most of us in the American Longrifle culture call aqua-fortis or more properly called Nitrate of iron stain is a combination of Nitric acid,water with iron disolved into it.In the case of TOW Aqua fortis it's Nitric Acid,Hydrocloric Acid,water with iron disolved into it.It is not an oxidizer but it uses the coloring of the microscopic iron oxides to color the wood.Those of us who make our own Aqua fortis try to push the reaction until the acid is completely spent making neutralizing unnessacary.In the case of the mass produced Aqua fortis in some cases it remains acidic I guess due to the large quanities they are making.As I have said before neutralizing is your choice but my experience with TOW's solution it will continue to darken over time unless you neutralize.

Mitch

 

[Cknerr]

okay, didn't think of the adding iron particles part. That makes a little more sense. I admit to never trying that.

Maybe an odd question, why not use something less destructive for an acid. Ebonizing is done with vinegar and iron particles. You get a very good darkening stain since the same iron is turned into the same very black stain.

That of course is useless if the acids you mentioned are contributing to color changes you wanted.

Is it intentional to get the wood as dark as I often see? (I prefer lighter shades so I can see more of the stripes and color variations)....just wondering.

Sorry if I am hijacking thread, new here and this is something new and interesting.

Chris

 

[Bruce Bogart]

Vinegar and iron has been used. This rifle was stained that way. It did not have the yellowish/orangish undertones. Kinda green tint I think. The curl has a nice chocalate brown tho. I probably won't do it again.

 

[tallbear]

It's been my experience that vineger and iron doesnt work as well as Nitric Acid and Iron.Others have had some success though.I make my Aqua Fortis by mixing 1 part acid 4 parts water with iron disolved until the reaction stops.With expermentation many different colors and shades can be achived.All the stocks below were stained with Aqua Fotis.

Mitch Yates

 

[Bruce Bogart]

I like Mitch's better!

 

[Archie]

I have been very happy with ToWs customer service and all the products I have bought from them so far. From what I see with their "instructions" for certain products they leave some room for the imagination and creativity of the builders. I am not asking for step by step hold my hand directions but rather to be pointed in the general area. Then I get to arrive at this forum and benifit from the vast experience here and see pics of some very excellent rifles.