Wickering

[doc623]

Do any of you wicker a gunstock before applying the finish?
By that I mean to dampen the stock with a moist wrung out paper towel (water soaked and rung out) to raise the fine splinters/wickers of wood and then sand it down before applying the finish?

 

[Black Hand]

Yep, I whisker every time. I wet the stock using steam from a coffee pot, let it dry and knock it back with 0000 steel wool. Repeat 3 times.
Black Hand

 

I wipe a damp cloth over the stock and then move it slowly over my electric stove burner to dry it which raises the "whiskers". I then sand it smooth and repeat until no more whiskers can be raised.

 

[Zonie]

Yes. I use rubbing alcohol to raise the grain and new 220 grit garnet sandpaper to remove the whiskers when it is dry.

The alcohol has enough water in it to raise the grain quite nicely, and it drys faster than water. Seems to be better than wood alcohol or water used alone.

The unused 220 grit paper, if used very lightly cuts off the whiskers cleanly without removing any of the wood.

I typically repeat this operation 3 to 4 times before staining the wood.

 

Yes sir, damp cloth, dry and follow up with degreased four ought steel wool.

Just :m2c:

 

[Geoff Jones]

Yes sir, damp cloth, dry and follow up with degreased four ought steel wool.

Just :m2c:

I don't really use steel wool until after I've stained the stock but I've often seen reference to "degreased steel wool". I assume some sort of oil is added to prevent rusting....but how exactly do you remove the oil? :hmm:

 

[Darkhorse]

After my final sanding with 320 grit I simply wet the entire stock, mortices and all with a wet rag and let it dry. Then I sand it once with 320. Then do it all over again 3 or 4 more times with 400 grit until no more whiskers pop up. Then I do it again for good measure.
Before I stain I vacum the stock and wipe it with a tacky cloth. Then I buff the stock hard and get it warm to bring the sharpness back to the curl.
Then I vacum and wipe with a tacky cloth one more time.
Then I wet it again to reopen the grain so it will really take the stain.
If you did the first parts right no whiskers will raise on the last wetting.
Overkill maybe. But at this point on a gun the last thing I want to do is get in a hurry.

 

[kentucky bucky]

Last stock I did, I raised the grain 5 times before I was happy with the outcome. I kept finding rough spots.

 

[Stophel]

I don't whisker the stock..but then, I don't sand them either. If you scrape the stock, the grain will be pretty well cut off clean, and there won't really be any whiskers to raise. What little is raised during staining can be pressed back down later with a burnisher or even cut off by lightly scraping again then restaining.

 

Yes sir, damp cloth, dry and follow up with degreased four ought steel wool.

Just :m2c:

I don't really use steel wool until after I've stained the stock but I've often seen reference to "degreased steel wool". I assume some sort of oil is added to prevent rusting....but how exactly do you remove the oil? :hmm:

Personally, I don't stain good walnut. Just me. But, you can buy packaged degreased steel wool, its more expensive than regular steel wool. Its used for wood working and furniture projects.

Just :m2c:

 

[Geoff Jones]

I'm with you Fatdutchman....I don't use sandpaper or whisker. If more people would experiment with a good set of scrapers, learn to sharpen them properly, I think they would realize how much easier it is to reach the same point they achieve by repeated whiskering. The scraper "clips" the wood fiber off evenly...when skillfully used and creates the same effect.

I'm not a raving traditionalist by any means...I used sandpaper and whiskered for years. But after reading Eric kettenbergs writings on proper 18th century finishing...I became a believer.

By the way....totally prejudiced opinion...I think Kettenbergs work is absolutely second to none....borderline, "walks on water". I'd sell my business and move to PA for the opportunity to apprentice for him. :imo:

yeah...he's that good.

By the way, FatDutchman...you don't look so fat in your picture???

 

[Zonie]

Just a thought about steel wool.
Yes, the stuff you buy at the store has oils and waxes on it to prevent it becoming a pile of rust on the shelf.

These waxes can raise havoc with blueing (and hot browning like Plum Brown) by contaminating the surface and preventing the very rust you want to form.

To degrease/dewax steel wool for blueing, I've tried Acetone, Lacqure thinner, MEK, Brake solvent.... and none of them work good enough.
I have found the very best method is to soak the pad(s) in a 50/50 solution of water and Muratic (Hydrochloric) acid for 3-5 minutes and rinse with plain water. You know you removed the oil/wax because the pads will start to rust.

This is undoubtly a case of over kill for steel wool which is going to be used on wood though.

A thought about using steel wool on wood:
The small fibers which break off of the steel wool pad will contaminate your stocks surface.
Perhaps when dealing with a dark wood like Walnut, it doesn't matter but I guarantee if your working with a blond wood like Maple, and you intend to use any acid or water based stain you will regret having used it.

The small fibers will rust as soon as the acid or water base stain hits them, leaving tens of thousands of red freckles all over the wood. These freckles will not bleach out, or rub off. The only way I've found to remove them is to resand the stock and start over with the whiskering.

If you use an oil base stain, or no stain at all, the fibers will not be a problem.

As I never use a oil base stain on my guns, and this freckling has occured on one of my guns in the past, I never use steel wool on a Maple stock. :m2c: