Like the title say's.

I'm going to start a new project soon and would like to try to duplicate this finish. If you have any pictures or links to firearms with this finish I would love to see them.

Thanks,
Terry

Since you are in Southaven, you are very close to the master of English red finish. Go see MV Highsmith who has his shop in Dowdles sporting goods on Germantown Parkway. He will likely have some samples in his shop. He did use the food coloring used for oleomargarine when you had to mix it to get the proper color. Highsmith had a big supply hoarded, but I think he uses a commercial product now. That is a beautiful rifle you have.

Thanks dodson, I didn't know. I'll have to drop in one day and have a talk with Mr Highsmith. Nothing like seeing it in person.

Terry

Terry, I was in Highsmith's shop yesterday. There was a shotgun buttstock leaning against the wall on his bench that has that color finish. Also a mauser stock in the repair rack behind the door that has it in spades. It and my 7x57 were made from 1909 argentine stocks. High grafts a pistol grip and shapes a classic English stock from them.

High is 85 deaf and cranky. If you can't get him to listen and respond, see Keith Warner at Bronson's on Highland in memphis. He is a bit of a protege of High's and should be able to tell you about the trademark Highsmith RED. WE are lucky to have had High in Memphis. He has passed some of his knowledge to Keith, some to Ed Mason( great engraver) and to Ken Owens of double rifle fame.

Keith has a9.3x62 that high did and there are some falling block single shot rifles of High's design that are really spoecial. PM if I can help wit High.

Here is a link to a thread by Marc Stokeld featuring some photos of a .416 he built. I think this must be the kind of finish you mean.

.416

Terry-

I'm not certain it's a stock finish you're referring to, but a few months back I found a multi-page thread on a shotgun forum that was very informative.

I bookmarked the page, but the forum changed URLs, and I lost the thread.

SDH contributed to this thread, and may be able to point it out.

flaco

Yea, what I'm talking about the wood with a little red hint in it that certainly wasn't in it naturally. What I'm looking for (I guess) is somewhere between SDH's master piece and Marc Stokeld's very nice rifle that was linked. I have attempted this color finish twice and haven't been happy with my results so far. The 1st time I used a product called Pilkingtons English Red. If you put it on too light it takes on a pink color. If you put it on too heavy it blocked out the grain in the wood.
I tried a water based dye the second on the try. The wood was as plain as a 2X4 but it was a little too red.

Terry

Brownells sells red root stain. Martin Hagn uses it for mamy of his stocks to impart the red tone. I think it's probably about what you want.

Terry , Go to Nitro Express and eye ball some pictures to get color samples.

I believe Duane Wiebe has described his process here before. You can do a search under his name for it. Here's another picture of the rifle posted above with the Cape Buffalo that Duane made with that type of finish.

Thanks for the photos, GSP7-

I admire your taste in rifles.

Is that a Louis Trenker hat?

flaco

quote:

Originally posted by flaco:
Terry-

I'm not certain it's a stock finish you're referring to, but a few months back I found a multi-page thread on a shotgun forum that was very informative.

I bookmarked the page, but the forum changed URLs, and I lost the thread.

SDH contributed to this thread, and may be able to point it out.

flaco

flaco,

perhaps this is the thread you referred to? 30 pages about

alkanet root finish.

Alkanet root is hard to find and its a mess to work with. You can get the desired effect from Brownells water base powders by mixing them. Most of my rifles have that red color.

I have found it best to completey fill the pores, then cut back to the wood and then stain, followed by however many coats of satin finish or high gloss you desire. I normally finish this step with Pilkington red oil..Jerry Fisher suggested this procedure and its worked for me.

alkanet root is very easy to find and readily availible.

I make my own red oil nowadays. If you are entertaining the idea-understand that to make it you will have to buy enough materials to color a lot of stocks. Depending on how hog wild you go, it can get expensive in a hurry. To make it, you either have to have the desire to do it, or the desire to work with old formulae and creat a different concoction. Otherwise, just buy it-this is the logical solution.

I will not use water-based stains. I tried it a couple of times and it raised the grain both times.

I personally like the look of the Pilkington's English Red, but it is a much more "over the top" red than fine English guns really are.

Rob-

Thanks for posting the link.

Unfortunately, it looks like some of the images are down.

flaco

Recoil Rob,
I suspect that someone used alkanet root on "our" Francotte at one time or another.

Terry, I do believe I have some powdered alkanet root in my shop. I will mail some to you for you to experiment with.

Thanks Chic and to everyone else too! As usual I got more information and detailed pictures than I could have ever hoped for.

GSP7, I want to borrow that hat in the top picture later this year for Octoberfest if you don't mind. It might not come home as nice as it left, but I'll tell you the story (if I can remember) of what happened to it.


Terry

Luckly that isnt my hat.

alkinet root mixed with boiled linseed oil is probably the most authentic finish but the color takes time to absorb it is not like water based stains that imediatly seep deep into the wood it is very hard to perfectly match the 60+ years of sitting in a gun rack look i went thru it about 15 years ago ,champlin arms sold alkinet root at one time that is where i got mine ,i put it in a preserve jar along with boiled linseed oil and let it sit for years ,it turns to looking like vicks cough medicine cherry flavor!!
behlen stains are very good just experiment with them first and dont go {over the top}with it ,that never looks good either ...paul

quote:

Originally posted by Customstox:
Recoil Rob,
I suspect that someone used alkanet root on "our" Francotte at one time or another.

Terry, I do believe I have some powdered alkanet root in my shop. I will mail some to you for you to experiment with.

Could be Chic, it certainly is a redhead. A few months ago i was at Abe's and I mentioned to him I was planning to refinish an old remington M17 stock and he gave me some alkanet root, the real stuff, looks like a bunch of twigs. Eventually I'll get around to trying it, but I imagine my fingers will be stained for days. What do you dissolve your powder in?

Rob