I am in the final stages of sanding an English walnut stock and I want to use something that will bring out the contrast of the mineral streaking and the wood grain. I like the way it looks when wet with mineral spirits, but I'd like it a tad darker. What do most people use for staining English walnut?

I can post some pics of the stock (if that will help) when I get home, this weekend, from Hockey Camp.

Ive used Laurel Mtn Cherry with good results
http://www.laurelmountainforge...ain_colors%20v3.html
Id add it to your can of finish also

Got some Alkenet powder "fermenting" to use next

Hi--i often put a light tint of red stain in
oil finish =try it on scrap first to get a feeling on how much red you want-i also have used a very weak walnut stain just to darken the wood
have fun sydney

One thing that I have found; different pieces of the same type of wood, English in this case, seem to finish to different degrees of color. I would just add some finish and see how it turns out. You can always add stain later. I can't remember the name of that stuff now but Brownell's carys it.

Color enhancement is a personal preference IMO . My choice is Aniline Dye Alcohol soluble add too a carrier

paint or lacquer thinner or nearly any Oil type finish .

http://www.mohawk-finishing.co...rowse.asp?ictNbr=180

http://www.mohawk-finishing.co...sp?ictNbr=23&atomz=1

The Key in my opinion is having a piece or pieces of the blanks cut offs ( Meaning leftover pieces from the

blank of which the stock was cut from ) This allows complete freedom in experimenting with nearly every

aspect of a stocks finishing procedures . Seeing an actual finish on the exact wood before committing to

the stock . Unfortunately many self doers never ask the stock maker for cut offs !.

Color transparency tinting is easily accomplished using the above type stain.Maybe what Jim was more than

likely referring too was Plinkingtons

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewP...productNumber=326495

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx...SSIC_GUNSTOCK_FINISH.

I've always used Mohawk products as they're a commercial supplier too the furniture industry and carry

anything A-Z concerning wood protection color Etc. . I prefer to blend Dark Mahogany with Red Mahogany or

a touch of brown with the red it reminds me of H&H's old oil finishes . BOL ...

Traditionally in UK alkanet root (which is a dark ruddy brown) was added to linseed oil and then heated.

The root can be bought dry and looks like flakes like ash from a fire when you've burnt paper. Except that it is a ruddy brown colour of course.

This gave a deep red colour like thick and oily cranberry juice rather than the red on your US flag.

The mixture was strained to get out the alkanet bits and then used to finish the stock. Giving it not only waterproofing but also colour.

You might want to try the formula from Duane Wiebe, it really does do well on English.
http://www.customgunandrifle.c...icle&id=15&Itemid=14

I don't stain nice wood, but the sealer I use does darken the wook a bit. I use Daly's Ship 'N Shore, but there's a product called Plastic Oil or something like that that darkens wood as well.

quote:

Originally posted by Toomany Tools:
I don't stain nice wood, but the sealer I use does darken the wook a bit. I use Daly's Ship 'N Shore, but there's a product called Plastic Oil or something like that that darkens wood as well.

I was having thoughts about staining or using a tint on my own english wood.I am leaving that decision to the rifle maker.I believe he is going with a red stain as the wood already has some red in it.I had a saddlemaker make me a leather wallet a while back and we left the nice leather in it's natural color.The same guy made one for his brother using the same leather but with a burgundy tint.His wallet is very nice and there are times when I think it is nicer than mine.My conclusion is,one way or the other,they are both nice but diffferent.I recall my riflemaker saying that he wanted to adjust the tint so that it doesn't hide the mineral streaks in the wood-which makes sense to me.

All very good advice above. I would only suggest once more, as done above, that the cut offs have various finish applied first before you decide.

Reason is: Real dense wood really does not take oil real fast. It helps to thin it a good amount...even heat the oil and or wood up a little for a deeper penetration. Keep applying this mixture until the stock takes no more. Often this approach will yield great results. If you want the wood darker and the contrast as high as possible, and it clearly sounds like you do, then go straight to oil and avoid sealers first.
You can stain the wood after the oil.
Oil stain or non-reagent grade acid with a piece of iron in it will provide a great stain.
Rub some of the mixture into the finished and oiled stock and heat it. Dark red-brown colors will deepen. Stop heating when the color is reached that you like; wipe it with oil or vinegar with vigor. I prefer vinegar; it stops the acid right now.
Grey or chocolate lines will have turned ink black by now and the color of the wood will simply glow. This finish will look as lose to a true patina as any I have ever played with.

If the wood has more exposed end grain it will suck up finish faster or if the blank used is a softer fiber, these ad a few other qualities will cause wood to darken much faster. In a situation like that, it might be a good idea to use sealer first and block the oil from getting in deep and darkening the wood, too dark.
There are great many variations to blanks, regardless of species. California-English is generally very consistent in grain density and fiber length. The above teak and /or teak acid stain finish will do very well on your stock.

The biggest problem with stains is they have a tendency to block out the various shades of background color of the wood, and that to me is a shame and borders on a sin. I would rather heat the thinned oil up and let it penetrate deep and darken the wood this way than take the shortcut and stain. Heating the wood up also helps get the oil in deep.

For what it is worth, I finished about 23 blocks of Turkish/English with 23 different finishes and some variations. I left the blocks out doors for three years. I also planed them down to see how deep various finishes go. I was surprised at some of the results.

Thin teak oil is the only oil to use. UV light and various others weather conditions break down other oils faster. Teak repels water better than any other oil and does not appear to darken with age. Great oil.

I have found reference from old English stockmaking where the English used rusted iron drums for the storage of oil. The colored oil was a byproduct of the rusted iron. After the true Circassian (naturally red) was used the English apparently went to staining to get the rusted iron color. It is my belief that the continental makers of Virginia, Pennsylvania, Conn, Kentucky, Tenn…et all, etc, that built stocks of maple learned the above staining technique from the English accident of rusty drums.

Hope this is of some help.

Adam

quote:

Oil stain or non-reagent grade acid with a piece of iron in it will provide a great stain.
Rub some of the mixture into the finished and oiled stock and heat it. Dark red-brown colors will deepen. Stop heating when the color is reached that you like; wipe it with oil or vinegar with vigor. I prefer vinegar; it stops the acid right now.
Grey or chocolate lines will have turned ink black by now and the color of the wood will simply glow. This finish will look as lose to a true patina as any I have ever played with.

Can this be done prior to oil? What is the acid doing to cause the changes or is it simply acting as a stain?

This acid stain sounds good but what type of acid are you referring to ,muratic?

sorry for the delay.

I only know the acid as that which i mentioned. I am not sure if it is muratic or not...though I do not think so.
I will see if I can find out more and repost.

Dempsey, yes it can be done prior. I am not a chemist and so I am not so sure how it works just that it does and it provides a deep reddish color once the heat is applied.
Guys that finish muzzle loaders (traditional) are the experts on this finish. Perhaps there are boards where they speak of it...maybe even here on AR.
JAck Haugh and myself were messing around one day in his shop years ago and decided to put this stain on a Turkish walnut blank. We were both pleased with what we seen.

Now, since then I have used it OVER oil finishes and the color is slightly different but very very rich and deep. Not as Red but again, rich in colors.

Gundog...GOOD! I am glad you are happy with it and you are certainly welcome.

Thanks, I'd like to try it on a turkish blank I have. If I can get some of the browns black it will help a lot. I'll try it on some scraps once I figure out what acid to use.