I have seen this on a few nice wood stocks and I was wondering if anyone would shed some light on the subject.

Well, for a real tiger stripe, you gotta let the tree grow it. Blank below is air dried, no finish applied, it is all "Natural". The stripes really show when the wood is sanded and a little oil finish is rubbed in. Somewhere I have photos of finished stocks, I will try to find them. Rifle in front is a CZ550 with a Pac Nor Barrel and NECG Masterpiece sights. Chambered for 416 Rigby.


[ 03-20-2003, 06:05: Message edited by: John Ricks ]

Check out Dixie Gunworks. Their catalog has more info about that subject.

Dan D---

The striping you're talking about is "fiddle back" grain. Some woods have it more often than others.

The old-time stockers and furniture makers used a technique called "Sugi" to high-light fiddleback.

Think of fiddle back being like a stack of roofing tin. If you cut the top off the ripples to flatten it, there are alternating end grains and side grain exposed. End grain absorbs stains differently and will scorch differently if slightly burnt.

Either one makes a Sugi finish. I love fiddle back so I always add a little dark walnut stain to my soaker coats. It highlights the grain.

[ 03-20-2003, 07:43: Message edited by: JBelk ]

The url shows an example of fancy fiddleback maple on a CPA Stevens 44 1/2. The finish is boiled alcanet root, 1 1/2 lb cut orange shellac, and satin poly spray. I just can't seem to make the image thing work so check the url.

http://http://groups.msn.com/BPCR/jeffsstuff.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=103

jeff

Another effect which is sometimes found in myrtle wood is also called tiger striping and may have other names as well. The yellowish orange wood has distinct near black lines usually running with the grain of the stock rather than directly across like fiddle back. I have one piece of it and it's a very interesting effect although I find it a bit gaudy.

In addition, there are several ways to "apply" a false tiger stripe to maple. These are also listed (or were listed) in the Dixie catalog. However, the stocks I've actually seen that had the phony striping were obviously not natural, and I didn't like the phonies at all!

Thanks for the info and pictures gentlemen. Saw a mauser at the local gunshow with it and was wondering if it was natural or a type of finish, now I know. By the way, thats a awesome looking Stevens retired jeff.

I have a super piece of full fiddle back, if anyone is interrested...

I'm interested. What kind of wood, how big, and how much? Is it air dried?

DanD

Thanks, that rifle took 21 months from the initial idea to delivery. The stock shaping, inletting and fitting was almost 11 months in the queue.

There is an interesting visual effect with true fiddleback (also called 'flame') that a picture can't show. There is a rippling effect where the waves seem to move when the angle of view changes.

Also, speaking of Maple, there is Eastern and there is Western Maple. Both types can be found with very nice 'flame'. However, Western maple is much softer and can present a problem if used as a gunstock.

best of luck.

jeff

FWIW in the lumber business fiddleback is called "curly"; and "flame" (called "shellflame" or "quilted" years ago) are just curls that are broader and curl in two directions.

Wood 101: In the stocking business Flame, curly, birdeye, and Fiddleback are all different in maple. In Walnut there is no Flame, curly or birdseye. There is Marble cake, streaked, fiddleback, and seedling, then sunburst in Black black and the best of all is N-----hair Turkish.

I hear referenes to seedling from time to time, could someone please expand on it's virtues. Thanks.

I never heard of curly maple and fiddleback maple being anything but synonymous and can't imagine what the difference could be.

Help, Ray?