Hi Guys. I have finished a stock on a 22 rimfire, which turned out nicely but for one problem. When I stained the maple stock the end grains came out much darker than the the rest of the stock. I stained it lightly to darken it up a little so that it would blend in to the surroundings better while hunting grouse. I don't mind it but would like to avoid it on my next stock. any suggestions would be appreciated.

Did you use stain or dye? Stain has finely ground pigments suspended in the liquid carrier medium that sits on top of the wood but doesn't penetrate. Dye has the color disolved in the carrier and the color penetrates into the wood. Suggest trying Behlen Solar-Lux which is an alcohol based dye that doesn't raise the grain. Apply as directed and observe the recommended drying times. When dry lightly wipe the stock down with a paper towel and denatured alcohol. The wet stock will show what the color will be after the finish is applied. Repeat untill you get the color that you want. Wear rubber gloves or you will also dye your hands. ...Dave

To prevent and/or control stain penetration into end grain, paint the end grain with a 50:50 solution of shellac(w/o wax) and methyl alcohol. Then scuff the the surface after a 2 hr dry time. This will seal the pores in the end grain and allow even stain penetration.

Bob Veasey
President
www.rustblue.com

Maple or any of the lighter colored hardwoods like beech and birch that get used for gunstocks usually need an alcohol or other solvent based stain to color them evenly as Dave points out.
Otherwise they'll look like a piece of stained siding plywood if oil based stain is used.

Solar-Lux is good. I use the Laurel Mtn stock stain (dyes). Everyone will have a favorite, even the leather dyes will work as they are the same idea,,a solvent based dye.

You can buy them in powdered form to mix your own from wood working supply places. Constantines was one that comes to mind. A wood workers type shop/store would probably have them in stock but there isn't many of that type of outlet around.

Avoid the water based stain/dyes IMHO. They work well but raise the grain even if you whisker the stock beforehand it seems.

Muzzle Loading supply places sell the stain/dyes as they are used by the rifle makers on their maple stocked guns. Lots of different choices from them usually.

They'll also have what's called 'aqua-fortis stain'. Works best on maple but can be used on other hardwoods. Needs heat to produce the brown/red colors once it's applied and dried.
It does a great job on maple.
Probably not something you need or want to get in to, but it's out there anyway. ..Along w/plenty of discussion about the best ways to apply and not apply it.

thank you for the information. I was given a stain from work from the cabinet maker. High quality stuff. I could see the that it was extremely fine particles suspended in a carrier of some sort. It came free and the color was exactly what I was looking for. I jumped at the opportunity.

My next stock will be for a 308 win. It's my hunting rifle/target rifle. I read that deer and elk see UV, are any of the stains mentioned in this post good at not reflecting UV? The reason that I ask is, I was laying in snow with white pants, jacket and scarf, mits, yet a muley spotted me at 230 paces. I'm wondering whether the stain in the stock reflected UV, thus alerting the deer to my presence. If so, I want to avoid this scenario again.

I've used aquafortis on maple and it works very well. It's basically a nitric acid solution. Also works on other light woods, birch, beech, and others.

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/...tis/instructions.pdf

Use Laurel Mountain stains and finish. I have used magic maple stain, which is aqua fortis but I no longer use it. It is harder to use and will make your stock green if you are not careful.

ok, I think I got it figured out. Bobster,what about the transition from end grain to the sides. where do I stop with the shellac, or does it matter where it stop.If I go past the end grains, will it effect how the stock will look?

Affect.
End grain will always turn out different than plain or quarter sawn grain no matter what you do; Live with it; it is wood. That is the way it is.

You can coat the entire piece with the 50:50 mix. In the trade this is called a "spit coat". Then lightly sand to remove it from the surface. Test with stain. If there is not enough penetration sand a little more. This way you can compensate for grain changes and transitions. You can do this with alcohol or oil stains.

quote:

Originally posted by thelongranger:
ok, I think I got it figured out. Bobster,what about the transition from end grain to the sides. where do I stop with the shellac, or does it matter where it stop.If I go past the end grains, will it effect how the stock will look?

thanks again guys.