An Unusual Gun Stock Finish

I had a nice piece of curly maple I carved into a gun stock. I knew it would be full of tiger striping, and I wanted a finish that would really bring out the contrast in the wood. So I did an experiment. I opted for a finish similar to the old muzzle loading flintlocks. Small bits of iron shavings were dissolved in nitric acid until the liquid wouldn’t take and dissolve any other particulates. This old formula was called Aqua Fortis in the old gunsmith books.

Putting acid on the stock

After the final sanding, I brushed the acid mixture onto the wood. I waited until it dried and turned slightly gray.

using a heat gun

The acid soaks the metal particles deep into the pores of the wood. Once it’s dry, I used a heat gun to “rust” the iron shavings and caused them to turn reddish.

The heated and dried acid turning red

I use an oil finish called Tried and True on my muzzle loading rifles, and decided to give it a try on this modern bolt action stock. I use honey amber color Trans Tint to add a golden color to the high lights. In between coats, the stock was rubbed down with bronze wool. Tried and True is a blend of ploymerized linseed oil and beeswax.

Muzzleloader stock finishing oil

This is after the very first coat. See the golden colors that catch the light and stand out ? It gives the stock a warm glow. Trans Tint is a concentrated dye unlike stain. It comes in multiple colors and I chose the color honey amber to enhance the wood finish.

The first coat of oil

The finished stock ready to install

Not a drop of stain was used in this finish. The linseed oil and wax finish was built up in a number of layers and buffed between each coat. Instead of knocking back the shine, I let the last coat dry hard. I polished the finish with rotten stone and buffed it with wax. The finish on this stock stayed hard and shiny as seen in this photo. The stock was carved for a Winchester model 70 bolt action.