Good morning! I have really enjoyed watching the progress on this project. Thank you for sharing your experience so far. "Aqua Fortis" (strong water) is nitric acid in a solution. It was used form many things in industry. It's pretty corrosive to most metals so you definitely want to neutralize it with a base compound. I.e. baking soda. If you don't, over time you MAY see some small areas of corrosion where wood touches the metal. The main/effective ingredient in the solution you used from Jax is an acid form of selenium - selenious acid. This is a common coloring agent used in changing color/appearance of brass, copper, bronze, and other similar metals. A type of sulfur solution can also be used. Ferric chloride is generally the main ingredient in metal browning solutions but there are many other "formulas" that have been, or are used today. All these can be made/mixed at home but, it's usually much easier (and for most...) safer to purchase established products.
When I apply heat I use a cherry red bar straight out of the forge and pass over the stock and with that kind of radiant heat you can watch the reaction take place before your eyes it’s something to behold especially when there’s a lot of curl to the maple. I do realize most folks don’t need or have a forge but I think if you heated a piece of steel with a hardware torch it would probably work to the same effect. Nice job you had your self worked up for nothing Ethan .
Needs more heat! Jim Kibler's video says you cannot use a hair dryer, which leads me to believe this. I did my colonial with a harbor freight heat gun on high and it turned out beautifully.
Big risk for big reward! I appreciate you getting out of your comfort zone and ride the rollercoaster of emotions for us. Seeing that green stock, I was a little worried for you, but what a nice brown it turned out to be. I think this kit is goin to be a beauty.
Next time before applying the aqua fortis burnish the wood with a deer antler. Work every inch pushing the grain down. On your first coat of oil mix 2 parts turpentine and one part tru oil. Apply with a red scotch brite pad it will help fill the grain plus allowing you to manipulate the highs and lows of color like an old used stock. Burnish again after it dries sometimes 2 or 3 times. Then go to straight oil. I learned this technique from a Jim Kibler vedio. He used boiled linseed oil. I use truoil on all my stocks. You definitely want to neutralize it. After baking soda I then rub it down with household ammonia to make sure. Nice build Ethan. 👌
Finish on that stock came out awesome. I'm stockpiling all of these wonderful little tidbits of knowledge in my brain for the next kit i build. Working on cleaning up my shop so i can hopefully one day carve out a stock from scratch. Thanks again for the content !
I have darkened wood using sodium hydroxide. This is an old technique of staining woods that have alot of tannin content. I have used it on cherry and it works quite well. It is a very strong base, so you obviously have to be careful and wear gloves and eye protection when working with it. I think I neutralized it by misting a diluted vinegar solution.
you may want? to Passivate all threads and or unfinished surfaces along with finished surfaces? I have taken more than one arm or any equipment apart only to find corrosion in hard to reach or not often accessed areas?
Just a tip, if you cross drill the ramrod ends and peen in a piece of brass rod 1/16 " or so it will save some headaches later. I've had to pull several ramrod ends from rifle and pistol barrels over the years and it kinda sucks😊 I am 62 years old and have 40 plus years playing with muzzle loaders I shoot primarily flintlocks now and when people ask me how hard they are to shoot, I answer that I've been shooting flintlock for 30 years now and I'm still learning how.
Uggg... I wish I'd known, I have enough ferric nitrate crystals to last the rest of my life! I mixed up a bottle a coupke years agi fir a stick, and have plenty solution to kast many more kits. And I have ounces of crystals left.
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Good morning! I have really enjoyed watching the progress on this project. Thank you for sharing your experience so far. "Aqua Fortis" (strong water) is nitric acid in a solution. It was used form many things in industry. It's pretty corrosive to most metals so you definitely want to neutralize it with a base compound. I.e. baking soda. If you don't, over time you MAY see some small areas of corrosion where wood touches the metal. The main/effective ingredient in the solution you used from Jax is an acid form of selenium - selenious acid. This is a common coloring agent used in changing color/appearance of brass, copper, bronze, and other similar metals. A type of sulfur solution can also be used. Ferric chloride is generally the main ingredient in metal browning solutions but there are many other "formulas" that have been, or are used today. All these can be made/mixed at home but, it's usually much easier (and for most...) safer to purchase established products.
When I apply heat I use a cherry red bar straight out of the forge and pass over the stock and with that kind of radiant heat you can watch the reaction take place before your eyes it’s something to behold especially when there’s a lot of curl to the maple. I do realize most folks don’t need or have a forge but I think if you heated a piece of steel with a hardware torch it would probably work to the same effect. Nice job you had your self worked up for nothing Ethan .
Needs more heat! Jim Kibler's video says you cannot use a hair dryer, which leads me to believe this. I did my colonial with a harbor freight heat gun on high and it turned out beautifully.
I was surprised by how much heat I needed with ferric nitrate. I may try some iron acetate on a stock next to get an ebonized color.
Big risk for big reward! I appreciate you getting out of your comfort zone and ride the rollercoaster of emotions for us. Seeing that green stock, I was a little worried for you, but what a nice brown it turned out to be. I think this kit is goin to be a beauty.
Next time before applying the aqua fortis burnish the wood with a deer antler. Work every inch pushing the grain down. On your first coat of oil mix 2 parts turpentine and one part tru oil. Apply with a red scotch brite pad it will help fill the grain plus allowing you to manipulate the highs and lows of color like an old used stock. Burnish again after it dries sometimes 2 or 3 times. Then go to straight oil. I learned this technique from a Jim Kibler vedio. He used boiled linseed oil. I use truoil on all my stocks. You definitely want to neutralize it. After baking soda I then rub it down with household ammonia to make sure. Nice build Ethan. 👌
I like the Bob Ross reference.
Finish on that stock came out awesome. I'm stockpiling all of these wonderful little tidbits of knowledge in my brain for the next kit i build. Working on cleaning up my shop so i can hopefully one day carve out a stock from scratch. Thanks again for the content !
Exceptional process…looks pretty good Ethan.Good job 👍✌🏻😉
A lot of folks refer to raising the grain as whiskering it up.
I’ve heard that too
I have darkened wood using sodium hydroxide. This is an old technique of staining woods that have alot of tannin content. I have used it on cherry and it works quite well. It is a very strong base, so you obviously have to be careful and wear gloves and eye protection when working with it. I think I neutralized it by misting a diluted vinegar solution.
A good source for lint free rags for putting on wood finishes are cloth baby diapers.
I used makeup application pads for mine.
Wow that really looks good. 😅 I was nervous with you.
Windex for neutralizing,spray on then rinse not neutrolizing can cause it to revert to the green
I went nickel electroplate on my Hawken kit, but "blued" the screws to have a nice contrast.
you may want? to Passivate all threads and or unfinished surfaces along with finished surfaces?
I have taken more than one arm or any equipment apart only to find corrosion in hard to reach or not often accessed areas?
Just a tip, if you cross drill the ramrod ends and peen in a piece of brass rod 1/16 " or so it will save some headaches later. I've had to pull several ramrod ends from rifle and pistol barrels over the years and it kinda sucks😊 I am 62 years old and have 40 plus years playing with muzzle loaders I shoot primarily flintlocks now and when people ask me how hard they are to shoot, I answer that I've been shooting flintlock for 30 years now and I'm still learning how.
Should you have neutralized the Aquafortis before you applied oil? That's the way I would read those instructions.
Uggg... I wish I'd known, I have enough ferric nitrate crystals to last the rest of my life! I mixed up a bottle a coupke years agi fir a stick, and have plenty solution to kast many more kits. And I have ounces of crystals left.
Ethan, How did the stock turn blue after sanding and before you stained it? Is it just a 'trick of the lighting'?
I think that was actually the sandpaper and dust residue
Is that a riffled bore?
Don't know why you wouldn't follow the directions on the bottle in the first place. ?
👍
Let er rip
I would have cooked it a little more then go oil (finnish)
No on the hair dryer,sorry
The green is ugly,IT WILL BE PERFECT!😅