To stain or not ?

[brstevns]

OK I was wondering about this. Have been carving myself a stock for a Remington Roller from a 100 year old piece of butcher block (maple). Should I leave it as is and just finish the wood or stain it. I do want to keep the lighter color and not go walnut etc. I have used Tru Oil finish for years on my stocks.
What would you do?

[Smoke4320]

Tru oil. Keep the light if thats what YOU want

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Yes, it's what you want, not what we want. There are methods of darkening maple a bit and enhancing the grain visibility.

[country gent]

If you decide to stain test a small area before hand. The glued joints may not take stain and become more prominent. If you like what you have The tru oil finish should work well. I miaght consider thinning the first few coats for better penetration

[oldred]

I too like the look of natural light Maple but the fact is some Maple can be so light as to be almost white looking giving it a kind of cheap look, if that's the case then maybe a light Maple stain would be an improvement. If however it is a nice shade that is already a pleasing color, as most Maple seems to be, then no stain may be the best option. Going to a place like Home Depot or Lowes, etc and picking up a few of the small cans of different shades of Maple stains in the range of color that you like might be a good idea and that way you can try out a few different pieces to get the color you want. Carving a nice stock from nice wood (Maple is a beautiful choice!) is project you can take pride in so get it right the way YOU want it and the shade range that satisfies you.

BTW, you do know that pics are required! 8-)

[RED BEAR]

Personally i like seeing the wood natural but thats me. This is a decision that only you can make.

[GregLaROCHE]

I personally like darker socks, but that’s just a personal opinion. Since you have always used Tru Oil, you must be happy with it and use it.

[waksupi]

I've done blond maple stocks, and in my opinion they come out a bit too light. They will darken a bit with age, but it does take along time. My fiddle that I left blond is around 20 years old, and it has gained a mellow yellow color over the years. Were I doing it again, I would have applied a bit of stain first. The finish on it was a French rub, so I did use orange shellac, and that did add a bit of color.
My preferred method is to get some red, yellow, and medium brown Fiebings leather dye, and do a bit of mixing to find a hue I like. The color saturation can be cut back by adding denatured alcohol. Test on some scrap wood to find something pleasing.

[oldred]

I personally like darker socks, but that’s just a personal opinion.


Personally I like white socks the best but I prefer a bit darker color on my gunstocks. :kidding:

[pietro]

.

Whenever finishing a gunstock of any kind of wood, it's best to keep in mind that the final finish (TruOil, Lin-Speed, whatever) will made the color of the stock appear much lighter after it cures/hardens than the raw/sanded wood.

Then, test different types/strengths of stain(s) on a couple of small pieces of the same wood as the stock, raw/sanded, then let the finish cure before comparing to the other test pieces.

I usually have a couple of flat boards of the same wood hanging around - to which I apply the different stains, in separate bands down the length of the board.

B 4 stain, I mark each band with the particular stain used on that band, with a black Sharpie - it makes it easier to keep track of the differences.


.

[brstevns]

I read somewhere about the pioneers using rusty water to stain maple gun stocks?
The piece does not have a lot grain in it

[pietro]

I read somewhere about the pioneers using rusty water to stain maple gun stocks ?

The piece does not have a lot grain in it




Popping the maple grain without amber/yellow effect should be done with the lightest blonde dewaxed shellac that you can find.

Even a light amber shellac, like the Target/Oxford Ultima-WB Shellac, will work fine since maple has its own creamy color when finished.

Stay away from linseed oil or tung oil; they will amber deeply over time. (Make samples)

.

[brstevns]

Popping the maple grain without amber/yellow effect should be done with the lightest blonde dewaxed shellac that you can find.

Even a light amber shellac, like the Target/Oxford Ultima-WB Shellac, will work fine since maple has its own creamy color when finished.

Stay away from linseed oil or tung oil; they will amber deeply over time. (Make samples)

.

What about ( Zinsser Bulls Eye Amber Shellac) ? Just to add a touch of amber.

[brstevns]

Would like to get that light honey color of aged maple

[444ttd]

i'd go with lin speed oil. i've been using it for years.

https://www.lin-speed.com/

[1Hawkeye]

Check out laurel mountain forges honey maple stain that with a rubbed oil finish might be what you want.

[Wayne Smith]

Reread what Waksupi says about analine dies and create your own color. The dies do penetrate better than just about anything.

[brstevns]

Here is what I have so far. Getting ready to finish carving cheekpiece.
244076

244077

[RustyReel]

Nice job. I would probably stain that one.

[swheeler]

Looks good, think I would stain it.

[samari46]

Bought a Blue Sky M1 Garand when they first came out. Beech or birch and the walnut oil based stain I tried was a waste. Looked like someone just painted the stock. Back down to bare wood and there is a product that is applied to the wood prior to doing the actual staining. I used an wather based stain and the stock came out great. Got many good comments at the range. Funny thing is that as you rotate the stock you can see the stain eith loose or gain as far as the stock is turned. About 8 coats of tru oil did the rest. Frank

[swheeler]

I like the yellow look for maple244101

[brstevns]

I like the yellow look for maple244101

Nice!
Next, I need to make the forearm

[swheeler]

Some day roundtoit244132

[Thomas Creek]

Save some pieces and experiment until you get what you want. Some interesting grain can be brought out in Maple. Go when you fell it has the right looks.

[enfield]

set it on the table during a spaghetti and wine dinner, it'll get stained :)

[Texas by God]

Quilted, birdseye, fiddleback,- I like maple stocks. They are beautiful in my eyes.

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[RustyReel]

Quilted, birdseye, fiddleback,- I like maple stocks. They are beautiful in my eyes.

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Yes they are, IF they have any of the stuff you mention. Plain, bland Maple stocks get stained dark walnut in my garage.

[brstevns]

Do you prefer a stubble forearm or plan taper on a Remington Rolling Block? For I still need to make the forearm.