Curly maple

[Brad]

Aqua fortis is a traditional stain for curly maple. It is nitric acid and you dissolve some Iron in it. Apply to stock, let dry, and then apply heat. It will bring out the curl very well.

In reality the best thing to do is ask JWPhillips. He has made many beautiful ML rifles and probably knows more about curly maple than the rest of us combined.

 

[JWFilips]

Well Brad it is called Aqua Fortis but it is really Ferric Nitrate ( aquafortis acting on Iron) Yes Great 18th century stain for Firelocks made with curly maple but here is a MAB 32 acp with stocks of the same maple treatment ( keeping it Center fire)

 

[Ben]

Jim,

I love the color ! !

Ben

 

[Intheshop]

Late night tonight spraying out a customer bow...there's some Maple in the riser/limbs.Try this,either black dye or India ink if you're feeling ghetto....do a quick wipe on the raw Maple,let it set,then sand it back.Now bust it with whatever colour dye you want.The black "stays" on the figure then comes alive when you colour,over.Got a cpl options on clear.Tonight,we're shooting auto urethane but,you can do straight up epoxy or go ole skool and use Fullerplast.It's been a staple,and STILL used today by,bowyers.

 

[VZerone]

Well now you guys are gonna make me show my curly maple 1911 grips.

 

[waco]

I like how that looks Vince. Very nice....

 

[VZerone]

Thanks Walt, one of my wood working friends did the grips and I did the medalions. I love them!

 

[waco]

Very nice work. The colors compliment each other well.

 

[VZerone]

I had him make the grips thin too so it didn't make the overall grip too fat. It's his life business making and selling wood products. He's up in Maine. He's a real good man too. I'm supposed to cut up a black walnut trunk/roots for him. Heard there is some fantastic grain in those roots.

 

[waco]

Heard there is some fantastic grain in those roots.

I bet!!!

 

[M3845708Bama]

View attachment 2551 The only curly maple I currently own is on my Schecter guitar.

If you like that color an love the deep rich old muzzle loader color of a 200 year old gun, check out cromic acid in dixie gun works. A long time ago I put together a lot of muzzle loader kits. The stocks were usually plain white maple. A friends brother who was involved with restorations at a historic site in virginia put me on to cromic acid crystals from Dixie. It is controllable and brings out grain that you could not see until treated. I think you will like it

 

[waco]

Thanks Bama. I'll check that out.

 

[Pistolero]

Wow, that grain really pops on those grips. I like the color of JW's grips, too.
I don't believe I have ever seen maple with the amount of curl in the grain of those
1911 grips. Beautiful.

Waiting to see how Glen's turned out.

Bill

 

[Ian]

I've only seen one piece of maple that had a mineral stripe curled like that, and it was only about an inch long, those stocks are really cool.

 

[VZerone]

Thanks guys. My friend will undoubtly inform me of more curly maple. He done a real find job of getting the fit right too!