Bleach effects while refinishing stocks

[kodiakjack]

Not sure if this belongs in the gun smithing forum, but...

A while ago, someone here on CGN mentioned as an aside that they had refinished a walnut stock. One of the little things they'd done with it is add some swirls of bleach before staining and sealing it. In the one picture he'd posted, it looked pretty cool.

Anyway, I've got a little project on the horizon, and I thought id look into doing something similar. Has anyone here had any experience with this technique? Thoughts on the looks of the final product? (I've only seen the one photo that one time)

Thanks for your input!

 

[camster]

I've experimented. Laundry bleach had little effect for me, but I found a 2 part solution (lye and peroxide) that "bleached" well.

 

[brybenn]

I've done the opposite with darker stain to make it look like more figure in the wood. Never seen the bleach method

 

[camster]

raw


bleached stripes (Q-tip wide...)


few minwax stripes (red mahogany-also Q-tip wide)


Looked ok with a coat of tru-oil. Will certainly need something finer that Q-tips for brushes, but some nifty faux figure could be made

 

[kodiakjack]

Got a pic of it after the tru oil?

 

[camster]

A terrible one; Can't see the darker stripes in the picture.



As far as process goes, I'd call the project a success. Regarding a "real looking" final product I would have to refine the pattern I applied bleach n' stain to something that actually resembles real wood figuring.

 

[T&G]

Looks a bit like the "tiger stripes " done on early Kentucky rifles. That was done by soaking a twine in pitch, winding it around the stock and burning it, then proceeding to sand and finish. One option for you to try as a brush is a feather. Feather painted - actually stained - furniture was popular in Ontario around the beginning of the 20th century. An antique restorer would be a source of advice on the technique. Yet another is "suigi" a Japanese technique of lightly burning the stock with a blowtorch to emphasize grain.

 

[camster]

Looks a bit like the "tiger stripes " done on early Kentucky rifles. That was done by soaking a twine in pitch, winding it around the stock and burning it, then proceeding to sand and finish. One option for you to try as a brush is a feather. Feather painted - actually stained - furniture was popular in Ontario around the beginning of the 20th century. An antique restorer would be a source of advice on the technique. Yet another is "suigi" a Japanese technique of lightly burning the stock with a blowtorch to emphasize grain.

I have experimented with pen torch, and dark (Indian) Ink for faux stripes. My ineptitude for presentation is the flaw, not the process.

Funny you mention the popularity of faux finishes for a while in Canada. Managed to find a beautiful finish that looked like quarter cut oak (on pine) on a pocket door of an older house in Ottawa (Clarey St,). It was under multiple coats of paint, so was tricky to preserve (only saved one side of the door), but worth it. Mona Lisa is nifty to look at, but some unknown craftsman/artist did the door and it was beautiful. It was that door that inspired me to fiddle with this in the first place. I didn't paint the finish, but attempted to contrast with bleach and stain... In capable hands (not mine!!!) it would be possible to make some beautiful figuring where there is none.

A feather would be nifty, and some other folks suggested different style of brushes too (fan brush?) could loan themselves to the effect.

 

[flying pig]

And you have to remember that the lines fade in and out on a real stock, or it will look too over the top. This is kind of neat though!

 

[B_noser]

Looks a bit like the "tiger stripes " done on early Kentucky rifles. That was done by soaking a twine in pitch, winding it around the stock and burning it, then proceeding to sand and finish. One option for you to try as a brush is a feather. Feather painted - actually stained - furniture was popular in Ontario around the beginning of the 20th century. An antique restorer would be a source of advice on the technique. Yet another is "suigi" a Japanese technique of lightly burning the stock with a blowtorch to emphasize grain.

I don't believe you will find many early Kentuckies with faux tiger stripes. I don't recall ever seeing one. For the most part, they were stocked up in curly maple although, depending on the region, other species such as cherry or walnut were probably equally common. The curl can be enhanced by the application of aquafortis (a solution of nitric acid and dissolved iron) or ferric nitrate.