Brown Bess wood stain

Dave.S

Dave.S

CGN Regular
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Hi I have a pedersoli Brown bess kit.Im looking for a source for a decent stain that I can use on this.Any ideas Dave
 
Dave.S said:
Hi I have a pedersoli Brown bess kit.Im looking for a source for a decent stain that I can use on this.Any ideas Dave
Click to expand...

Boiled linseed oil products maybe?

If I redo or build a flinter, I'm going to use circa 1850 tung oil personally. Keep adding coats until I'm happy. It makes the wood grain look real nice too.

EDIT: Sorry I noticed you actually mean Stain, Hmm not sure which color and brand stain you would want to use. Whatever color you come up with, maybe mix it with one of the oils above and apply as needed.
 
Maybe take a look at the powdered wood dye from LeeValley. I tried some for the first time recently and was impressed. It really did let the grain show through more than a stain.
 
Winchester used Alkanet root powder to stain their stocks.

Honestly, there are about as many stains out there as there are woodworkers. You pretty much need to decide what look and tone you are trying to get to.
 
What is the stock made from now? If it is dark enough just oiling it would be fine ... it will darken up a bit as the oil cures. Lee Valley pure Tung or polymerized Tung are both very nice.

If the stock has a nice figure to it remember:

- Stain covers and hides figure.
- Dye accentuates figure.

The water based aniline dyes mentioned are quite nice too, they take a bit of experimentation but you can get wonderful results.
 
I once did a muzzle loader kit with a maple stock, I stained it by rubbing ripe blackberries all over the stock,. It ended up a dark purplish brown, then I finished it with BLO, it looked fantastic. I wish now I still had it.
 
I use both Aniline does from Lee Valley and leather stain from Tandy Leather. I really like the Leather dies and use them the most.

Rex
 
Pine tar mixed 60/40 with boiled linseed oil. I just refinished a Springfield trapdoor this way and it turned out beautiful! Some vids on youtube if you so wish.
 
Dave.S said:
Hi I have a pedersoli Brown bess kit.Im looking for a source for a decent stain that I can use on this.Any ideas Dave
Click to expand...

Curious as to the "look" you are wanting. A lot depends on the wood. Post a picture.

A boiled linseed oil sanded in finish is pretty traditional, and it darkens with use. Any of the Minwax stains work well, penetrate and depending on the color can make that grainy looking wood appear like perfectly smooth solid color without looking like paint. Some people prefer to see the grain and figuring, others like to hide natures imperfections.

A fellow CGN'r passed on this tip to me. Minwax "Chestnut Red" is the closest to the signature Winchester factory color.

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Old wood, stripped and washed with acetone to remove old oil. Stained with Red Chestnut, and one coat of boiled linseed sanded in, with slurry not rubbed off yet. Butt stock was from an 1897 Winchester, I'm using it to practice stock repair, before I tackle my keeper.

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New wood, stained, sanded in boiled linseed, and about 10 applications of rubbed in boiled linseed. Tru-oil is quicker, but I wanted to go old school on this one.
 
The original Bess was stocked with walnut so any decent walnut stain should do. I have used the Lee Valley powdered aniline stains with good results. Then whatever sealer coat(s) you prefer but I imagine the originals were simply varnished for military durability. I like 2 or 3 coats of Polymerized Tung Oil from Lee Valley for that process.
 
I thought that they were treated with BLO. About twenty years ago me and a bunch of like-minded volunteers cleaned up and 'conserved' a decorative wall rack of 96 of them, having taken advice from the Tower of London Armoury collection managers. After all, they used to assemble there a while back and should, by rights, know what they are talking about.
 
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