Anybody know a good stain for sprucing up old Winchester stocks. It's really hard to match that reddish tint that a lot of them have. Tapaderas Winchesters in the U.S. apparently sells a good one but because it's alcohol based they can't ship to Canada. BTW they also sell good repro tang,forearm and filler screws as well as saddle rings and studs for all the old Winchester models.
Stain for old Winchesters
- Thread starter Mike Webb
- Start date
fingers284
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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- Alberta Cowboy Ranges
I have used different kinds of tea to imitate colors for touchup jobs. Never used it on any full stock redo though if thats what your doing. Let several teabags of your color choice steep for a couple of days in a glass of water (lots of tea to very little water).
It adds a very subtle color change to fresh scars or dings to blend in with the original weathering of the stock. Adding a touch of puverized cigarete ash to a touch of the liquid will darken it up if so desired.
As well Ive used ash mixted with a touch of wood filler to fill deep nicks, it is easy to sand and stain to match the other usual oil stained scratches on old stocks.
As always one must first decide if it is in the best interest of the antique ,weather it is a museum piece or just a shooter collecter as to the amount of or if any remedial work should be done.
It adds a very subtle color change to fresh scars or dings to blend in with the original weathering of the stock. Adding a touch of puverized cigarete ash to a touch of the liquid will darken it up if so desired.
As well Ive used ash mixted with a touch of wood filler to fill deep nicks, it is easy to sand and stain to match the other usual oil stained scratches on old stocks.
As always one must first decide if it is in the best interest of the antique ,weather it is a museum piece or just a shooter collecter as to the amount of or if any remedial work should be done.
Try Schaftol Red gun stock oil available from Bits of Pieces in Surrey area. Apply several coats as needed and then overfinish with Tru-Oil. Other than that get some alkanet root and steep it in alcohol for a long period of time or order some analine die from Lee Valley tools and mix according to instructions. Try to avoid water solutions if possible substituting 99% alcohol.
The original stain, per Campbell's books on the Winchester Single Shot's, was a concoction that was mostly colored by the hulls of black walnut nuts, boiled down. This is the outer coating, not the shell of the nut.
Look at Lee Valley for stains that can be mixed and matched. They have a pretty good selection of dyes.
Cheers
Trev
Look at Lee Valley for stains that can be mixed and matched. They have a pretty good selection of dyes.
Cheers
Trev
Here is one that works well. It is an old time method and I have used it to blend and fix up old Winchester stocks. Use Potassium Permanganate mixed either with Isopropl Rubbing Alcohol or just plain water. I find that the alcohol works the best for penatration. Mix up small amounts as it little goes a long way. I use a cotton tip swab for mixing and applying. Don't get worried when you mix it or when you apply it as it looks purple when first mixed but quickly turns the the wood to an aged appearence. All these ingredients can be purchased at your local drug store. Keep appling coat until you have the colour you require.
Road King
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