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- Aug 23, 2002
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Technically yes and it's available from the link below- historically though Aqua Fortis was/is also a name for a wood finishing reagent made by mixing iron and nitric acid, a VERY DANGEROUS, not to mention, obnoxious method of making Ferric Nitrate which brings me to......
The easy way: Go to - http://www.coscosci.com/patinas/patinachems.htm#Ferric Nitrate
and order Ferric Nitrate - that is what dissolving iron in nitric acid produces - this way you get the same thing but with out the hassles/danger. Mix it between 5/1 to 10/1 distilled water to the crystals.
To use it swab onto the maple and let dry for two hours or so (longer won't hurt) then add another coat and let dry for a couple of hours - then using a heat source - a paint stripper works great - warm/heat the wood from end to end, be careful not to get too hot for any glue used or scorch the wood - you will see the color begin to change from a yellowish green to a deeper brown. Once you've reached the desired level/color you need to neutralize the AF's reaction - remember AF is not a dye - it is an oxidizing reagent and will continue to darken if not neutralized. You use a thin paste of water and baking soda or club soda or something similar. BTW the way PP is also an oxidizer and should be neutralized or it will continue to darken especially when exposed to sunlight.
Next I burnish the wood well with a piece of coarse cloth - old jeans or canvas work good, then burnish wit a smooth piece of bone, antler, etc. Now use whatever finish you choose, an oil type finish will give you the best look - the wood grain will literally POP!
something like this -
I use a homemade linseed oil based varnish - you can get a similar concoction from Tried and True Wood Finishes
To make the mix a bit "hotter" you can add Muriatic - aka hydrochloric acid - or Ferric Chloride, which is iron dissolved in HC - to the above Ferric Nitrate mix. I mix it about 60/40 FN to muriatic/FC
One final note: Once the reagent is killed you can change the color's tint by using a thin tint of leather or other dye before finishing