What kind of varnish for curly maple??

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B.B.M

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Hi guys, just made some handles for my Bk11 out of curly maple. they came out pretty decent (for me having made them) and i was wanting to treat/varinsh them. What should i use? also any pics of different varnishes (darker, lighter...etc) would be awesome:)

Thanks.
 
If you want some good contrast use fiebings black leather dye and stain the whole handle. Then using 4/o steel wool , rub it until the llighter wood starts to show through and then use brown stain over the entire handle. Give it another light rub with the steel wool. Now use either double boiled linseed oil or my preferance " Tru Oil " gunstock finish, and rub it into the wood using just what is on the end of your finger after dipping it into the jar. Rub it into the wood using the palm of your hand. It will take about 12 or 15 coats.
 
For an amazing contrast and chatoyance (the 3D effect) try Aqua Fortis. It's essentially iron dissolved in nitric acid. You apply the aqua fortis, heat the wood until it's uniform in color, neutralize the acid with baking soda and then apply your oil finish (I like boiled linseed oil). This is the finish that many of the old-school rifle builders used on curly maple Pennsylvania/Kentucky rifles. You can find lots of detailed info on Aqua Fortis if you want to give it a shot. It's technically not a stain or dye, it's actually a chemical reagent that reacts with the heat to color the wood.

Otherwise, Paul's correct, you want a dye, not a stain to really bring out the contrast. Stains contain larger particles that won't penetrate the maple, the dyes will soak into the curl differentially giving you good contrast.

One note, you can sand your maple too fine before applying the dye/finish. I have had the best results stopping at 240.
 
Paul Savage said:
If you want some good contrast use fiebings black leather dye and stain the whole handle. Then using 4/o steel wool , rub it until the llighter wood starts to show through and then use brown stain over the entire handle. Give it another light rub with the steel wool. Now use either double boiled linseed oil or my preferance " Tru Oil " gunstock finish, and rub it into the wood using just what is on the end of your finger after dipping it into the jar. Rub it into the wood using the palm of your hand. It will take about 12 or 15 coats.
Click to expand...

Paul, do you have any pictures of curly maple done this way using dark then light dying? Never heard of that before but I bet it makes an awesome combination for coloring!
 
I just did this one.
I used chromium tri-oxide to stain the curl, sanded it smooth again, dyed dark brown, sanded till the light wood was light again, stained with amber brown, sanded to get an even look, and buffed. I may apply a Tru-oil finish later. I don't usually like any varnish or other finish on the wood.

If you want the intense 3D look, rub on several coats of Tru-oil just like doing a gun stock. Rub in the first coat and sand with 400 grit while still wet. Allow to set for 15 minutes and wipe off any excess. Then apply the finish at least 3 more times, sanding lightly between coats with 4/0 steel wool. Buff the final coat after fully cured with soft flannel.
 

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B.B.M said:
Hi guys, just made some handles for my Bk11 out of curly maple. they came out pretty decent (for me having made them) and i was wanting to treat/varinsh them. What should i use? also any pics of different varnishes (darker, lighter...etc) would be awesome:)

Thanks.
Click to expand...

hi,
for high gloss, I would use Deftane Gloss Polyurethane. It is oil based. mix a small amount 50/50 with thinner. apply and dry, takes about 8 hours. do 3 coats this way. lightly sand with 240 grit paper. buff with clean cloth. apply a coat of full strength, dry overnite. sand with 320 then buff. apply a coat of full strength, dry overnite. sand with 600 then buff. apply a coat of full strength, dry overnite. you end up with a high gloss waterproof finish. will darken the wood slightly.
for satin, I use Rustoleum water based polyurethane for floors. water based. apply a coat of full strength, dry 2 hours. lightly sand with 240 then buff. repeat, using finer grit paper each time. i usually do 5 coats. almost clear. finish is waterproof.
scott
 
bladsmth said:
I just did this one.
I used chromium tri-oxide to stain the curl, sanded it smooth again, dyed dark brown, sanded till the light wood was light again, stained with amber brown, sanded to get an even look, and buffed. I may apply a Tru-oil finish later. I don't usually like any varnish or other finish on the wood.

If you want the intense 3D look, rub on several coats of Tru-oil just like doing a gun stock. Rub in the first coat and sand with 400 grit while still wet. Allow to set for 15 minutes and wipe off any excess. Then apply the finish at least 3 more times, sanding lightly between coats with 4/0 steel wool. Buff the final coat after fully cured with soft flannel.
Click to expand...

Stacy,

Aren't the chromium based dyes the ones that turn green after a couple of years? I seem to recall reading in my muzzleloader mags that gun builders were using something of the sort in the 70's. The stocks turned green over time.
 
If you only use the chromium dye, it is sort of greenish brown and can get greener with age.

What most folks use chromic dyes for, like Ron Wilson's Magic Maple Stain ( what I use), is to react with the sugars in the curly part. That makes the curl more accessible to the dark stain, which will allow the darker color to go deep into the wood. At each coloring, you sand the wood back to light color, leaving only the color in the curl. Several coats ,even using different colors, may be needed to get the curl the right color and darkness. Sometimes even black dye is applies to get the curl really dark. The final dye color is to stain the light wood as desired.

I saw a stunning handle done in dark red curl and a light green wood a while back.

Aqua Fortis is a great dye, too....but a bit more work.
 
do you know if the chromic would work on curly hickory? I just got a craig barr Damascus head and ordered a curly hickory handle as well as the chromic maple stain . I kind of expect the maple will be easier to make look like I want.. I am looking for the "intense 3-d look" because this hawk is not gonna be used as a tool I have others for that. I am looking for a light brown to brown with maybe light reddish tint to it. if you have seen the pictures of beaver bills "encounter" hawk I love the look of it. any ideas?? this will be the first handle I have finished myself.. thanks!
 
bladsmth said:
If you only use the chromium dye, it is sort of greenish brown and can get greener with age.

What most folks use chromic dyes for, like Ron Wilson's Magic Maple Stain ( what I use), is to react with the sugars in the curly part. That makes the curl more accessible to the dark stain, which will allow the darker color to go deep into the wood. At each coloring, you sand the wood back to light color, leaving only the color in the curl. Several coats ,even using different colors, may be needed to get the curl the right color and darkness. Sometimes even black dye is applies to get the curl really dark. The final dye color is to stain the light wood as desired.

I saw a stunning handle done in dark red curl and a light green wood a while back.

Aqua Fortis is a great dye, too....but a bit more work.
Click to expand...


do you know if the chromic would work on curly hickory? I just got a craig barr Damascus head and ordered a curly hickory handle as well as the chromic maple stain . I kind of expect the maple will be easier to make look like I want.. I am looking for the "intense 3-d look" because this hawk is not gonna be used as a tool I have others for that. I am looking for a light brown to brown with maybe light reddish tint to it. if you have seen the pictures of beaver bills "encounter" hawk I love the look of it. any ideas?? this will be the first handle I have finished myself.. thanks!
 
Paul Savage said:
here are a couple using the dye and tru oil.


Click to expand...

Damn, that's the exact kind of look I've been trying to get... I've been trying with darker woods though like Koa. Very cool to find a good technique for getting that look! Thanks for sharing!
 
Very nice, Paul! It's the same process I have used in the past. I now get all my wood stabilized, but for untreated wood after stain, Tru Oil has always worked great. It works good on ebony, also.
 
View attachment 429434
Fiebings spirit based dye and boiled linseed oil on this one. The knife is from around 2008. I now use light brown dye and a gun stock finishing kit that is like a more advanced version of Tru Oil.
 
Here is where I started. Sanded to 2500 grit.




I added a little Transtint dye to linseed oil and built up a color gradient. Then maybe another 8 layers of Tru Oil rubbed in. It's quite 3D in person.

 
Looks very cool. I'm a big fan of the 'tiger stripe' and have been trying to work out how I should go about getting it for a while, so this thread is pretty great!
 
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