Hi Guys
Is the red stain on Canadian stocks a simple case of putting Alkanet dye into Boiled Linseed Oil. Looking at tidying up my Long Branch No4 MK1*.
Regards Chubbs
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Hi Guys
Is the red stain on Canadian stocks a simple case of putting Alkanet dye into Boiled Linseed Oil. Looking at tidying up my Long Branch No4 MK1*.
Regards Chubbs
Sorry Guys
Found the answer. Another question though can it be replaced with a alternative red dye?
Regards Chubbs
Have you looked at Fiebing's leather die? Shades and colors that make it easy to match another piece. Leather Dye - Fiebing's
Use raw instead of boiled linseed oil and it'll penetrate better.
I bought some alkanet root not long ago but haven't had time to try it yet. However, one recipe that I have used for over thirty years & which has helped to put a bit of luster back on many a walnut stocked SMLE & 4T is this: Colron wood dye - it is spirit not water based & has the advantage of being readily available from pretty well any hardware/DIY store in the UK. I use mainly Indian Rosewood (on its own it is too reddish) with a small amount of Jacobean dark oak added (10 to 20%). The little bit of dark oak readily takes out the excessive reddishness of the Indian Rosewood on its own. Colron do make a walnut stain, but it never looked very convincing to me when I used it.
The red color is organic protein oxidation over time.
Bottled boiled linseed oil is processed and the protein is generally removed.
So far my best luck for finding real raw linseed oil has been a trip to the local organic food store. In those circles it's known as flax oil, look for cold pressed unprocessed oil.
I have been experimenting a little bit of trans tint reddish brown mixed in with the oil on the wiping rag, but your milage my vary.
Before, After raw linseed+red dye/more raw linseed, original
IMG-20220611-232758 — ImgBB
I'm probably never going to use my ishapore test piece in a rifle, so I occasionally have used it as a beating board when nothing better is in reach, and it seems to hold up pretty good.
Now I just need to learn how to recreate that "candy shell". Cheap tung oil finish seems to fake it until I figure it out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BVZ24
Artists (painters) supply shops tend to have a good quality pure RLO, it is available in small bottles which are great and will last you for years.
Remember to wash out your cloths after use, do not throw them in the garbage or leave in the house 'spread out to dry'.
They will self-combust and foks have had their house burnt down - a couple of examples :
Self-Heating of rags soaked in drying oil; How long until they can ignite?
Linseed Oil Can Be A Fire Hazard—What You Need To Know To Stay Safe - Simplemost.
Warning to home improvers about oil cloth combustion risks Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service
I should have mentioned in post 5 above that I apply the stain 'neat' rather than mixed with RLO as I tend to use it when doing a fairly thorough refinish. The wood should be degreased first, stained, the stain allowed to soak in & dry, & then the piece re-RLO'd. If the OP just wants to refresh the wood without going this far then RLO either on its own or with the addition of a stain that will mix with it, will probably suffice. If your wood is dry, remember that even a coat of RLO alone will produce some darkening.
I bought a liter bottle of high grade RLO (fit for human consumption) off fleabay uk by searching under 'flax seed oil', as suggested above.
Hi Guys
Thanks for all the replies. Food for thought on Dye or Alkanet. Not sure yet if I just want to touch up the wood where I have scratched it. Or strip it and refinish.
Regards Chubbs
Someone here might say I'm crazy, but for temporary touch ups, on a shooter grade rifle, try mixing a small cup of dye-matched canned shellac. Brush it in with a fine paint brush where damaged.
It's fast drying, doesn't react with the oil, easy to work with, slightly more durable than the linseed oil shell, and easily removed with denatured alcohol when the time comes.
It was the finish of choice for the Russians, if that matters.
Edit: Beware the gloss. Any repair you attempt is going to stick out if the repair finish is more reflective than the original finish. You need to buff out the gloss after it dries.
I was given some great advice last year on this site ref purchasing raw linseed oil on Amazon. I was able to get a large can of it at a much better price than what I was paying for the small bottles at the art/crafts store.
The Sunnyside brand RLO is also available through Tru-Value Hardware stores. I found it in Greenwood, SC about 30 miles north of here. It's a bit cheaper there than on Amazon with the shipping.
Raw and boiled linseed oil can be found in most Lowes or Home Depot stores that's where I got my BLO. They can be found in cans that range from a quart to 5 gallons.Quote:
Originally Posted by Singer B
@roger payne You mentioned the possibility of using the ground root in a homemade stain.
Can you share a link or recipe for that? I'd like to create a wood stain using ground root and turpentine, but I'm not sure where to start.
My early attempts painted on nicely, dried well, and vanished as soon as I ran a clean rag over the "stained" area.
I haven't tried it myself yet Troglodyte. IIRC the advice came from Brian, so he might be able to help you out. Meantime I will try & find the correspondence between us from the time when we discussed it.....
I don't grind it up. I just place some cut alkanet roots in a quart jar and fill it up with raw linseed oil. I've never cut the RLO with turps as it's not necessary IMHO. If you're in a hurry, use boiled linseed oil as it has chemical driers in it to speed up the process. It doesn't penetrate as well and is more like varnish when dry. It's also not the original finish which is a put off for me. The raw linseed oil turns red overnight when you add the cut roots. I just keep topping off the jar as I use it. Being in Texas, you ought not need to cut it with turps to get it to dry. Just use Mother Nature like I do here in boiling hot South Carolina. Peter L. told me many years ago that they added a powder to the big tanks of warmed raw linseed oil at the big workshops in the UK and Far East. They never knew the composition of the powder but my guess is alkanet. It's been used in the British gun trade for hundreds of years.
Thank you for that historical explanation! I too use only the RLO and let it dry since we live in the southern California desert. As an addition, the RLO also has a beautiful aroma to it that adds to the experience of the firearm. I have had several friends comment about that portion of the experience. I have never had anyone make those comments after using any of my rifles refinished with BLO.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Dick
Can't speak to the "rawness" of the product, but I've picked up far more RLO than I should gratis from a local recycle centre over the years in pails from 1L to 4L and artist's bottles as well. Try a centre in your area? Can always ask the staff to put it aside for you....
A bath in the stuff was the military method of treatment IIRC and that takes some quantity.
Hi Roger. The last lot of Colron dye I looked at in Homebase was water based. It would appear that the old spirit based stuff is now classed as a naughty substance.Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger Payne
I still have a can each of the oder, spirit based, Indian Rosewood and Jacobean Dark Oak stashed away.
I used to use Liberon spirit based dark oak on NOS No4 woodwork, before the RLO process...
It actually be turns beech and walnut a very pleasing colour, coupled with the oiling, absolutely beautiful....
However, Ive started to have trouble getting it too, so perhaps it's on the way out....
My Maltby build with new old stock beech, Liberon and RLO finish attached...
That turned out perfectly!Quote:
Originally Posted by mrclark303
Cheers Singer, we all have our different approaches, I've learned so much about finishing on here in the past from the knowledgeable here, the fun thing is taking the best ideas and combining them.
The finish carries on going steadily darker with time, each subsequent re oil, coupled with ongoing oxidisation.
This thread has me thinking about experimenting with making my own stains this weekend.....
The finish has that "experienced" look i prefer rather than the "brand new" look. Of course, if you have a brand new NO. 4 then you are one of the lucky ones!!Quote:
Originally Posted by mrclark303