| Building a Muzzleloader - Staining the Stock | |
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I'll tell much of the story with photographs, so each page may be a bit slow to load. Click on any photo for a larger image.
After final sanding of the muzzleloader stock, it was time to stain it. The stock was a very light maple, and a quick inventory of the stain I had lying around revealed one called "Sugar Maple." I tried it on the ramrod, and though it didn't darken as much as I'd hoped, I decided it would work just fine.
Applying any liquid to an unsealed wood surface will raise the grain, and that's just what happened when I wiped the stock down with mineral spirits preparatory to staining it. I didn't let that slow me down, however, and commenced with staining. This was about as simple an operation as you could ask for -- swab some stain on with a brush, wipe off the excess with a clean rag, and prop it in a corner to dry.
After giving the stain plenty of time to dry (a day or so), I snapped a photo and gave it another go. This time, however, I used some 600 grit wet or dry sandpaper with the stain, and wet-sanded it into the stock. This took care of my raised-grain problem, while working the stain into the wood. Not only did my wet-sanding knock down the raised grain, it also did as I'd hoped and acted to fill the grain at the same time.
After another day or two of drying, I repeated the wet-sanding treatment, let it dry, and took another photo. I was now done with the staining, the next step on the stock will be finishing. Before that, though, I blued the barrel and other steel parts.
Here's the stock after one coat of stain.
This is after the second wet-sanding, the third and final coat of stain.
Next Page - Polishing and Bluing
- Russ Chastain
