doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Homemade Alkanet stain and oil..amazingly easy.

In a previous thread, we got into the discussion of Alkanet stains and oils. Thanks to damascus and others, I've been able to make my own with impressive results. For both the stain and the oil, I bought a pound of Alkanet powder for around $20.

For the stain, I mixed about four ounces of the powder into 16 oz. of a mineral spirit neutral stain base I have, let it sit for a week, (shaking at least once per day) then strained it through a coffee filter. The filtering process took a while, it drips very slowly. Excellent results when I tested it on some Black Walnut.

The recipe I used for the oil was what damascus described as "Andy's Oil". I bought food-grade raw linseed oil (flax oil), as well as food-grade walnut oil (unroasted) from the health food section of a local supermarket. The linseed oil is very clear, I figure (since its edible) it's got to be as clear as the more expensive artist grade type. I used 16 oz of a 50/50 mix of the oils, approx 4 oz. of the alkanet powder, and followed the same week-long "shake and sit" process followed by the filtering. Results were also excellent.

On the test walnut pieces the results were similar, but not exact. You can tell a slight difference between the spirit stain and the oil, with the oil being slightly deeper red and richer, just as damascus had predicted. The stain looks almost red free, almost a natural walnut color, with the oil having a more noticeable, albeit pleasingly slight, red color..I'll never buy stain again.
Ken

I guess if you are trying to replicate some previous color, this might be ok. But, different types of walnut will give different results.
I have done quite a bit of woodworking, and some of the best stains are powders mixed with water. These stains are in the wood, not on it, so on a gunstock being refinished with this type of water based stain, the outer finish is all that has to be applied. If you wanted it darker, than add more stain.
Another good stain is Watco, I usually apply it to sanded gun stocks and put it on and then use 400 grit wet/dry paper and sand it in. If put on heavy enough you will get a slurry which you then wipe off. The finish is very smooth.

I have also used Minwax Red Mahogany with good results, but again the type of walnut is key to how it is going to look.

I found mixing the Alkenet powdered root with a modified oil finish to be best for me. Because the color is in the finish and you cut back while applying more finish/color there is no thin spots which is what I always struggled with when using a separate finish and stain. So many methods out there, you just have to find what works for you.

The only time I tried to make a stain from alkanet root (given to me by Jack Rowe), it turned out too pinkish-red, like beet juice.

Water based stains have a serious drawback in that they raise the grain, which has to be sanded down, leaving light spots where the stain did not penetrate as deeply. I only use alcohol or mineral spirit based stains.

Minwax makes good oil/spirit-based stains, but you need to be careful of which one you use on a gunstock. Their Dark Walnut is much too black, and their Special Walnut too light. The color I have found that represents a true reddish-brown for walnut is their English Chestnut.
JR

I believe they have another called Gun Stock and is very nice also.

For about 10 years I've been using powdered alkanet root mixed with alcohol to create stain. I also have a batch mixed with Original Oil Finish I purchased from Track of the Wolf. I've been very pleased with both.

Steve

I keep it on the go. I buy alkanet root in rough cut form, rather than powder, and just put it in a jar and pour linseed oil over it and leave it forever.

The longer you leave it the redder it gets. I never use it until it has been steeping for at least 12-months.

I like the idea of using a stain mixed with stock finish to avoid thin spots.

I do exactly as Small Bore and am very pleased, it really looks good on 100 year old feather crotch black walnut. If you have a stock that is already a bit dark just use the stained oil to get the color right then go with the straight linseed oil to finish it out. You might need to let the stained oil cure for a while though before finishing with straight oil so you do not lift the tint and smear it into pink:)

You might also try pulling the bark chips out of the oil at varied intervals for different richness.

The suggestion that there are many ways to skin this particular cat is also spot-on:)

Best,
Mark

I use a reddish walnut dye powder, oil soluble that I got from woodworkers supply, mixed with Formby's Tung oil. Also tried Teak Oil mixed with the dye powder, like 1/2 teaspoon in half pint. Teak oil seems most like linseed, but the Formby's dries harder. I darken light spots with Pre-64 solvent based stain--expensive, but a little on a q-tip goes a long way. Still learning....but the Formby's/dye matched a Winchester Hiwall Scheutzen stock, that had water damage.