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My taste is particular and not always agreed with. For me, the wood of a
firearm should stand on its on. I place firearm craftsmanship equal to that of
fine furniture and refuse to purposely compromise the
natural color tones of their woods. Even sap wood found on some extra fancy
specimens are part of the individuality of the piece and best displayed
unaltered. I do not even like minor color changes finishing oils cause. This
is an opinion of mine and why staining stocks, except for below, is not further
mentioned within.
If you wish to stain, do it before the stock is
sealed
or after the stock is
sealed deeply with only one very thin sealing coat. Do not stain after the
stock is heavily sealed or the grain has been
filled
. Doing so can cause
inconsistency in color tone since absorbtions of the stain will be limited by
the
sealing/filling oil. Apply stain evenly with a lightly stain soaked cloth. Do
not paint or dab it on the wood as some parts of the wood may absorb more than
others, thereby causing inconsistency in tone. The object is too keep the
stain as shallow as possible and consistent in spread. Because wood stains
are often very
thin, much wood has to be removed in order to return the stock to its natural
colors. Many stains are water based. Be sure to allow the stock to dissipate
moisture before sealing and filling its grain, otherwise the moisture will be
trapped within the stock and later cause grain to open under warm conditions.