Walnut Stock Problem

Nobleman

Well-Known Member
Can anyone please tell me what is going on with my Walnut Stock, When I bought the Rifle (brand new) it was the same colour all over but after a period of time one side has gone really dark as in the pics, I want to refinish it in a nice dark walnut colour anyway but I did not expect it to do it by itself..!
Am i right in thinking that this is still drying out or is there another explanation, as one side is dark and the other side light i presume this is going to affect the refinishing and staining, i've never seen a stock like this before and im wondering what to do about it.robs pictures 335.jpgrobs pictures 334.jpgrobs pictures 333.jpg
 
Strange. Looks like only the dark part has been oiled but can't be over oiling of action that's running down one side in the cabinet. Can it?

K
 
Strange. Looks like only the dark part has been oiled but can't be over oiling of action that's running down one side in the cabinet. Can it?

K

I thought something like that but the staining so to speak is not on the inletting just on the outside, its even on the very forend of the stock, its been back to the importers who said its entirely natural and its a product of the piece of walnut the stock was carved from, well if it is its the first entirely natural piece of walnut i have seen like this and im not convinced.
Not sure how to go about staining it now, not sure what to do full stop to be honest.
 
Its nothing to worry about, Its a natural product and as such can age like it has. It will always be there.
Pine is white when first sawn but go's yellow/orange in time, your wood is just ageing.
 
I would say that's the natural colour of the grain in the wood not a lot you can do about it apart from trying to stain just the light coloured parts to match the darker piece.
 
I'd say what you've got here is the by-product of poor stock blank selection by the manufacturer. IMHO, you're looking at a piece of sapwood with only a small amount of heartwood running through it due to the way it's been cut. Often, these cheaper ends would be supplied steamed to darken the sapwood but I'm guessing that's not been the carried out either, so over time you're getting more and more visible discrepancy between the two

whilst I mean no disrespect, this is a very low end bit of walnut which if for an air rifle would probably be acceptable, but if for a RF or CF would be a considerable no-no.
 
Check out the colour difference on a yew bow

contrast of heart and sap is very similar
looks nice IMO leave it as is
 
It's bad blank cutting this was a cheap edge blank that is more sap wood than heart wood however it does look quite nice.

I would just oil it up to make it look as nice as possible staining will go wrong IMHO.
 
I'd say what you've got here is the by-product of poor stock blank selection by the manufacturer. IMHO, you're looking at a piece of sapwood with only a small amount of heartwood running through it due to the way it's been cut. Often, these cheaper ends would be supplied steamed to darken the sapwood but I'm guessing that's not been the carried out either, so over time you're getting more and more visible discrepancy between the two



whilst I mean no disrespect, this is a very low end bit of walnut which if for an air rifle would probably be acceptable, but if for a RF or CF would be a considerable no-no.

No Offence taken PKL, Im sure its not right and wether it looks good as it is or not is immaterial to me, I have Walnut stocks on other rifles and none are like this, yes it has "character" but It is also feels very "Soft" I thought I would ask on here first for opinions but I WILL take it to someone who knows their wood for a proper assessment before I make a decision what to do next, Cracking gun and the stock fits lovely, but something is wrong and hopefully I will get to the bottom of it, Your assessment regarding the sapwood/heartwood sounds a very reasonable explanation, I shall investigate it further.
Any other opinions will be gladly noted.
 
It's bad blank cutting this was a cheap edge blank that is more sap wood than heart wood however it does look quite nice.

I would just oil it up to make it look as nice as possible staining will go wrong IMHO.

Thanks for your input Welsh Warrior, When you say oil it up what do you recommend, Im sure i will end up keeping this stock and im sure it will turn out ok, i was thinking i might give it to someone who refinishes wood professionally but if i can do a decent job myself i might give it a go - Tru Oil ? I am a novice with stock refinishing, i know what i know but this is not one of my specialists subjects.!
 
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Just realised this could be on a CF it has no place there IMHO air rifle fine maybe RF but not a CF.

Is it particularly light weight as well? This is naughty of the maker they will know better.

There is so little walnut left out there and badly cut blanks don't help this situation.
 
Just realised this could be on a CF it has no place there IMHO air rifle fine maybe RF but not a CF.

Is it particularly light weight as well? This is naughty of the maker they will know better.

There is so little walnut left out there and badly cut blanks don't help this situation.

Yes you are correct, CF - Weihrauch .22 Hornet (Krico)
 
It's a beautiful piece of natural wood. Enjoy its unique qualities and DON'T stain it.

​Richard

I disagree and if honest wouldn't call it a beautiful piece of walnut but rather an 'interesting' one that would frustrate me greatly as it clearly does you.
I therefore fully understand your desire for a little more uniformity and if it were mine I'd first strip it back to bare timber and see what you're left with before applying fake figure as in grain lines; marble and/or tiger stripping as per curly maple. This c/o various inks, dyes and felt tip pens! The former using a variety of aplicators including feather and sponge. Once this is to your liking and 'uniform' cut back with oooooo wire wool to soften edges and apply an oiled finish.

To have this done professionally will cost a significant sum but to do it yourself about £20. You do of course need to be confident about tackling such a project and unafraid to experiment.

You could of course simply have Hydrographics apply a new skin of your choosing in a range of options from realtree camo (check with Red-Dot first though!) through to an AAA grade piece of French walnut.

Cheers

K
 
You may be ok with a hornet. I would bed the action in well with agroglass or Devcon etc.

For a finish I use my own mixture of oils and would apply a best london hand rubbed oil finish, tru oil is utter rubbish IMHO But I do use it on chisel and file handles when there nothing else around I will not put it on a gun I'd rather turndown the work. The best London oiled finish is not as expensive as many believe I offer it from £100 for a shotgun or rifle stock (any extra is for removing oil saturation repairing cracks or re cutting chequering)


As for colouring that's your taste I use ink and stains to get a colour your happy with.


PM me if you want any help or advice.
 
Thanks for your input Klenchblaize, Yes your right it does frustrate me but I know its not the end of the world and im determind to get it looking better than it is currently one way or the other, I would love to have a go at sorting it out myself but I would need a foolproof idiots guide to the process, I have read so many different ways that people tackle stock refinishing im more confused now than when I started, To be totally honest I wouldn't even know how and what to use to strip it, maybe I havnt got too much to lose so could be worth a go.
 
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