Ebonizing Walnut

I learned a lesson today.

Too much steel wool can make a different compound called ferrous hydroxides. That would explain the grey color that was appearing the other day. The old batch turned a dull green color. I have a new batch brewing with the proper amounts.
 
YouTube is your friend. This is one of the best for leather-covered pads. You can stop short for an uncovered pad.

I really like the jig he uses, but was unwilling to pay for it, so I made my own.

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It appears you like homemade tools. Good skill to have. I'm not that smart, I just hold the pad in my hand and try to follow the line on the back side whilst trying to not sand any skin off. I do not imagine breathing in the rubber is good for a fellow either.
 
What sharp teeth you have!
I wasn’t too worried about the hacksaw marks because I thought I’d need to cut a greater portion away. I was told they used dowels to attach them, so I was trying to see em. This was not the case. Either way, it’ll get cleaned up while sanding.
 
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Got the forend shaped. Not doing ebony.

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Also sanded to the final grit. Found a cool “worn” look, but it’ll get touched up with another coat or two of the iron acetate solution and then tru oil.

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Looking good @nhenry!!
And bravo to you for experimenting!

If I may derail for a minute to help anyone else looking to do some self gunsmithing.

@BrentD suggestion to wrap tape around where nhenry was going to make his cut.
This is an oldtimers trick to help keep the wood fibers from flaying at the cut. This can be caused by 2 things.
1) Not enough teeth per inch. ( or centimeter for the rest of the world)
2) The teeth are not sharp.

A new sawblade with sharp teeth is worth the cost.

Same goes with sandpaper.
At what point does it become polishing instead of sanding?

We return you to your regularly scheduled program.
 
Got a few coats of tru oil on now, and it’s turning out great. I’m kinda liking the semi-glossy look.

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It’s making a lot of brown shine through when you get up close. I kinda like it.

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Next steps are recoil pad, pillars, and full bed.
 
Caribou Gear

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