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Not My Normal Thing! Aging wood. (Read 1457 times)

bobw Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2142 Joined: Mar 19^th, 2013	Not My Normal Thing! Aging wood. Jul 7^th, 2026 at 5:22pm	Print Post
	My latest small project. These pictures are of the wood, after aging the stock set shown in the next post. Bob
	« Last Edit: Jul 8^th, 2026 at 11:48am by bobw »

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bobw Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2142 Joined: Mar 19^th, 2013	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Reply #1 - Jul 7^th, 2026 at 5:29pm	Print Post
	This was completely opposite of what I normally do! The before pictures! This is one of those projects I took on because it interested me! The owner bought the rifle in a dark gun show and when he got it outside realized the stock had been completely reworked. Hated it, and unsuccessfully tried doing some work himself, but decided to call and ask if I would be interested in working on it. That checkering was really nice and it was hard to make the changes needed. Bob


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marlinguy Frequent Elocutionist Offline Ballards may be weaker, but they sure are neater! Posts: 18177 Location: Oregon Joined: Feb 2^nd, 2009	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Reply #2 - Jul 7^th, 2026 at 6:20pm	Print Post
	bobw wrote on Jul 7^th, 2026 at 5:29pm: This was completely opposite of what I normally do! The before pictures! This is one of those projects I took on because it interested me! The owner bought the rifle in a dark gun show and when he got it outside realized the stock had been completely reworked. Hated it, and unsuccessfully tried doing some work himself, but decided to call and ask if I would be interested in working on it. That checkering was really nice and it was hard to make the changes needed. Bob Afraid I'd be inclined to keep that stock set too. Looks like a very Rolling Block stock set. And the checkering is very nice indeed! I don't see much wrong with it?

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bobw Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2142 Joined: Mar 19^th, 2013	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Reply #3 - Jul 7^th, 2026 at 6:42pm	Print Post
	Sorry Vall, but they are the same set. The second post is what they looked like “before” what they are in the first. They got aged! Yes, it is a Rolling Block. Bob
	« Last Edit: Jul 7^th, 2026 at 8:33pm by bobw »

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jhm Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2078 Location: georgia Joined: Sep 4^th, 2011	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Reply #4 - Jul 7^th, 2026 at 7:12pm	Print Post
	Lot of history in that stock. I would have never touched it. But that is just me... JMH


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GT Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2381 Location: Northeast Wyoming Joined: Jun 28^th, 2015	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Reply #5 - Jul 7^th, 2026 at 7:19pm	Print Post
	Bob, Did you recut and age the checkering? If you did, I have a couple of Ballards that need freshened/aged... Nice work! Greg

	"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk" T. A. Edison "The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right" M.T.
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bobw Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2142 Joined: Mar 19^th, 2013	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Reply #6 - Jul 7^th, 2026 at 8:30pm	Print Post
	I think there is some confusion as to what I did. Probably my fault in how I originally posted this! So I will try to clarify this thread. Post #2 shows how I received the wood. This shows the work someone else did to the original stock, the new look with fresh cut checkering. Post #1 is what it looks like after I finished aging. This is the same stock as Post #2. The owner did not like the finish as shown in Post #2. Bob


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jhm Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2078 Location: georgia Joined: Sep 4^th, 2011	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Reply #7 - Jul 7^th, 2026 at 11:19pm	Print Post
	Nope my bad. I misunderstood. If you did the ageing process on that wood that is amazing. That is why I was confused (but then that happens a lot to us old folks)... That wood looks like it has been around for ages hence my comment on it's history. That is some fine work. JMH


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GT Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2381 Location: Northeast Wyoming Joined: Jun 28^th, 2015	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Reply #8 - Jul 8^th, 2026 at 9:00am	Print Post
	Bob, I can age a rifle myself, use it one time in a NRL 22 match usually does if for me, especially if I take a single shot to one of these run-n-gun things... There's a reason most have their rifles in a chassis made of polymer or aluminum with a rattle can finish. I miss-read what you were doing also... GT PS. it's never an original that I use here, but I have aged a few of my own.

	"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk" T. A. Edison "The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right" M.T.
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marlinguy Frequent Elocutionist Offline Ballards may be weaker, but they sure are neater! Posts: 18177 Location: Oregon Joined: Feb 2^nd, 2009	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Reply #9 - Jul 8^th, 2026 at 10:12am	Print Post
	bobw wrote on Jul 7^th, 2026 at 8:30pm: I think there is some confusion as to what I did. Probably my fault in how I originally posted this! So I will try to clarify this thread. Post #2 shows how I received the wood. This shows the work someone else did to the original stock, the new look with fresh cut checkering. Post #1 is what it looks like after I finished aging. This is the same stock as Post #2. The owner did not like the finish as shown in Post #2. Bob Yes, there was only post #2 when I replied. Still look good to me either way.

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bobw Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2142 Joined: Mar 19^th, 2013	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Reply #10 - Jul 8^th, 2026 at 11:29am	Print Post
	jhm wrote on Jul 7^th, 2026 at 11:19pm: Nope my bad. I misunderstood. If you did the ageing process on that wood that is amazing. That is why I was confused (but then that happens a lot to us old folks)... That wood looks like it has been around for ages hence my comment on it's history. That is some fine work. JMH Thanks, I did the aging, at least trying to get it back to more natural look that someone had “fixed” by sanding, dent raising and either new or recut checkering. Colors were also somewhat off between the forearm and stock. I’m finding this aging process is another whole art form! Bob


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AJ Full Member Offline Posts: 223 Joined: Aug 25^th, 2011	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Aging wood. Reply #11 - Jul 13^th, 2026 at 8:58pm	Print Post
	Bob, Along the lines of aging a rifle stock, a mix of soot and linseed oil worked pretty well for me on a recent project. I began by soaking a paper towel in linseed oil and lighting it on fire. I collected soot by holding a large kitchen spoon over the flame to collect the soot. After letting it cool, a few drops of oil were mixed with the soot and applied to the stock. After many coats it looked acceptable, but after a few months sitting in the gun cabinet it really looked almost indistinguishable from an original aged finish. AJ


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bobw Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2142 Joined: Mar 19^th, 2013	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Aging wood. Reply #12 - Jul 13^th, 2026 at 9:53pm	Print Post
	AJ wrote on Jul 13^th, 2026 at 8:58pm: Bob, Along the lines of aging a rifle stock, a mix of soot and linseed oil worked pretty well for me on a recent project. I began by soaking a paper towel in linseed oil and lighting it on fire. I collected soot by holding a large kitchen spoon over the flame to collect the soot. After letting it cool, a few drops of oil were mixed with the soot and applied to the stock. After many coats it looked acceptable, but after a few months sitting in the gun cabinet it really looked almost indistinguishable from an original aged finish. AJ AJ You we’re definitely committed to aging the stock! That’s not how I would do this using soot, but it worked. While I don’t use soot, if I did, I would heavily smoke the wood directly. Then add finish to the applied soot, rubbing it in vigorously. Bob


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AJ Full Member Offline Posts: 223 Joined: Aug 25^th, 2011	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Aging wood. Reply #13 - Jul 13^th, 2026 at 10:03pm	Print Post
	Bob, I actually did it both ways. Rubbing the soot into the wood and then applying oil, and mixing them and applying. Not sure one was better than the other. Soot was not my first solution. I tried black ink, red ink, rust, and all sorts of odd ingredients before settling on soot. I was trying to repair a section of a stock that “shed” it finish when I was steaming out a deep dent. So I was trying to match that section to the surrounding wood. Today, that spot looks no different than the surrounding wood. AJ


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bobw Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2142 Joined: Mar 19^th, 2013	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Aging wood. Reply #14 - Jul 14^th, 2026 at 11:57am	Print Post
	AJ wrote on Jul 13^th, 2026 at 10:03pm: Bob, I actually did it both ways. Rubbing the soot into the wood and then applying oil, and mixing them and applying. Not sure one was better than the other. Soot was not my first solution. I tried black ink, red ink, rust, and all sorts of odd ingredients before settling on soot. I was trying to repair a section of a stock that “shed” it finish when I was steaming out a deep dent. So I was trying to match that section to the surrounding wood. Today, that spot looks no different than the surrounding wood. AJ I recently had a conversation with Don Bruton, a well known muzzleloader builder, and he mentioned that he also uses soot to age and darken his stocks. He said he uses an old wide wick oil lamp. Bob


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AJ Full Member Offline Posts: 223 Joined: Aug 25^th, 2011	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Aging wood. Reply #15 - Jul 14^th, 2026 at 2:12pm	Print Post
	Bob, I’ve used oil lams to smoke parts for fitting, but just used burning linseed on a whim. I figured linseed soot might match up better to a linseed finish. Any soot would probably work, but I have to emphasize that the full effect took a few months in the gun cabinet to realize. AJ


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bobw Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2142 Joined: Mar 19^th, 2013	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Aging wood. Reply #16 - Jul 27^th, 2026 at 4:56pm	Print Post
	The re-aged wood is now back home and on the action. Bob


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calledflyer Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 4009 Joined: Mar 9^th, 2015	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Aging wood. Reply #17 - Jul 27^th, 2026 at 7:37pm	Print Post
	that's my kinda rifle- I do appreciate those that are still if tip top condition, but owning one always seems to be having a gun with no soul. honest wear and tear, not abuse makes a rifle seem to have been loved and utilized. It probably had been. making a rifle to look just that way after it had been 'fixed up' is something that doesn't seem to be done. until now. and it came out just as if it had been getting to that condition for a long time. masterful work.


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AJ Full Member Offline Posts: 223 Joined: Aug 25^th, 2011	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Aging wood. Reply #18 - Jul 28^th, 2026 at 12:09am	Print Post
	Definitely looks like that wood belongs on the rifle! Great work!


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bobw Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2142 Joined: Mar 19^th, 2013	Re: Not My Normal Thing! Aging wood. Reply #19 - Jul 28^th, 2026 at 11:30pm	Print Post
	Thanks guys. It was fun doing this since it is completely different from my normal wood work. Bob


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