Curly maple duck call w/ vinegar stain

[Aaron Wingert]

I recently scored a really nice slab of curly maple. I've read about using vinegar/steel wool stain to color curly maple so I gave it a go. I put a piece of steel wool and about one pint of white vinegar in one of my wife's tupperwares. A week later it looks like the tank of a porta-John.

Sanded the call to 320, wiped the stain on, quickly heated it with the torch (about 3 seconds), let it dry, then sanded from 320 through 800 and applied finish. As nasty as the stuff looks in the tupperware, I like what it does to the maple.

I included a piece of the same section of curly maple for color reference of what the stain did.

[Aaron Wingert]

Just for fun....

[Ted Calver]

That really popped the curl!! Really nice Aaron.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

It's the Iron oxide that does the coloring Aaron, and yes it did a very nice job on the Maple and will on any wood that has Tannin in it or added to it, well done looks great !!

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Wow. That is just an awesome looking piece. I love the effect that the vinegar/steel wool had on the visible ripple. Seriously just beautiful.

Joshua

[Jon Lanier]

That is awesome!!!! Picture Clicked that one to my Notebook pages. I may be trying that very soon!

[brian watts]

very nice..

[John Hart]

Beautiful color you've acheived in this Aaron. I can see that process being good for some vases I'm planning. Nice Work!!

[Michelle Rich]

The ducks,not only will come to the call, they'll enjoy the designer look!

[Norm Zax]

Looks great!
Works good also on oak. Why use the torch btw?

[John Keeton]

Really some nice color! And, it is so hard to go wrong with curly maple - it begs to be dyed.

Bet your wife is REAL HAPPY with how her Tupperware looks!!

[Roger Chandler]

Another beauty Aaron! I like your imagination on coloring techniques.....this one really popped the grain on the curly maple. If I were a duck hunter, I would pay good $$$ for most of the calls you have made and posted here on SMC. They are just that nice.

You just keep bringin' the hits!

[Aaron Wingert]

Thanks for the kind words everybody. Sure do appreciate it.

Norm, the guy that told me how to do the vinegar/steel wool stain told me that he heats the piece immediately after application, so that's why I did it. The torch wasn't used to burn the wood at all...just for heat. It did seem to darken the dark spots and made the color stand out. Can't say what it would have looked like without the heat though.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Sure like what the mixture did for the curly! Have played with it on some different woods - will cause Oak to turn jet black in a matter of seconds! First I've heard of heating the wood.

Beautiful work once again Aaron! Thanks for sharing!

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Aaron, Beautiful work It really makes that wood pop with effect!!