Alter chokes or not also how to make wood darker

[sishyplops]

Hi all, I have a very nice Ugartechea 75EX sidelock side x side , it's choked at half and full which is a bit much for East anglian terrain, question is will it devalue it if I have it bored to 1/4 & 1/2, its current value I would estimate about £600, also when I stripped off the varnish as it has a half decent piece of walnut under it.

 

The forend is quite light in colour compared to the stock, the stock has an almost red tinge to it while the forend is just pale brown, 2nd question is what dye/stain should I use to match them, also would really like them nice and dark

Thanks

Richard

Edited December 6, 2014 by sishyplops

[sishyplops]

heres some pics

[Gordon R]

I would have thought that the chokes would not devalue it, but wouldn't enhance the value either. Dark oak makes the wood a whole lot darker. perhaps mixed in with something not as severe.

[welshwarrior]

I would use dragons blood (Alkenut root oil) and a stain as needed to match the colour.

[sishyplops]

can i use just a normal wood stain from B&Q kind of thing to darken it like a dark oak Gordon suggested or does it have to be a proper stock oil?

[johnphilip]

I would leave that stock as it is i think that colour looks ok as it is. I have done a few stocks and to me thats a lovely finish. The gun is not new so why change it. This is just my view its your gun at the end of the day.

[Underdog]

My Uggie is a bit light coloured. I don't mind though.

If your apprehensive about the chokes being tight you may be able to find a shell that is spread despite the choke.

I had a tight Parker Hale once, with Rio's it spread its patterns more than other cartridges.

 

U.

[sishyplops]

That's a good point, I'll try that i use fibre anyway which helps with pattern spread

[retromlc]

I bought a "trade secret" finishing kit,it's got the red stain and 2 oils,results have been very good,£20ish from Amazon

[Gunman]

Boring chokes to say 1/4 & 1/2 or even Imp and 1/4 should not devalue the gun at all as many Spanish guns of this period were over choked and it is always easier to bore out than put it back in .

As to staining the wood , it looks like a lacquer finish even though it was claimed to be oiled [ but that's all traditional varnish is , oil plus drying agents] so to get a decent and even penetration of stain you will need to get down to bear wood . Possible a strong spirit stain get through but is a risk as you can not control the colour as well . Try fuming , an old trick that might help put the wood in a closed box with a saucer of ammonia ,stronger the better and leave over night . Obviously all the necessary precautions should be taken when handling .

Edited December 7, 2014 by Gunman

[sishyplops]

Was varnished/ lacquered but I took it back to bare wood, the varnish was a lot darker but I didn't like it, it's a nice piece of wood underneath that the varnish just covered over