Parker wood colors ??

[Bill Faulk]

My CHE wears very dark wood compared to the guns I 've seen and guns pictured here on the Forum.The stock is one that was placed on gun in 1917 by the factory ,as so documented.I also have the original stock from 1912 when gun was shipped.The fore end is this same dark wood.It is original .
The only stock that I have seen pictures of that is as dark is one of the Invinceables recently pictured in the Parker Magazine.
Were customers allowed to choose the wood and color shade desired on replacement special order gun stocks?This stock looks like "black walnut",it is really that dark.Also appears to have oil finish rather than the shiney gloss I see on other guns.
Any comments would be welcome..
Thanks,
Bill

[Bindlestiff]

There is some technical information and observations to be found in one of the FAQ's on this site; see http://parkerguns.org/pages/faq/StockFinish.htm , it may be of interest to you?

[Austin W Hogan]

Oil, varnish and no finish are known Parker stock options. An oil or varnish finish will darken more than shellac with time. Also, oils put on top of shellac may permeate and darken. Wood itself also darkens or changes color with time, beneath the finish.

Best, Austin

[Bruce Day]

You will see various shades in Parkers. Assuming its not an oil and dirt finish, some are just darker than others. Black walnut can be really black. You know Parker bought their black walnut from a stock blank dealer in St Joseph , Missouri, and the trees were from southern Iowa, northern Missouri and eastern Kansas. Here is a dark one.

[Bill Faulk]

Thanks,
Mine is even darker but has lots of figure in it.I will post some pictures when I get it back from DelGregos.Forend wood is a perfect color match.
Bill

[charlie cleveland]

bruce what is the best looking stock youve ever seen and was it light or dark...i tend to lean to the dark ones.... charlie

[Bruce Day]

Charlie, I could not even begin to answer that question. I favor the figured Circassian walnut stocks, and here are two that are particularly nice in my opinion. The first is mine and the second belongs to a buddy. There is a lot of gorgeous wood out there and it might be fun to expand this thread with pictures of other people's favorite stocks. Beauty is really in the eye of the beholder with wood.

[charlie cleveland]

well said bruce...that is a beautiful piece of wood your showing glad you showed it to us for the average joe like me never seessuch beauty.....i really enjoy the pictures of the guns you fellas post....as you said beauty is in the eye of the beholder.... charlie

[Jerry Andrews]

While not on a Parker, this piece of wood, had I known it's beauty before hand I would have saved it for a fine double. This is on a Winchester low wall deluxe I restored. The gun was in a bag when I bought it. It's finished with 25% Boiled Linseed oil and 75% Bullseye Orange shellac, used on the bare wood for fill the grain, then several coats rubbed on by hand with a lint free rag. The finish was applied in less than a day.
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[Bob Jurewicz]

This wood is on CHE 16 G. It is even darker than it appears in this pic.
Bob Jurewicz