Stain for log furniture

[1938farmall]

I'm making log chairs & stools and looking for ideas to achieve more of an old patina look rather than a regular wood stain.  After knife-peeling the "white" wood (aspen, pine, boxelder, locust, oak) and regardless of pre-conditioning and sanding, the oil stains come out blotchy.  Has anyone tried colored wax, sprayed toner, or home-made recipies?  I have tried Prince Albert tobacco in ammonia but it's not quite right.  All ideas appreciated.  al

[dovetails]

I used boiled linseed oil on my log house,might try that.
I like the way it looks.

[dchiapin]

not too sure of the effect you are looking for, but for a really nice weathered look I use vinegar and steel wool mixture soaked until the steel wool is gone. Try it on some scrap wood for the effect you are looking for. You can make this mixture weaker by adding water.

[Carpenter]

A tobacco stain will fade and turn a little green after a while. 
I've got a good method to antique a gunstock.  It should work on most furniture, but I've only tried it on dry maple.  Let's see if I can remember this method, it's been a long time since I've done this. 
Sand, raise the grain and sand again like normal.  Apply aquafortis, (Iron shavings disolved in nitric acid) lightly char the surface with a torch.  (Normally when you use aquafortis you heat the surface with a torch and it turns the maple a dark rich redish brown color, but here char the surface slightly.)  lightly sand most but not all of the charred surface.  Apply a few coats of boiled linseed oil cut with turpintine.  Apply Watco Danish oil.  While you are finishing the gunstock you should have the gun dissasembled and can finish the metal pieces, they are done a little differently than normal as well. 
     Put everything back together.  Take a keychain with several keys on it and lightly tap the entire surface of the gun.  ( if you look closely at any old gun they are covered with little dings)  Tap some spots harder than others.  Take a screw driver and hit the gun in a few random spots you need to be sure to ding the metal as well as the wood.  Don't over do it you want to simulate a well used gun or piece of furniture not an abused one.  That's all I remember, I may have the oil finish steps out of order and I really don't remember if the guns got a coat of toung oil over the final finish or not, I really don't think so but if you want the furniture to glow a little bit more a coat of low gloss toung oil wouldn't hurt.
     I learned this from a guy who did some museum restoration work. 

[1938farmall]

thanks carpenter - very interesting reading if one googles aquafortis.  thanks for the tip. al

[Don_Papenburg]

A good rustic stain can be had by placing the log seats close to a mulberry tree about June 25th and on into July .  It will have a nice white to purple verigated finish . All that would be left to do would be to coat with a good spar varnish. ;)