Plans have evolved as I work on this project. The two tone color that I was hoping for sounds good in theory but it really isn't attainable. Everyone on here convinced me to scrap the black look because of the nice grain that this stock has. Since I took these pics an hour or so ago, I hand rubbed the stock with steel wool and applied another layer of oil. The steel wool is making the light lines lighter for a more pronounced grain. The other problem that I encountered with the dye is in places like the front and back sides of the pistol grip. With a wood like walnut its all just wood and finishes evenly, since the stock is made from birch the dye treats these areas like an end grain and they dye penetrates deeper, which gives it a darker color. The steel wool removes some of the dye which smoothes out the color and adds character. Overall I'm happy with the way it's turning out. The pictures that I posted don't do it justice, it's pretty neat looking while it's still wet and it's out in the sunlight. Only about twenty more coats of oil to go.