If you will google Log Cabin Muzzle Loading Supplies you will find they sale several different types of stain for curly maple. They all work fairly well. I have used some of them and several home brews over the years on flintlock rifles. Between sanding with different grits of paper if you will take a damp rag with water and wipe the stock down. Let it dry and then go to the next grit. This will raise the grain for you. I actually believe you can go to far with too fine of grit paper and wind up with a to slick of wood for a rifle. Of course it depends on the finish you want. This is especially true if you want a 1700 aged looked that you mentioned. In that respect it requires a total different approach then what would be considered for a normal finish for wood. You mentioned that you also wanted a ripple affect on the wood. The type of maple, hardness, the way the wood was cut and how fine the grain/curl is in the wood wiil do more to cause this affect. Sugar maple seems to be most pronounced in this regard. It typically is harder maple than some. Soft maple usually wont give this affect very good. I wont use any maple for a rifle stock other than Sugar maple. You can scrape the wood with scrapers or broken glass to help pronounce this affect. By the way there have been quite a bit of discussion that this is the only correct way to accurately peroid coorectly finish a rifle of the peroid that you mentioned. Hope I havent confused you too much.