Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Tom's 1/3 mix?

Anybody ever use this stuff called Tom's 1/3 military gunstock paste on a 99 or any oil style finished gunstock for that matter??

No, but I've used linseed and tung oils. Is Tom's a finish or a preservative? On Gary's advice I used refined and not boiled linseed oil on my last project. You will find refined linseed oil in art supply stores. I've also used hybrid finishes with good luck. But if you use linseed oil be sure to set a lot of time aside for getting the job done. It takes a lot of coats and a determination to no give up. However hybrids don't take nearly as long and they provide a much higher degree of moisture protection. I prefer Chem-Pak Pro-Custom Oil Gunstock Finish. I've used GB Lin-speed and Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil and didn't care too much for either, especially the latter. There are plenty of guy here who are pretty good gunstock finishers and I'm sure they will join in real soon. And welcome to the forum!

I've used boiled linseed on several of my older shotguns and my military service rifles, all with good results. This Tom's stuff is like a mixture of BLO, turpentine, and bees wax. Supposedly its meant to give service rifles like the Garand the "correct" looking oiled stock finish? From what I understand most model 99's originally came with an oil finish on the stock, I presume boiled linseed, correct me if I'm wrong I'm new to the forum. I'm fine with just using BLO on my rifle stocks, its always worked good and looked good, I just don't know if there's an advantage to using something with bees wax in it??

I wonder if it's the same paste that Ordnance issued back in the day for maintenance/preservation of walnut gunstocks under field conditions?

Artificers were instructed to keep pots of it on hand for their combat infantry guys to use, and mixed it themselves per Ordnance guidelines: Start with a quantity of beeswax and mix in about an equal amount of linseed (or tung) oil after melting the wax.* To the mix (as it's starting to solidify) stir in enough turpentine to achieve the viscosity you want. Total of three parts. I did it once and made altogether too much. I made mine to the consistency of between peanut butter and paste wax. (Taught to me by an old WWII Army Artificer.) I guess in the end it was around equal measures of the three elements.

It's not bad stuff, but doesn't do the luster that a good commercial paste wax does. I use it on a couple '03 Springfields for originality reasons. I wondered when someone would get the idea to market it, if indeed that's what this Tom's stuff is.

* When/if you melt the beeswax for pete's sake do it outdoors and in a double boiler. It's a pretty flammable exercise.

Hah, beat me! I shouldn't have gotten up midway to fetch a beer from the fridge!

Any stock, old or new, that lives with a straight oil finish should get a wax job now and then. Therein lies the only real protection it'll have from water fenestration.

Yeah this guy, "Tom" I guess??, has a little website if you google Tom's 1/3 it'll pop up. He sells it already mixed and ready to go. I hunt in upstate New York and at home in North Carolina, both pretty damp places! So any additional protection on my 99 would be nice, I just don't want to muck up the stock ya know?!

It should serve you ok. I would still personally rather use Renaissance Wax, or Butchers, or....

Remember, Army Ordnance didn't care too much about stock preservation/prettiness. If a stock got ruined, no big deal- just stick a new one on.

Very true...

yea, I have used it often.... works for me.

dave

A friend gave me a container of a similar concoction that he had assembled, the turpentine smelled good but I couldn't see much is any difference over Johnson's Paste Wax.

Another vote for Renaisance Wax. Gives excellent water protection. Use it on wood and metal.