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Trying to remove the gloss off of my stock, I heard it could be done with steel wool.
Is there a preferred method to doing this and what grade of steel wool should I use?
I don't want the finish to look cloudy or muddy, and I certainly don't want any scratches in it.
Thanks in advance for all tips.


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Use 0000 steel wool or better yet bronze wool, Brownell's sells both. I use Johnson's Paste Wax as a lubricant, rubbing the 0000 in the wax and gently "floating" it over the stock. Your strokes should be straight in line with the grain of the stock and the full length of the stock. When you have covered the complete stock, set it aside until the wax forms a haze. Buff the wax with a new microfiber towel and examine to see if the de-glossing is to your satisfaction. If not repeat the operation, if it is apply another coat of wax with and old t-shirt and buff with the microfiber towel. Take your time and don't get in a hurry, depending on how glossy the finish is it may take several passes with the 0000 and wax.

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I use a very similar method to gunswizard. I use 0000 steel wool with gun oil as a lubricant to take the gloss off the stock. I am not so careful as the Wizard seems to be and rub until the finish is dull, but very smooth. Then finish with thin coats of Johnson's wax until the desired "shine" is obtained. This may be 2 coats.....or it may take as many as 10. It's all a matter of what "look" you prefer. However, the wax finish will never be a high-gloss finish like with a urethane finish....it will be a warm, classic look.


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Wow! Just wow!


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Yeah, classic. Saw it in Newell's book.


The key elements in human thinking are not numbers but labels of fuzzy sets. -- L. Zadeh

Which explains a lot.
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Sitka, this is one of those times that I agree with you 100%.

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What re you agreeing about? Did I miss something?
Are one of these methods NOT a good idea?


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Don't use gun oil on the stock when you are rubbing out the shine. Only stock I ever ruined, and thank goodness it was just a pistol grip, was when I put gun oil on it. If the wood is sealed, you might get away with it, but I wouldn't risk it. Mineral spirits is ok, as is paste wax (depending on where you are in the process).

Some woodworkers suggest using just the steel wool with no paste or liquid, the thought being that you can more easily see how well you are doing on the gloss reduction if you don't use paste or liquid. Personally I use the steel wool and paste wax since it's a less aggressive approach.

Last edited by 603Country; 09/20/14.
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Thank you


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No steel wool. Use Scotchbrite synthetic pads. Gun oil???XXXXXXXX

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I use Scotchbrite with Johnson or Butcher's paste wax sometimes to avoid issues caused by steel wool. Using gun oil is not a good idea no matter how well your stock is sealed, gun oil is for metal not wood. Using it on wood will allow it to soak into the wood and/or contaminate the wood finish so that future finish application will not work well if at all.

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It might be heresy, since so many people seem to argue against use of steel wool, but i get the best results from using it. If the wood being rubbed out has no open pores, but has a filled finish or film finish, I don't have a problem with small bits of steel wool being left on the surface of the wood.

I just finished a gunstock with Waterlox Original. It came out really well. So much better than my last hand rubbed oil finish. Once the finish was cured (mostly) I rubbed it out with steel wool and Johnson's paste wax and got just what I wanted. I'm not going to say that's the best finish possible, for two reasons. One, it most likely isn't the 'best', and two, I don't want to get involved in another long battle about refinishing.

Anyway, I got the Waterlox on the suggestion of a distant cousin that's a high dollar woodworker. For what he sells a small table for, you could buy a custom rifle and NF scope and still have a lot of money left. Prior to that, I had used a lot of wiping varnishes, which looked good, and I had also used shellacs and lacquer
In spray gun applied finishes that looked fabulous, but were really tough to apply well. So I went to him to see what he used. Waterlox Original. So I got some and used it on furniture. Very nice. I eventually googled up using it on a gunstock, and good things were said. And now I know that it does work great, and isn't that tough to use. After the wood prep, I hung the stock from the ceiling in my workshop and applied thin coats using foam brushes. First coat looked bad. Second coat was better. By the 6th coat it looked terrific and had filled all the wood pores. So, a few more coats, let it cure, and rubbed it out. Really nice.

I will also admit that I broke another rule, in that the only Waterlox I had on hand was the Satin, so I used that while worrying just a bit about the final finish. I should not have worried. I will use it again.

Last edited by 603Country; 09/21/14.
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What's great for a furniture finish is not necessarily so for a gun stock that may well be exposed to a lot of inclement weather in the course of its life.

Finishes like Waterlox, Truoil, etc. have been bandied about on this forum for longer than I can remember, and have been refuted by many knowledgeable people. It's a case where beauty is less than skin deep.

As far as steel wool is concerned, that old rhubarb has been laid to rest too.

Nobody, it would seem, bothers to do even a soup�on of research of past posts before launching one version or another of the same old tired question. I don't understand that.


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Anyone that suggests they do not have the freckling problem with steel wool has never looked. Friable abrasives fall apart, period. Steel is harder than plastic and breaks with sharp edges. Those sharp edges get caught in the plastic (used as an adjective) finish which has been heated at the extremely local level by friction. That makes the finish gummy.

When those steel particles rust, and they will, they produce opaque freckles visible to 10x easily. Identical pieces side-by-side finished exactly the same with only the steel wool difference show it every time. No one would pick the freckled side, ever.

To suggest it is ignorance is fine unless it has been laid out cleanly and directly and you continue to argue the point without looking.

Just like thinning finish to increase penetration. I have the benefit of not having to guess...
art


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Perhaps the only thing funnier in the world of wood finish tests is the use of "hand-rubbed" as if it means something positive in finish.


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I don't usually hunt in rainy nasty weather any more, but when I did I never noticed any 'freckling' from bits of steel wool rusting. If it did freckle and I couldn't see it, then it isn't a problem anyway. I do make a point of not using steel wool when I finish anything with a water based compound. I'm sure that you know, but maybe not everyone does, that Waterlox does not contain any water other than in the name.

As to research, I did plenty prior to this last stock work. Just to see what else might be available and would interest me. That didn't include looking for the opinions of anyone on this forum.

Anyway, I liked what I read and what I saw on the use of Waterlox, and I had a new can. Thought I'd give it a try and I really like the way it came out. If, however, it doesn't hold up under use I will come back to the forum and say so.

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Wow! Simple English eludes you...

The freckles are there, whether you choose to ignore them or not is your business. Making suggestions about finishes implies someone reading your "opinion" should perhaps follow your suggestion.

You perform no favor doing so UNTIL you have actually looked into what you are saying, especially when the logic and facts are clearly explained.

I have helped many people produce sample boards and not one has looked at a freckled finish and elected to use steel wool. Simply amazing how hard you want to fight for something you remain frigging clueless about. And freckling need not be extreme to be obvious to an unaided eye in good light.

Do you really want to continue to guess? And give advice at the same time?


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No freckles yet. Maybe if I do some hunting in the rain the freckles will appear (or not).

To the OP, I still suggest the use of 0000 steel wool (or Scotchbrite pads) and paste wax. It's a simple and effective way to accomplish what you want to do. However, in light of the dangers that Sitka has mentioned, perhaps you shouldn't rub so hard that you cause the surface temperature of the stock to reach a temperature that will melt the finish and trap fibers of the steel wool. I suppose that could happen....maybe. So just rub lightly and keep the temp under about 150 degrees F and you should be Ok.

Or, you could just use the simple and straightforward approach suggested by Sitka. But wait...he didn't make a suggestion, did he. Just threw insults around like always.

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STrip it an apply a dull finish is the only way I'd go.

I hate gloss anything. Stocks shoudl be dull and metal should be bead or sandblasted at least..

are we stealthily hunting here or marching in a gay parade?


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Originally Posted by 603Country
No freckles yet. Maybe if I do some hunting in the rain the freckles will appear (or not).

To the OP, I still suggest the use of 0000 steel wool (or Scotchbrite pads) and paste wax. It's a simple and effective way to accomplish what you want to do. However, in light of the dangers that Sitka has mentioned, perhaps you shouldn't rub so hard that you cause the surface temperature of the stock to reach a temperature that will melt the finish and trap fibers of the steel wool. I suppose that could happen....maybe. So just rub lightly and keep the temp under about 150 degrees F and you should be Ok.

Or, you could just use the simple and straightforward approach suggested by Sitka. But wait...he didn't make a suggestion, did he. Just threw insults around like always.


First, go phuque yourself!

Second, you remain absolutely clueless, as always and prove it with every key stroke. Do you know the operating temperature of a phonograph needle? The sharp points in any abrasive system are far sharper and hotter than you can imagine. Though your guessing abilities remain awesome and 180 degrees out from reality.

Third, you remain clueless about something extremely easy to prove and want to brag about it. Congrats!

Fourth, your grasp of Physics is clearly underwhelming. Please prove it again in three key strokes or less. I know you have it in you!

Fifth, over the many years I have been here I have given a ton of direct advice on specific questions, including the concerns about steel wool, better alternatives, and other ways to address exatly the questions asked by the OP. The fact you are not bright enough to find those suggestions does not change the fact they are there and I gave them. And they have remained unchallenged for years. Many have tested them and admitted I was more than 100% correct. Because I am. But please, rally on! The comedy is priceless!


Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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