Jeff, you were well advised to use pure tung oil on your project. While tung oil and "boiled" linseed oil are totally interchangeable, it is so only when good linseed oil is used. To even the odds of getting good stuff I make a bee-line to the local art supply store. An added benefit of using their stuff is that they sell oil in small bottles with attendant lessened risk (guarantee) of it going bad before the project is completed or the next project is started.
As for filling pores, I learned loooong ago that filling with sanding slurry is a waste of time and energy for all the reasons Art outlined not to mention durability. But, we are all missing Jeff's point- he's going for a 1920'-1930's vintage Springfield Amory oil finish on his stock. Those folks back then didn't give a horse's patoot about filling pores in that black walnut they used. They used linseed oil and tung oil interchangeably in the process- whichever the procurement officer could get the best deal on at the moment. Into the vat of warm oil the stocks went, waited a few minutes, out they came and wiped down and then the next batch came through. (This I got from an old friend who witnessed it at Springfield when he was in training to be an Army ordinance field artificer early in WWII.)
Were it me when your project is done, I would wax that bare wood (which is essentially what you have after wiping oil on and off- it looks good but with no real protectiveness) with a good paste wax for a bit of protection. Remember the military with their oil finish didn't care that it wasn't the very best wood finish- it was cheap and quick. The Army didn't care that stocks would suffer as a result. Uncle Sam had deep pockets and would just buy you a new one if needs be.
One after-finish treatment that my old ordinance artificer friend showed me was the wax/rejuvenator/waterproofer they were taught to mix and issue the guys in the field for use on their stocks. It consisted of beeswax and oil (take your pick) melted and mixed to give the consistency of shoe polish, with turpentine to adjust the viscosity. Rub on, buff off. It's what I have used for decades to spiff up Springfield stocks. (I like the smell of turpentine, but if you don't just substitute mineral spirits.) Note: be careful when melting the beeswax. Do it in a double boiler or you might have an epic fire emergency.
Last edited by gnoahhh; 06/17/18.
