Gun Stock Finishing And Care, Copyright 1949
DEFINITION - DULL LONDON OIL FINISH
The Dull London Oil Finish is a term applied to a type of oil finish which has a certain beauty long sought after by gunstockers. This finish is seen only on some of the works of the old masters and refers primarily to stocks on firearms though I assum that it was at the same time used on furniture. It is supposed to have originated with some o fthe London gunmakers and, if you listen carefully, you will find that a great many of the boys today figure it is a lost art, one of the secrets of the ages, and so on and on.
Excuse me if I stick my neck out, but there has been so much loose talk around lately about the way to secure the Dull London Oil Finish that I feel I am entitled to give my idea on the subject.
Take a fine piece of walnut. Smooth it well by rubbing with sand and a flat piece of bone. Stain it with logwood solution to darken it. Then rub in about fifteen coats of poor grade raw linseed oil with all the foots left in it. Rub it from time to time for the next one hundred years with some soft cloth. Place the name of a famous contemporary on it and arrange to have one of your descendents place it in a museum.
Thus and only thus can the genuine article be secured.
I think this guy and gnoahhh would have been great drinking buddies.
He goes on later in the book to get the look of the Dull London Oil Finish, you build up a base of varnish, then hand rub in at least 3 very thin layers of raw linseed oil with at least 36 hours in a warm spot for each layer to dry.
