Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Best oil to finish stock?

Just got a ATI Imported commercial Mauser and want to finish the stock nicer than it it. I've been googleing and can't get a clear answer. What oil do I want to use to finish it? Regular Linseed, Tru Oil? Not looking for presentation grade, just want it to look nice.

Chumley,

Try LMF Permalyn sealer https://www.laurelmountainforge.com/sealer_instruction.htm. Follow the instructions to seal the stock and then finish it with Tru Oil for a nice, very durable finish.

Dont use BLO (boiled linseed oil), it darkens as it oxidizes in the wood. I prefer pure tung oil thinned with turpentine. Not the various "tung oil finishes" which have little or no tung oil in them. Another option is polymerized tung oil from Sutherland Welles.
Everyone has their own preferred recipe and technique for oil finishes.

Two current favorites are GB Linspeed and Formby's Tung Oil, both are easy to apply and fast drying. Most stocks that I refinish are pre'64 Winchester M/70's, these finishes closely duplicate the look of original finish.

Whatever oil you use, for pete's sake finish the project with a good paste wax so the wood has at least a modicum of protection from water fenestration. Oil looks good, and duplicates old factory and gov't arsenal finishes, but is the worst for truly effective weather protection.

Remember the factories used oil because it was cheap not because it was best. The gov't doubly so, plus what did the Army care if a stock didn't survive? They would just slap a new one on and call it a day.

Worth remembering. Back in the day, those folks didn't begin to think that they were producing guns destined to become collectors' items, special orders aside. In business to make a profit selling a product that their customers would pay a reasonable price for. Winchesters, Colts, who knew?

Oliver Winchester was a shirt maker, a businessman.

Paul

I finished my stock several years ago with Minwax antique oil finish and it has held up really well and looked pretty awesome. Was pretty easy to hand rub on also. I wet sanded the first few coats on and then finished the last few with light dry sanding between coats.

Well, it's apparent I'm outnumbered here but my two cents' worth- if you want it to still look like a military stock, use any of the suggestions above and you can probably achieve that. If you want it to look a bit more glossy and upgraded IMO, use Truoil on the stock. If the stock is in poor shape, sand it down or strip it before starting so you have a good surface to start with, and put it on according to directions. If it is too glossy after about 6-8 thin coats, let it cure about 30 days and knock down the shine with rottenstone or stock rubbing compound until it has the right sheen for your taste.

Bob

That sounds good too. Home made Truoil: cut some straight oil (BLO or tung, doesn't matter one bit) with a touch of spar varnish. Same effect. Follow it up with wax too.

True story. An old friend was an Army artificer in WWII (predecessor of today's battalion level armorer). Prewar when he trained, part of the training involved "field trips" to Springfield Armory. When he witnessed stocks being soaked en masse in vats of oil he asked a worker what oil he used, tung or linseed. The reply was whatever kind that the procurement officer got a good deal on.

i like to use tru-oil too about 5 coats ,with lightly steel wool after each coat dry`s then wipe down with a damp clean rag.last coat steel wool lightly again,wet rag wipe,then use a good polish rubbed in ,let dry well then with a clean dry rag wipe it down clean.should end up with a great looking satin finish. i have purchased a new BLR 7 mag Browning that has a high gloss yes its pretty but just to shiny for hunting for me i plan on making it a satin finish too.

Only comment to add is the sanding suggestion... don't. Sanding removes wood, why do that?

Do yourself a favor, lose the steel wool and find a maroon Norton Bear-Tex pad...

What Sitka sez. Forget the sanding and steel wool. The steel wool will leave little metal pieces in the wood. I learned that the hard way.

Only couple reasons for the sanding is once you strip finish off the wood, it needs to be sanded to knock down the raised grain like a fresh stock- sometimes. And , what I've found several times doing this is that once your strip the finish there is sometimes finish left in the pores that is a bear to get out and will often show in the finished product as a different color, or a shiny spot under your finish, or may or may not be compatible with the finish you intend to apply. A small amount of sanding will remove these small spots and will leave a good, smooth finish to apply the new finish on...

What i do is seal with spar or poly varnish and then apply whatever finish you have after sanding down to bare wood. This can be a mix of oil and varnish, Dalys Steel fin, Permalyn, Formbys Teak Oil ( no teak oil in it), Custom Classic oil, Tru Oil, Lin Speed, etc. or your own mix.

I would be tempted to go more traditional and seal then use a mix of varnish and oil.

Used wipe on poly on a couple of SKSs. Kept the original dents and dings and finished beautifully.

BTW, Sitka is wrong about the steel wool...he just may not know how to use it properly. He probably enjoys learning new things.

Several coats of old school paste floor wax and/or Renaissance Wax to finish.

Actually, most finishers and stockmakers these days have learned the lesson of using steel wool on wood finishes. Too much opportunity for moisture to penetrate the finish and rust the steel wool fibers stuck in the wood fibers under the finish- especially with the cheap steel wool we get from China these days. Better alternative to use 3M pads designed for the purpose that can't rust and will do the same job and sometimes do a much better job of it. IMO, this is just one of those old time practices that won't die until old timers are gone or they are shown evidence of why steel wool is such a bad idea. I've seen stocks where the steel wool underneath has rusted (on a very expensive stock) and once you see it, you can't miss it the next time....

Steel wool stays in the wood and shows up on light colored stocks like birch. Sitka deer is correct, imho. Mel

Many times I have shown people how to prove me wrong on steel wool. Many tried, none came close.

Feel free to humor us and describe the magic cure for Physics.

+1 on Scotch-brite pads, been using them for years.