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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 19,067
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 19,067 |
The spar varnish is also part urethane I believe. I like it because I prefer the dark finish and the durability of it.
Last edited by saddlesore; 11/20/20.
If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 7,988
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 7,988 |
Minwax Helsman Spar Varnish with a touch of good Tung oil from an artist shop as Art explains. This can be a really great finish if applied properly but I don't use it much for one simple reason that is strictly personal- for the most part Varnishes give a very amber tone to everything you put them on. And over time they will darken. My personal preference has always to finish wood as natural as possible, especially highly figured wood. I find that Truoil , and lately Water based Urethane give a more natural color and look to the wood and leave the natural colors. I did a Fiddleback Maple stock recently and really wanted to keep it as light as possible so I sealed it with several coats of water based Urethane. then after sanding I applied Truoil to get a smooth finish and ended up with just the color I wanted. For some reason, no matter how hard I tried those spray cans of Urethane simply would not go on smooth and even so I had to build it up layer after layer until the wood was sealed, then switch over to Truoil for the surface finish and gloss... Bob I agree, the water-based urethane is nearly blue and will not yellow. The spray cans are tough to get right. Thinning it way down and shooting it with an HVLP gun works very well. Another tip when using them is to get Norton Nor-Zon sandpaper. It is blue and is far better than other sandpaper for the purpose. Thanks for the tip on the Nor Zon paper Art... what do you thin the water based Urethane with? Bob
Never underestimate your ability to overestimate your ability.
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Joined: Sep 2020
Posts: 600
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2020
Posts: 600 |
To me, wood is a traditional material that calls for a traditional finish. That would be BLO or Tru Oil. I would also wax it after finishing it with oil. Canauba wax or Rennaisance Wax, both of which are just a temporary protectant. To me, this is the way stocks should look. Sealing them and polishing them to high gloss does not appeal to my senses. Obviously, these traditional finishes are not state-of-the-art for protection and carefree service. For that, I would take a synthetic stock.
I also think it's important to recognize that we're talking about a DIY job here. If I was buying a Purdey or H&H, I would be glad to let them decide how to finish it and I think I would be happy with their decision.
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 19,067
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 19,067 |
[quote=Western_Juniper]To me, wood is a traditional material that calls for a traditional finish. That would be BLO or Tru Oil. I would also wax it after finishing it with oil. Canauba wax or Rennaisance Wax, both of which are just a temporary protectant. To me, this is the way stocks should look. Sealing them and polishing them to high gloss does not appeal to my senses. Obviously, these traditional finishes are not state-of-the-art for protection and carefree service. For that, I would take a synthetic stock.
quote]
After finish is cured, the high gloss can be buffed/rubbed/ polished down to about whatever sheen someone desires.
If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,619
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,619 |
Minwax Helsman Spar Varnish with a touch of good Tung oil from an artist shop as Art explains. This can be a really great finish if applied properly but I don't use it much for one simple reason that is strictly personal- for the most part Varnishes give a very amber tone to everything you put them on. And over time they will darken. My personal preference has always to finish wood as natural as possible, especially highly figured wood. I find that Truoil , and lately Water based Urethane give a more natural color and look to the wood and leave the natural colors. I did a Fiddleback Maple stock recently and really wanted to keep it as light as possible so I sealed it with several coats of water based Urethane. then after sanding I applied Truoil to get a smooth finish and ended up with just the color I wanted. For some reason, no matter how hard I tried those spray cans of Urethane simply would not go on smooth and even so I had to build it up layer after layer until the wood was sealed, then switch over to Truoil for the surface finish and gloss... Bob I agree, the water-based urethane is nearly blue and will not yellow. The spray cans are tough to get right. Thinning it way down and shooting it with an HVLP gun works very well. Another tip when using them is to get Norton Nor-Zon sandpaper. It is blue and is far better than other sandpaper for the purpose. Thanks for the tip on the Nor Zon paper Art... what do you thin the water based Urethane with? Bob Uhhhh... water! 
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,619
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,619 |
To me, wood is a traditional material that calls for a traditional finish. That would be BLO or Tru Oil. I would also wax it after finishing it with oil. Canauba wax or Rennaisance Wax, both of which are just a temporary protectant. To me, this is the way stocks should look. Sealing them and polishing them to high gloss does not appeal to my senses. Obviously, these traditional finishes are not state-of-the-art for protection and carefree service. For that, I would take a synthetic stock.
I also think it's important to recognize that we're talking about a DIY job here. If I was buying a Purdey or H&H, I would be glad to let them decide how to finish it and I think I would be happy with their decision. BLO as purchased wherever you would buy it is the absolute dregs of the industry and has no application on stocks. It has driers added to make sure it dries, but inhibitors added to give it more than a week of shelf life. The combination is a bad thing. Plain oil with driers added as you use it is very good stuff and entirely different from BLO.
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Gunsav'r Satin on top of Herters French Red grain filler is pretty much the standard of the gunsmithing colleges. No big learning curve or crazy labor expenditure of the old finishes.
Well this is a fine pickle we're in, should'a listened to Joe McCarthy and George Orwell I guess.
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Joined: Feb 2001
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
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Gunsav'r Satin on top of Herters French Red grain filler is pretty much the standard of the gunsmithing colleges. No big learning curve or crazy labor expenditure of the old finishes. I have not heard of any standard and virtually every time and place I have asked has produced different answers. And no satin or matte finishes should ever be used on a stock. To achieve the surface they add ground silica. If matte they use more and coarser sand. It makes the finish cloudy and weakens it. It also reduces frank water resistance. And it is so easy to make test boards.
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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