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I just purchased a walnut stock that has been stained but unfinished. I've got Linseed oil and was going to use that to finish the stock. I was advised to get a polyurethane, satin type finish and save myself a lot of time and work.

I've finished a couple of stocks with Linseed oil and they turned out ok. As I recall I'd rub in a coat let it dry, hit it with 0000 steel wool and repeat the process for about four coats.

Is the polyurethane finish that much easier and better? Will it look as good or similar to an oil finish?

If I decide to stick with Linseed oil is there a better way to do it than the way I recall doing it? I might have forgotten something. Thanks.

Oil has been the traditional stock finish for a very long time because it looks good and it is easy to apply. If the rifle will not be used in extreme conditions oil will work fine. I use a sealer of epoxy under the oil, but it is more work.

Adding polyurethane to oil will make it a tougher finish and it will still repair easily, the stain being the only question about that. I cannot understand the concept of staining woods. It is what it is, IMO.

Polyurethane by itself is not going to look anything like as good as oil. And do not buy satin or matte finishes. Matting agents are added to the finish to kill the gloss. It is usually silica and it does nothing positive for the finish and weakens it. Use gloss and break the finish back with rottenstone or some other polish to get the desired look.

Tru-Oil is not a bad choice and is an oil finish with poly resins added. I usually mix up my own if I am going to use any quantity of finish. Buy a tiny can of good oil-based poly and cut it with the oil.

Lots of poly in the beginning and more oil as you get more coats on. Apply heavy and allow it to dry for 10-15 minutes and rub DRY with a clean soft rag. The extra poly early will fill pores faster.

Allow it to cure for a month or so after you are satisfied and buff out with rottenstone on a felt rag with mineral oil as a carrier.

Do not use steel wool on a stock, ever. Tiny particles of steel get caught in the finish and later they will rust and create tiny freckles. Might not be seen with the naked eye, but it affects the luster and the finish color quite a bit.
art

Oil finishes do not slow water movement

You're quitting about 10 coats too early...

Ditto what Sitka deer said.

Of late, I've been experimenting with high quality Spar Varnishes as substitutes for poly in "oil" finishes. The reason being spar varnish cures to a relatively elastic consistency (as compared to polyurethane) which I wonder might not be better on a wooden stock destined for inclement weather. I guess having been in the marine woodworking industry for over a decade got me thinking along those lines.

For indoor only projects such as table tops and chess boards that get a varnish finish, I use Epiphanes gloss to build coats (typically 7-8) blocking between coats. Then I apply 1-2 coats of poly for the final coat. Provides a hard outer layer with a softer- shock resistant- core. Kind of like case hardening steel. The earliest projects I finished like that are holding up beautifully after 11 years, so long term prognosis is good.

So far, the stocks I have varnished were done with straight Epifanes, no poly.

For an "oil finish" I mix equal parts tung oil/Epifanes varnish/mineral spirits. Use as most all directions for "oil finishes" dictate.

Rarely do I use straight oil- tung or BLO- as Sitka deer said, poor moisture barrier. Do use it for touch up or if the situation rquires it.

I really like pure Tung oil for looks and better weather resistance than Linseed oil. Beware of "tung oil finishes" whick are mainly varnish or poly with anywhere from a little to no real Tung oil.
Jed

Tung oil is anything but magic... There is zero difference between tung and linseed aside from source... And because of that manufacturer's may substitute either... and do. Neither is any good at waterproofing, period.

Generally better finsihes have less oil and more resin... All use a pretty fair oil cut for ease of application.

All oil finishes are oils, resins, waxes and solvents. Solvents are cheap and resins are expensive. Oils and waxes are in between. Adding oil makes it easier to apply and repair, but not as tough or weatherproof.
art

Sitka deer, have you experimented with any of the water based poly type finishes such as those used on hard wood flooring?

Yes, including quite a bit on floors. We have a bunch of solid hickory flooring finished with Diamondthane floor finish. It is beyond awesome for that task and many others...

For stock work it is a bit brittle on edges. Oil finishes would just crush where the surface film of the water-based polys fractures.

Repairs are much harder than oil, but easier than most varnishes due mostly to the lack of yellow in the finish.

For waterproof it is good, but not as good as some varnishes and way short of epoxy.

It is a little harder to apply than oil-based varnish/poly and the water can cause swelling issues that take considerable time to resolve. Cutting with water to make it easy to spray exacerbates that.

The only firearm place I really think it belongs is on a laminated stock. The extra resins in the "wood" reduce water absorption and stability issues.
art

Thanks, I've used the minwax version on a table and it has held up better than when I previously used the oil version. I liked how quick it dried and how fast you could re-coat. I just wondered how it would do on a gunstock. I thought about just finishing a piece of scrap walnut and placing it out in the weather to see how it would do, just curious.

The best I have found for a stock finish has been the Dalys Pro-Fin. I wish more people understood about varnishes for stock finishes.

ProFin

Profin is probably the best varnish out there... But it is expensive and hard to locate. It is not the easiest finish to use either. But it is the best in service of the many I have tested.

On the last 3 stocks I've done I used Daly's Benn Matte and am very happy with the results. Like Sitka said, it can be hard to locate, I ordered it direct from Daly's.

Most of the top professional stockmakers I know use a spar-varnish type of oil-urethane combo anymore. This is not only more water-resistant than oil, but easier to work with. Urethane finishes have to be re-applied while the previous coat isn'te entirely dry, otherwise the next layer doesn't stick very well to the previous. The oil/urethane combo helps bond the next coat, with time between the coats becoming less critical.

They do not use a matte spar varnish, for the reasons Sitka stated. They use a gloss varnish, and sand or fine-steel-wool the finish so it doesn't shine.

DALY'S is available in Daly's Wood Finishing Products
Daly's Paint
3525 Stone Way Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98103
Phone: 206-633-4200
Toll Free: 1-800-735-7019

At 11.50 a pint it won't break the bank. Or I could be wrong and maybe it will. What would a pint of True Oil cost?

After I fill the grain, I do it like a French polish and use a inner and outer cotton patch (as in bore patches) The inner to hold the liquid, the out patch to rub and coat the surface.

It is vary easy to control with this method. Try it, you might like it. This is a popular finish with Guild members in the Pacific North West.

I have a small paper bag size full of alkanet root soaking in my gallon can at all times, sure makes for a vary nice English red color, and works vary nicely for that Winchester color look.

Sixbits, could you clarify that, especially the soaking part? Soaking in what?

Thanks to you and the others who posted helpful info.

Paul

Very interesting topic here!
Sitka Deer and others, can you summarize your favorite stock finish brand or "secret recipe" for those of us out here?
Also, on touch ups, would you try to "match the hatch" as a temporary fix and save the makeover as a winter project?
Thanks to all in advance.

Soak the alkanet root in the Pro Fin oil can to make a color change that will make for a pleasing red color.


Soak the inner patch in Pro Fin and squeeze out the excess, put the smaller soaked patch inside the larger patch that is dry and bring all of the larger patch together, As you rub the wood surface a small amount will leak through the outside patch and give a vary thin surface coating.

The above is the same way you do a French polish. The difference is you are using a different wetting agent.

bigwhoop
I always use a slow-cure epoxy base coat and usually add an oil finish. The oil finish is often Tru-Oil, but any good oil-based varnish with oil added works well. It is extremely forgiving to apply and repairs easily.
art

375
There are a couple potential problems with your plan, IME&O. First, buy oil-based finish in small quantities. It does not keep well and will cause curing issues and eventual hardness issues if "aged."

Part of that may be just prejuidice because I dislike coloring finishes and wood. Like adding Bass to music just because you can or like bass does not make it better... A taste thing that has always left me shaking my head.

French Polish is done with a solvent-based finish and it leaves a polished surface but requires tremendous effort and time to do properly. Using an oil finish for French Polishing will work, because you will be laying down finish in thin layers, but I do not see any advantage over the standard "apply, dry 10-15, and wipe down" that has been used forever.

Having done a lot of French Polish it simply does not make sense to me to do an oiled stock that way. It is at best a lot of extra work without additional benefit...
art

Ok, now what is brand name of a slow-cure epoxy base coat - polyurethane? Step 2 you add some True Oil to "oil based" varnish - is this polyurethane?
Hey, I just figured out how to add the quote deal!!!