Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing How to hang a freshly oiled stock?

+1 on the stud.

Straight linseed never dries.......boiled linseed, however does.

Never did like linseed, though it is pretty.

Soaks water up like a sponge........

ALL oil soaks water up like a sponge...

You guys have some pretty strange sponges. I'm still using oiled stocks on 180 year old rifles and shotties with original finish and they are still working in the rain and snow. I suspces they will still be working 180s from now too.

Brent

Brent
Cured oil on wood soaks up water vapor faster than bare wood. A simple, easily tested concept, that. Relative rate of water movement is not always a factor in rifle function, but it certainly can be.
art

Well, bet hat as your theory may, I'm still using a 1827 Joseph Lang original with original finish, a 1885 Wichester made in 1887 with anoriginal finish, and origal William Evens double made in the mid1860s with original finish, and except for the dents and the scratches the finish on them is still working perfectly. They get used in any and all weather.

I have other guns that I have refinished or restocked and they too continue to work just fine and dandy. I know you guys like plastic finishes and that is just fine for you, but why you rain on everone else's preferences for oil finishes when they have been working for hundreds of years is beyond me.

So, say what you want, but there are lot of antique firearms that are doing just fine with their "sponge" finishes - and in my opinion, they look a lot better too.

Brent

Prolly don't rain much in Iowa.......

Hand rubbed 20+ coats plus wax ain't "plastic" no matter how you try to slice it.

Mer..,

I'm guessing you don't much care what your stocks look like and enjoy it when they stick to your face.

I'm guessing he meant boiled...

Rain, Iowa? That's really so stupid it hardly merits response, but do you think I am somehow imprisoned in Iowa?

20+ coats of what?

Brent

As the originator of this thread, I'm gonna step in here a little bit.....

Let's all stay cool here....everyone is entitled to their own opinion and as a result it can neither be wrong nor right. People have different preferences and I came here to hear what other people have had success with and develop my own approach. Take a little from here, a little from there, and voila....beautiful stock!

There's a lot of ways to make lasagna, and each one still tastes good!

Life's too short to get all tangled up in some forum brawl!

Thanks for all the submissions!

Chris

Tru Oil........stupid.

I am a custom gunmaker AND a wood dealer and have studied these questions copiously. Here are some of my suggestions.

Linseed oil is rather ineffective against moisture intrusion. The turn of the century government Mil Specs were to soak the stocks about 24 hours in Linseed Oil to get the oil really DEEP into the wood. We amateurs certainly don't do that. Linseed oil stock care was like this: Once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, and once a year FOREVER. It was used as a base for hundreds of different formulations which were all better than Linseed oil itself. The term BOILED Linseed oil means Linseed oil with drier added like Japan finish. That makes it truly dry. Tru-Oil also has Linseed oil in it but is one of the improved finishes. In government tests, Tru-Oil is 75% effective against moisture intrusion where Linseed oil is only 15% effective.

Another question was how to keep the finishes from going bad. What happens is that air (oxygen) causes the hardeners in the finishes to come out of solution and form a hard coating between the liquid and the air. You can break the surface but then the remaining liquid is low on hardeners. The secret is to remove the air. An easy way to do this is to add marbles to the container to fill up the bottle and remove the air above the liquid. When you are out, the marbles can be removed and saved for the next bottle.

My finishing technique:
There are no bad finishes, just ones you personally like. Here is my method. This works well for Tru-Oil or Pro Custom Oil (available from Brownells and is another fast drying finish which keeps the original wood color instead of darkening like most oil finishes). After finish sanding (I usually go down to 600 grit), I mix the Tru-Oil with 50% thinner (paint thinner) and apply thickly to the stock. This is to get MAXIMUM penetration into the wood. I also apply this coat under the pad and to the interior of the machined stock to keep moisture intrusion to a minimum. After it dries, I use 4/0 steel wool to rub the finish COMPLETELY off the exterior of the stock. I do NOT use sandpaper as I don't want to go through the finish. The finish first turns very dull as the steel wool ruffens the surface of the finish. The look then brightens a bit as the surface finish is completely removed and the wood is burnished. The stock is then blown and/or wiped to remove the steel wool particles which have broken off and may be adhering to the surface of the stock. The steel wool wiping of the stock will take about an hour to complete. The second coat is now applied THICKLY. Don't worry about drips as we are going to now hasten the filling of the open pored wood. When the finish gets TACKY, we SMEAR the finish all over the stock and let set until dry. Looks REALLY CRAPPY now, but there is method to our madness. After steel wooling and another coat done the same way, the surface pores are now completely filled after only 3 coats! Pat self on back and have a brewski. Now we have some choices to make. Do we want a matte finish or a bright finish? Since we have both seen the finish with a bright look with the coat freshly instally and a matte finish after steel wooling, we know what each looks like and can choose what we prefer. (Have another brewski). Now our last choice. Do we want a finish IN wood or a finish ON wood. At the moment we have a very classic looking finish IN wood. There is not a lot of protection but it looks great on a classic shotgun. But if we want a thicker finish coat, we can add more coats and LIGHTLY steel wool between coats. Just enough rubbing to dull the finish surface so the next coat will stick to it but not enough to remove the finish. You can gradually build up a finish this way...you can even fill holes on old stocks this way. You can even build up "wood" where the metal is proud of the wood this way. Enjoy. have another brewski.

Thinned Tru Oil leaves microscopic air bubbles in the dried finish that are absolutely perfect for letting moisture through....

Steelwool fibers embedded in the finish will rust very nicely....

Copius coats of Tru Oil plus a few coats of wax looks very classic and is darn near water proof....a bit more than 75% is my guess.

I have made over 100 guns with Tru-Oil and never left a piece of steelwool fiber in one. Your "microscopic" air bubbles, if existant, are surrounded by dried finish. Silly theory.

Peter B
Bet every one of the gunstocks left steel particlees in there. It is almost impossible not to. In some cases they leave freckles you can see across the room in poor light. Used in wet weather the freckles will be at least visible under magnification.

The pores in thinned finishes are a matter that is easily tested and proven. Thinned finishes do not stand up to water like unthinned. (All finsihes have thinners, but quantity makes a big difference)

The severity of the weather the stock is used in makes a big difference. Oil may be all you need... YMMV.
art

You did not thoroughly read, SD. Only the FIRST coat is thinned for added penetration.

Wood is a wonderful filter and penetration is not enhanced by thinning... Again, long proven in many lab tests.

Easy to test for yourself...
art

No insult intended nor taken.

Only a hundred..??

That's funny.....

No offense of course.

Art...

Tell the man what a real wood stock finish is all about.

Alaska tuff water proof finish......