Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Tru Oil tips

Im in the process of re doing a stock on my Kimber 22 and would like to get some pointers on applying true oil. I have had some guys say to just wipe it on and then use steel wool, others say dont use steel wool and sand it, so on and so forth..........


So if any of you have a good handle on what is the correct way to apply the stuff I could really use the info.

Thanks

To fill the pores for a shiny finish, I sand the first coat in, wipe it across the grain after it sets a bit. Sand lightly when it dries, and just put on thin coats til you get the finish you want. I mix a babyfood jar 1/2 tru oil, 1/3 of the remaining half with boiled linseed oil and 1/2 teaspoon of japan drier. Works good for an oil looking finish on older guns, only need a coat or two.

I try avoid sandpaper and steel wool, prefering a scraper, but it takes practice and care. If you do use sandpaper, go super fine.
Then use a tack rag to get it clean. I then polish it with denim or canvas, with the grain, never across, never orbital. Tack rag again, then rub in oil with a lint-free cloth.

passport
Put the Tru-Oil on heavily, let it set for 10-15 minutes and rub dry with a clean, lint-free cloth. Do not use steelwool or little pieces of steel will break off down in the wood and eventually rust. It kills luster.

Add coats to build some depth. Coats are fast and easy to apply, so a dozen or more is not much work.

Do not sand any finish as you apply it. Sanding slurry in the pores kills luster. It is true old-time stockmakers always did that... It is also true that sample blocks are very easy to make. I have yet to see anyone look at a sanding slurry finish compared to a proper finish and not immediately see the difference... No one ever chose the slurry...
art

Lee
Google is only your friend if you have a clue about what you are reading.

A scraper is a wonderful tool producing a perfectly cut finish with pores wide open and ready to fill. A great tool and a wonderful way to get the best finish... If you have the skill to run one. Few do.

So then you go to the exact opposite approach and advocate super fine sandpaper! Wood is coarse, even fine-grained wood is coarse compared to finish. So you suggest the coarse wood be polished with superfine grit. What happens is the wood is crushed down into the pores and it "muddies" the finish.

Coarse grained wood like red oak is not improved with sadpaper finer than 150 or so. By the time you get to black walnut 220 is pretty fine. The tightest Turkish does not need 320. Once the finish goes on and you are finishing finish and polishing it, then fine paper works wonders, but it is wasted on wood.

Polishing unfinished wood? Come on!!! Let's stuff as much crap down in those pores as possible and see just how badly we can kill that luster and ruin the perfect surfaces developed! Denim to polish!?! Canvas!?!

Lee, you are a really special individual! And again... If I knew as much as you do about that I would be asking advice, not giving it!
art

My approach is thorough sealing 3 to 4 coats) with diluted (50/50) spirits /oil, and then many many light coats of oil rubbed until seamingly dry. After the pores are filled (about 12 to 15 coats) 400 to 600 grit paper and about another 4 to 6 light coats rubbed in. With the final coats, 4 or 5 drops will be enough for a single application. One should allow 5 to 7 days of drying between coats in the finishing stages. If one's sand paper gums up, his material is not sufficiently dry. Patience makes perfect.

What about the checkering? I have heard hit the whole stock once, not real heavy, let dry, then tape off the checkering so it wont fill up with oil.

What is the correct way on that?

Thaks a bunch for the help fellers!

I use it half and half with mineral spirits. Apply, let dry, and repeat till it thick. Then let it dry good for 48 hours, depends on humidity. Shorter if its real low. Then rub off the finish with steel wool, right back to the wood. Repeat this process till the pores are filled. Now the only secret I can share. After the pores are filled, rub in a light coat and wipe it off, the secret is to use very, very, cheap, cheap table kapkins. The cheaper the better because they have no lint. If you drink alot then get bar naps the ones they set your drink on. They are very cheap and are virtually lintless. Let dry and repeat till the finish meets your desire. In the winter I can do a stock in a week. I only work with new wood so in refinishing just stay out of the checkering or re chase it when done.

This is my story and I'm sticking to it....for now.

What Art said........

Diluting finish is only good to make application easy. It does much more harm than good in the final product. It does not help get finish in deeper.

If an oil finish needs thinning it needs replacing... Allowing oil to cure for a long time between coats means you must sand to give the finish some "tooth" and that will take off every coat... The uncured tails of the molecules are what allow each coat to bond to the next... If it feels dry, add another layer. Allow the last one to cure for a month or so before buffing out.
art

Hey Art, can you recommend a proper lint free cloth? I have looked around the house and dont see any that I would call "lint free"

Thanks

Got the lint free cloth and have done it as recommended and it is working great, thanks Art.

What is the correct way to avoid filling the checkering with oil? Do you guys tape off the checkering or just carefuly rub oil around it and hit it with a tooth brush to remove excess?

Learning a lot here, but always more questions.

OK, Art, is two coats per day during build-up reasonable for Tru-Oil or home brewed Varathane 66 substitute?

I'm normally fairly patient, but I got behind on a stock for a rifle to be used in a match in about three weeks.

Thanks again.

Paul

Paul
I have done four in a day more than once... Fresh oil cures pretty fast... Warm and dry will accelerate the cure, especially dry.
art

passport
Either ignore it completely while applying oil and scrub well as you go, expecting to run a file through every line after; Or tape it off and keep it clean. I believe the former looks better than the latter.
art

Thanks Art, that closed one door but opened another........

What tool do you recommend to clean it up after the fact?

Checkering tools are dirt cheap and getting a set with a couple handles and a bunch of interchangeable cutters would amount to little... http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=26277&title=MASTER%20CHECKING%20SET
This is way more than you need... except it does not include a veiner http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/productdetail.aspx?p=5693&st=veiner&s=
or a bent file http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=701&title=THREE%20SQUARE%2060\%20BENT%20NEEDLE%20FILES

A bent 60 degree file is the typical cutter used for the final clean-up and is probably the best and only thing you have to have for the job. The other stuff will just make it easier, especially when the file starts clogging. The coarser cutters on the checkering tools are easier to clean out with a file card...
art

Thanks Art