Author Topic: what to put on a "dry" gun stock (Read 1985 times)

moose · « **on:** December 04, 2004, 10:48:37 AM »

bought a marlin 883 22 mag today in great shape......put the stock looks a little "dry"..........finish is great ...walnut....just looks a little dry....any suggestions on what to put on this

?//thanks

savageT · « **Reply #1 on:** December 04, 2004, 02:26:29 PM »

moose,
Can you tell us what kind of finish you have on the marlin .22? Is it possibly a laquer or varnished finish? If that is the case, a good cleaning with lemon oil polish should bring up the shine. If it is an oil finish...like you might see on an older walnut stocked gun, then boiled linseed oil is the ticket.

At any rate, careful use of #0000 steel wool lightly rubbed with the polish or linseed oil will clean and rejuvinate the finish. I always prefer to finish up with a good sealercoat of paste wax such as Butcher's Bowling Ally or Johnson's Floor Wax to buff up the finish. Good Luck!

Jim

safetysheriff · « **Reply #2 on:** December 05, 2004, 04:01:41 PM »

i once was told by a good carpenter not to work on a rifle stock with steel wool, because the wool would be left on the stock in small, broken-off pieces. i didn't listen.........and he was right. it came through the oil finish as small rough spots! use sand paper instead.

SS'

gunnut69 · « **Reply #3 on:** December 05, 2004, 08:34:09 PM »

I've been finishing and refinishing gunstocks for 35 years and have used steel wool nearly the entire time. I've heard that before though. It was most likely that the steel wool just polished most of the surface so far beyond the rough area that it showed up like a diamond in a goats ''''''' well you know what I mean.. The proper grade of steel wool is nearly indispensible to finishing wood... I use the 00 grade to level finishes as their being built and No.1 to polish wood after the 320 grit sandpaper.. The 0000 steel fur is used to knock down the gloss on a finish prior to waxing... it can also be used as the last polishing step in wood preparation if a really deluxe finish is desired. When properly executed the wood looks as if it needs no finish.. I've even heard people say they used steel wool and so much was left in the wood it RUSTED and stained the finish!!!! Bull hocky!! When a stock is ready for finish there won't be anything left there but polished wood... much better than sandpaper as it doesn't scratch, pull fibers out but instead burnishes the wood to a soft sheen... without changing the hard won contours on a stock.

moose · « **Reply #4 on:** December 06, 2004, 12:13:54 AM »

well i used old english Lemon Oil.....rubbed it in by hand,buffed with soft cotton cloth ---it looks like brand new.......i quess the finish was fine,,,,,just dry from sittting in a a corner somewhere-thanks for all the replies guys..