What's your favorite stock finish

[HWB13]

 Not sure if this is going in the right forum, but here goes.
Mine has always been boiled linseed oil.  I have read the old rule of one coat a day for a week, one coat a week for a month one coat a month for a year.  Mine is almost the same but I add ever other day for the second week.  Have done almost every stock I have refinished that way.  Of course prep is everything.  Remove all old finish either by sanding or chemical. Start at 150 grit (with no blemishes). Wipe the surface with a damp cloth to stand the grain, then a light brush with a propane torch to remove grain that was up. Repeat with 150, raising and burning the sanded grain. Go to 220 and repeat the same steps twice also.  Then do the damp cloth one more time air dry at least overnight. Then either start with linseed oil or stain if desired.  I have used both water and oil based stain.   With water based stain to desired color and let air dry a day or two.  With oil based stain I use the lightest amount possible and wipe dry as soon as completely covered.  Most oil based stains contain a sealer and too much limits the linseed oil from fully penetrating.  Now for the linseed oil, make sure it is boiled.  Raw will never dry. I don’t like the put a heavy coat and wipe it in two hour process.  I put about a quarter size drop in my palm, rub them together till warm and message it in.  It is mindless work as your watching TV or something.  Thin rubbed in coats is my method.  My first stock was done in 1976, before the day, week, and month program.  Did all the prep work, then spent a whole off season winter putting coat after coat.  Today about once every 2 or 3 years it gets a refresher coat. 
So what’s your favorite finish and process?
 

[Ranger99]

depends on what it is.
the last i done was an h&r shotgun.
i decided to go ahead and finish it nice
because it was so well fitted and had really
nice grain for such a cheapie. next one will
likely get krylon like this one would have.


i'm a big linseed fan, but i use turpentine
mixed with the oil. getting a bit harder to find
real honest-to-goodness turpentine anymore.
i don't torch, and i like the darkest stain i can find
or make. i water whisker once and acetone once
before stain, and very lightly once over with the
steel wool before oil. after all oil coats and it's
absolutely dry it gets johnson's paste wax from
the big yellow can. then johnson's at least once
yearly. underside of barrel and action too.

[hoytcanon]

I like six coats of Tru-Oil, buffing with "0000" steel-wool between each coat... and a light buffing after the final coat to create a satin finish.

[FPH]

I like six coats of Tru-Oil, buffing with "0000" steel-wool between each coat... and a light buffing after the final coat to create a satin finish.

Same, but with Teak oil.

[PineyCreek22]

I too believe a boiled linseed oil finish is the best there is, although I add a couple of ingredients that will go to my grave with me.
I know why I believe a linseed oil  finish is the best ever created, my question is why do you believe it is a superior finish?  Attached is a photo of my monoblock with pallet wood stocks and a linseed oil finish.

[mcwoodduck]

Do I want it dull or shinny.
Shinny - easy I like the marine spar varnish.  Goes in easy with a foam brush, sands and scuffs easy and levels.  5 or 6 coats looks like a deep, deep finish.  The H&R I did for dad was 6 coats and looks like 30.  It wears well and moisture is had to get under the finish. 
Dull- so far I have done boilers lind seed oil and I was at 5 coats when I moved and put the project on hold for a little while. 

[Flynmoose]

I used Watco Danish oil for a number of years until I discovered Tru Oil. I follow either one with a hard furniture wax, applied with very fine steel wool.
FM

[jeepmann1948]

Personally I prefer scratches and rubbed spots,Draw the line on rust though. Shows my Handis are not safe queens
George

[mcwoodduck]

Personally I prefer scratches and rubbed spots,Draw the line on rust though. Shows my Handis are not safe queens
George

But the finnish protects the wood from moisture that can change your point of impact. 

[Bill3006]

I've used Tru-oil, and it's easy to use and gives a good finish, but even after using steel wool to remove the gloss, it's a little bit too shiny for my taste. Does boiled linseed oil give you a dull finish, or what are the recommendations for a dull finish? Thanks!

[HWB13]

Its not really dull more like between matte and satin.  If you ruff it it will move more to the matte side.

[mcwoodduck]

I've used Tru-oil, and it's easy to use and gives a good finish, but even after using steel wool to remove the gloss, it's a little bit too shiny for my taste. Does boiled linseed oil give you a dull finish, or what are the recommendations for a dull finish? Thanks!

True oil is Boiled lindseed oil wiht a little bit of varnish added to make it dry faster. 
Hand rubbing lindseed oil into the wood will give you a dull finish espacally of you hit it with a  fine scotch bright pad at the very end.  It will also take a long time to fully dry. 
 

[glockmeister]

To get a satin or matte finish on my gunstocks I use Birchwood Casey's Tru-Oil Finish. When the final coat is about  half dry I take a piece of CLEAN burlap bag and rub the finish with that, leaves a nice satin finish, which czn be re-touched if needed. Good luck, John.

[slngblde]

My favorite and probably the cheapest per stock is a furniture grade lacquer, it is very easy to spray if you have the equipment and looks great. Very cheap too, the last quart i bought was roughly $12 at the hardware store and i have yet to use more than a few ounces total on a few stocks and some wicker baskets. Lacquer is also very easy to touch up, it can be sprayed over at any time without need for sanding since the solvents in the new material melt into the old layers.

[hoytcanon]

I am very surprised at Glockmeister's suggestion for a satin Tru-oil finish... Sounds like a recipe for another coat to me... But I have never tried that. The final finish with Tru-oil is up to you, in that you buff until your preferred look is achieved... I like a "dull satin" finish and the I use BC wax to give it a nice dull lustre... It looks just right to my eye... But each will have their own preference.

[cwlongshot]

I have been refinishing a few stock lately. I prefer Walnut and I dislike staining them.

My pop showed me how to do it a few years back  He used boiled linseed, but later switched to lin-SPEED oil. Today TRU-oil is about the same. But the process was much as HWB13 describes. The few of his rifles I have are still beautiful and almost as nice as they where way back when he refinished them. This process peoduced beautiful results but at such a LOOOONG time I don't do it.

Today my first preferance is Formbys tung oil. But TRU-oil also does a nice job.

I start by removing all traces of previous finish. Personally, I do not like strippers. Depending on the damage to the stock will determine the grit I begin with but its never more than 80g. Usually I choose 100g, in any event I next go to 150, usually twice, second time after wiping with a damp cloth to whisker the wood. Then to 220 again twice and again with wet cloth wipe down between. Then I begin with the steel wool. First with 00Grade and last with 0000 grade.

Also, I use my fingers and rub the coats in. NO brushes or rags are ever used on my stocks. The first coat of oil soaks faster, so I usually coat twice before taking it back to wood with light applications of 320g paper. The I coat and remove it with 000 steel wool. With the Tung or TRU I can usually get two coats a day with about 12hrs between coats.

I almost always do a min of 6 coats and 10 is not out of the question. Seems all stocks are different. The last coat gets a rub down with 0000 wool and WD40. It nicely knocks down the sheen leaving a pleasing matte finish. Generally speaking I can finish a shock in a week.Once finished, about a week it hardens up ready for use.

What you will get is a smooth finish with zero pores or imperfections.

CW

[MulberryRiverBoy]

It is getting hard to find, but if you want to knock off that extra high sheen, I like to use "rotten stone."   rotten stone is actually a fine volcanic pumice.   Really does a great job.    I got on to it, from my sister who, years ago used to do decoupage.

[Victor3]

I've used Tru-oil, and it's easy to use and gives a good finish, but even after using steel wool to remove the gloss, it's a little bit too shiny for my taste. Does boiled linseed oil give you a dull finish, or what are the recommendations for a dull finish? Thanks!

True oil is Boiled lindseed oil wiht a little bit of varnish added to make it dry faster.

No. This is the composition of B-C Tru-Oil, right from their website (before they removed it a couple of years ago)...


Description CAS# (Chemical Abstract Service) Weight %
[/size] [/size]Mineral Spirits 8052-41-3 > 56
Modified Oil Proprietary < 33
Linseed Oil Proprietary < 11


Great stuff and pretty much all I've used for ~20 years. If I want a really matt finish, I go over it with a coarse Scotch Brite pad a week after the last coat dries.

[cwlongshot]

I've used Tru-oil, and it's easy to use and gives a good finish, but even after using steel wool to remove the gloss, it's a little bit too shiny for my taste. Does boiled linseed oil give you a dull finish, or what are the recommendations for a dull finish? Thanks!

True oil is Boiled lindseed oil wiht a little bit of varnish added to make it dry faster.

No. This is the composition of B-C Tru-Oil, right from their website (before they removed it a couple of years ago)...


Description CAS# (Chemical Abstract Service) Weight %
Mineral Spirits 8052-41-3 > 56
Modified Oil Proprietary < 33
Linseed Oil Proprietary < 11


Great stuff and pretty much all I've used for ~20 years. If I want a really matt finish, I go over it with a coarse Scotch Brite pad a week after the last coat dries.

I always found it too shiny too. But easily fixed was suggested. I used fine steel wool for many years. I have recently picked up on a tip from a wood working friend. WD40 saturated 0000 steel wool. BUT the finish coat needs ample time to cure. So I like to give it a week to be sure. Then just evenly rub it down. What is left is a satin finish that I find pleasing. With out the WD its dull matte no sheen.

I just applied the eighth coat of TRU oil to a walnut stock today. I think its done but will know for sure tonight when it comes out of the cabinet. Ill take some pictures and post them. It's a very nice average figured deep brown walnut stock.

CW

EDIT:

This is the Sheridan stock I just finished and the Sheridan stocks I did a month or so back. I stained the lighter sets forend ONLY as it did not match the butt. I am very pleased with both. The lighter set has been de glossed while the darker set was just finished today and needs to harden before I can knock down that gloss.






CW

[elkslayer4x5]

Tru-Oil, the more coats, the more it will shine.
 

[dpe.ahoy]

Some real nice work you guys have posted here!  Congrats to all of you on such outstanding work!  DP

[gcrank1]

Brasso will knock the sheen off nicely; a damp cotton cloth and a small dab, work a small area at a time with light finger pressure.

I also hate to have the last 1/3 of a bottle of finish harden up so I drop in enough clean machine bolt nuts or those cheap glass 'decorator stones' (marbles are just too cool) to minimize the air space, keep the cap and bottle threads clean and tightenup well.