oil stain before antique oil finish??

[7thGenAustinite]

im in the process of stripping my walnut stock on my 1970 marlin 336. it looks a bit lighter than i would like it to end up. can i use an oil based minwax red oak stain that i already have before using the minwax antique oil finish? any suggestions or tips for doing this? Will it last though the steel wool stages of the antique oil finish listed in the steps of the sticky for this finish on the forum??

 

[Bmac1949]

Try running some test to see if it's going to come out like you want. If you don't have some scrap wood to use you might try using the end of the stock under the butt plate or beneath the forearm where nothing will show. Another suggestion: if your going to stain you might want to consider a pre-stain conditioner. But, I wouldn't definately test all the combinations that your considering using. Also, that walnut will probably get quite a bit darker when you put the oil to it and make sure that each coat of oil is dry before applying the next. Good luck, hope it goes well.

 

[Sam1911]

First thing to do is -- once you have the stock stripped, cleaned, lightly sanded, and/or whatever else you're doing -- dampen the stock with a moist rag. That will show you what the color is likely to be with a neutral oil finish applied.

More than likely, that's PLENTY dark.

There are some very artful techniques for using stains well, and very VERY few amateur gun-finishers have the experience to apply them. Generally stains soak into the wood grain, differentially filling the wood's pores, and produce a muddy, splotchy, dull MESS of the wood's figure.

Wood darkens as it ages anyway. A neutral oil will produce a soft, warm finish that has "depth" to it and lets the natural figure of the wood look alive.

 

[brickeyee]

Generally stains soak into the wood grain, differentially filling the wood's pores, and produce a muddy, splotchy, dull MESS of the wood's figure.

Pigment stains, yep.

Aniline dye, nope.

 

[Sam1911]

True. Or generally true, anyway. He said he had Minwax Red Oak stain, though. A product which is nearly single-handedly responsible for the wholesale slaughter of the aesthetics of vast swaths of furniture and gunstocks across our land!

 

[7thGenAustinite]

Decided to stick to the minwax antique oil finish and skip the stain.

 

[brickeyee]

Minwax 'stain' should not be allowed to touch anything wood besides scrap.

While pigment stains are used for certain styles of finish (pickled, to accentuate pores in wood) for the most part they are a cheap way to cover up poor wood.

Some of the commercial applications at mass market importers amount to nothing more than paint.