I have a new walnut stock I'm wanting to finish. I've read a lot of online posts on how to do it. I can't find any pics of the finished product. I don't want a show piece, or an arsenal red finish. I'm looking toward linseed or tung oil with a natural finish. Any pics?
Boyds Garand stock finishing pics request
- Thread starter Sky Dog
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You can take pics of a dozen Boyds stocks and they will all look alittle different
I have refinished many , many dozens of USGI stcks and worked on many commercial stocks.
My best advice is to use a stain to get the color you want then finish with BLO or 100% Tung Oil (not Tung Oil finish)
I have refinished many , many dozens of USGI stcks and worked on many commercial stocks.
My best advice is to use a stain to get the color you want then finish with BLO or 100% Tung Oil (not Tung Oil finish)
bangswitch
Member
I've got a few pics of my refinish job on my M1A, which has a Boyd's walnut stock. When I bought the rifle, the finish was very dull, like there was no oil at all. I used Teak oil, it's thinner than Tung oil and was designed to penetrate tight grained woods like teak and ebony. It takes more coats to achieve the desired finish, which I think is an advantage, since you more closely control the level of gloss you get. I use Watco Teak Oil. I put 4 coats on my stock, letting each one penetrate for an hour before wiping the excess, and allowed each wiped coat to dry 24 hours before applying the next one. I lightly sanded with 600 grit between the first two coats; after the last one, I buffed the stock lightly with 4-0 steel wool, and applied a coat of BriWax.
The first is a before shot, the second is after. I wasn't looking for something really shiny or polished looking, just a bit more than the plain wood I started with
The first is a before shot, the second is after. I wasn't looking for something really shiny or polished looking, just a bit more than the plain wood I started with
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
You simply can't go wrong by buying a bottle of Tru-Oil and following the directions on the bottle.
Just remember, a little goes a long ways.
Hand rub it in, come back after it dries, and do it again, and again.
rc
Just remember, a little goes a long ways.
Hand rub it in, come back after it dries, and do it again, and again.
rc
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Not if you rub it out with steel wool as you should have.
rc
rc
krs
Member
I used to use Tru-Oil and yes, it is possible to dull it down. But it's also possible to end with thickened areas that are both ugly and take a lot to remove.
Tru-Oil is still a good grain filler for me but I wouldn't fill a Garand's pores. Instead I like to use a brown spirit stain (alcohol based, NOT oil based) and the good old method of lots of hand rubbing with little amounts of boiled linseed oil.
Linseed oil was the original finish but they used a shellac to hasten drying and dipped the stocks on an assembly line.
Tru-Oil is still a good grain filler for me but I wouldn't fill a Garand's pores. Instead I like to use a brown spirit stain (alcohol based, NOT oil based) and the good old method of lots of hand rubbing with little amounts of boiled linseed oil.
Linseed oil was the original finish but they used a shellac to hasten drying and dipped the stocks on an assembly line.
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another pake
Member
There's an old timers' mantra that has always worked well for me regarding Boiled Linseed Oil finishes.
After final sanding to the desired grit, liberally apply a wash coat of BLO thinned with mineral spirits. The ratio isn't critical but I use approximately 2-1 BLO - mineral spirits. Really soak it down. It will soak in. Apply again and set the stock in the sunlight for a few hours. Wipe off the excess when you can. It's very forgiving at this point. You'll start to see pleasing results very soon.
From here on it's full strength BLO,
Once a day for a week.
Once a week for a month.
Once a month for a year.
Between coats it's back in the sun. And after those first few daily coats the amount of BLO will be much reduced. The wood just won't absorb more. Just a few drops on the last stages rubbed in with the palm of your hand will give a finish as smooth as a baby's butt and UV treatment gives a warm glo.
You can hit it with 0000 wool if you want to but a piece of cheesecloth or even an old wool sock works too.
Try it on something.
After final sanding to the desired grit, liberally apply a wash coat of BLO thinned with mineral spirits. The ratio isn't critical but I use approximately 2-1 BLO - mineral spirits. Really soak it down. It will soak in. Apply again and set the stock in the sunlight for a few hours. Wipe off the excess when you can. It's very forgiving at this point. You'll start to see pleasing results very soon.
From here on it's full strength BLO,
Once a day for a week.
Once a week for a month.
Once a month for a year.
Between coats it's back in the sun. And after those first few daily coats the amount of BLO will be much reduced. The wood just won't absorb more. Just a few drops on the last stages rubbed in with the palm of your hand will give a finish as smooth as a baby's butt and UV treatment gives a warm glo.
You can hit it with 0000 wool if you want to but a piece of cheesecloth or even an old wool sock works too.
Try it on something.
krs
Member
^This is it.
A lot of patience, a lot of rubbing until your palm is too hot, and a lot of oil a little at a time over a lot of time. It'll produce a finish that looks old, authentic, and really good looking yet is easy to repair if needed.
BTW, another pake didn't say but putting them out in the sun is to make the oil come back up and be able to be wiped away and rubbed some more. It eventually stops that and that's when it's done. Otherwise you can get one of those stocks you may have seen (or owned) that bleeds oil when it gets warm and is pretty hard to live with until it stops. You have to get that part out of the way during the finish, not at the range.
I have refinished dozens of military socks with BLO and never had one bleed in the hot sun. Only time I have had that happen was with old cosmo soaked stocks
If you have a completely clean /bare stock then refinish with BLO it will not bleed when it gets hot
If you have a completely clean /bare stock then refinish with BLO it will not bleed when it gets hot
another pake
Member
Just to clarify a bit,
I said that when applying a BLO finish to a stock I intentionally place the stock in the direct sunlight for as many hours as I can between coats. I can attest to the affect that I believe it has, and I see a deeper penetration, resulting in a harder, drier finish. I also see the wood color darken by shades. It is well known in woodworking circles that the sun and it's UV power darkens wood. Try it with a piece of birch or maple and see for yourself.
Now, I am not a chemist so I cannot say exactly why these things occur anymore than I can tell you how my TV finds the pictures floating around in the air, but it does. I'm OK with that.
Perhaps there is different chemistry going on in the sun? Perhaps the UV makes varnish out of BLO and whatever mineral spirits remain trapped in the wood? Coloring wood the old ways often involve methods many are not familiar with. When I finish a curly maple stock for a black powder rifle I use modified nitric acid. After it dries I heat the stock, preferably with a red hot iron. The results are amazing and unlike anything that a can a stain will produce.
I said that when applying a BLO finish to a stock I intentionally place the stock in the direct sunlight for as many hours as I can between coats. I can attest to the affect that I believe it has, and I see a deeper penetration, resulting in a harder, drier finish. I also see the wood color darken by shades. It is well known in woodworking circles that the sun and it's UV power darkens wood. Try it with a piece of birch or maple and see for yourself.
Now, I am not a chemist so I cannot say exactly why these things occur anymore than I can tell you how my TV finds the pictures floating around in the air, but it does. I'm OK with that.
Perhaps there is different chemistry going on in the sun? Perhaps the UV makes varnish out of BLO and whatever mineral spirits remain trapped in the wood? Coloring wood the old ways often involve methods many are not familiar with. When I finish a curly maple stock for a black powder rifle I use modified nitric acid. After it dries I heat the stock, preferably with a red hot iron. The results are amazing and unlike anything that a can a stain will produce.
krs
Member
Neither have I BUT I have had two people complain of that after taking my advice to finish with boiled linseed oil. Both had applied the oil heavily at first to allow a full penetration but had either used too much or not waited and rubbed with sufficient pressure or patience, I couldn't determine from them which, and complain that the oil I recommended should not be used because it would never stop coming back out, particularly in the sun's heat.
Ever since I recommend to be sure it's all come forth if it's going to before the finishing is considered 'finished'.
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