Formby's tung oil and M48 teak stocks

[Snowdog]

When I purchased my unissued M48A last year, I read it had a teak wood stock. When I received the rifle, it came complete with a cosmoline finish... though it really didn't look bad the way it was.

However, after refinishing my K31 last week, I took a look through my military surplus rifles to see if any needed to be refinished. Though none of them stepped forward as the K31 had (the stock looked as though some seriously pissed-off Swiss had taken a chain to it), I remembered the M48 and the supposedly teak stock.

I don't want to finish the M48 in a walnut stain as I had the M44 and K31, so I bought some Formby's tung oil. Nothing against walnut and my K31 now looks unissued, but I like variety.
I've just finished stripping/sanding down the stock and it's ready for a new finish and noticed it had beautiful wood grain... so is tung oil the way to go?

Do any here have any tips when working with tung oil (that aren't likely to be found on the container) ? How about any reasons why I shouldn't use tung oil on the M48?

Thanks in advance!

 

[DMK]

Actually, that Formby's stuff isn't really Tung Oil. It's a light Tung Oil based varnish. Real Tung is thick, non toxic oil that can be applied with your bare hands. It takes a long time to polymerize so it can take a full week to apply only like 5 coats. I usually apply real Tung by briskly rubbing with Scotchbrite pads, smoothing the wood, using the friction to warm the wood to open the pores and thin the oil.

On the other hand, I applying the Formby's by lightly wiping with a rag. You need to wear gloves, but it's simple and quick to use. Just strip the old finish (obviously) then smooth the wood using fine sandpaper. I prefer using 00 and 000 scotchbrite pads. If you aren't familiar with them, they are basically plastic "steel wool" pads. However, they offer several advantages to steel wool: Little bits of steel won't get stuck in your wood, and they can be washed out in your sink with some hot water and soap. Once you get the stock nice and smooth, you can steam out any dents if you wish. Sometimes I leave the dents for character.

Before applying the finish, be sure to wet the stock down to raise whiskers, then cut them down with a scotchbrite pad. Let the stock dry a couple days before finishing. Actually applying the Formby's is as simple as wiping it on with a clean, lint free rag. Let it dry (I usually leave it overnight, but it may dry quicker, check the can) and apply subsequent coats. The more coats you apply, the shinier it gets.

Now, should you use it? It depends on what you are after. IMO, a "Tung Finish" like Formby's gives a shinier, more modern or maybe even slightly synthetic look. Imperfections in the stock may be more apparent than they would be with Real Tung or BLO. It may be more difficult to match a repair or to fix a ding later. However, it's easy to use and convenient to apply.

Real Tung oil gives a warmer, satin, kind of waxy, more crude look of oiled wood. I think that this look is more appropriate for old military rifles. It's easy to reapply so you can easily fix dings later or even put another coat on a year or two later. However, it's more labor intensive and time consuming to apply initially.

 

[TimRB]

Not to change the subject, but is it OK to put tung oil on over BLO, and vice versa?

Tim

 

[swingset]

Tung over BLO works fine, done it many times. Never in reverse tho...not much need to protect a Tung surface with BLO, imho.

Here's an M48 finished with Formby's Tung Oil, buffed with 0000 steel wool to remove gloss. Holds up, still looks good 2 years later.

 

[Snowdog]

Thanks DMK, I think I'll just use that Formby's since I have it. I'll have to stop by Wal-Mart to pick up some Scotchbrite pads to prep the stock, but I think I'll get started in the morning.
I was a bit curious why the instructions on the Formby's can mentioned wearing high quality gloves and providing adequate ventilation. Oh well, as long as it makes the grain stand out, I'll be more than happy.

Thanks for the image, Swingset... that certainly does provide motivation.
That's one beautiful stock.

 

[Jack19]

Snowdog, I used Formby's Low Gloss Tung Oil Finish on a really rough M44 stock a few years ago. It worked fine and made an amazing difference in the stock. When I got it, it looked like it had been sitting in a warehouse unprotected from the elements for the past 60 years.... which it probably had. It really improved the grain and made the wood look almost new. Not pure tung, but it does give good results. (They also make a High Gloss Tung Oil Finish that I thought was way too glossy for use on a gun stock.)

Also, DO NOT use Formby's in the house and absolutely wear gloves when you apply it. It's full of VOCs that you don't want to breathe or absorb.

 

[Mark whiz]

Snowdog...............

Go check out the refinishing albums on my page here:

http://community.webshots.com/user/markwhiz

Each pic is a step in the refinishing process, before, during, & after.

I did this last year and it turned out GREAT, especially for a first attempt at such work.

 

[Snowdog]

Mark, that stock turned out great (especially the emergence of the tiger stripe grain). As for my project, I've already completed two applications of Formby's to the M48, with a few more to go. Unfortunately, I bought the "high-gloss" option, not having paid attention to that option when I bought it. Though the low gloss may have been the best option, the results aren’t displeasing in the least... well, not yet anyways.

So far the grain is beginning to stand out great. Thanks for the help folks!

 

[albanian]

I have used Fromby's high gloss tung oil finish on thre rifles recently. It was my first shot at refinishing a stock.

The first gun I did was an old Turk Mauser that I figuired couldn't look any worse so I went for it. I was happy with the look so I did two of my Yugo SKSs. After learning a little on the Mauser, the SKSs looked GREAT! I am very happy with them. I put a few more coats on them and it made a big differnece. I had stopped after only three coats on the Mauser and it wasn't very glossy. If you want a less glossy look, all you have to do is apply fewer coats.

I like the glossy look of the SKS stocks and they are not too glossy like a poly finish is. I say go for and if you don't like it, remove it and try something else. I think it will work just fine for you though.

I later applied a 4th coat to my Turk Mauser just to top off the finish and it made it a little better. The key is too get the wood as perfect as you can before applying the finish. If you have rough spots or discoloration on the wood, they won't be hid with the finish.

I didn't know that this stuff was harmful for you! I have not been wearing gloves and I put it on in the house! I had latex gloves but they fell apart while putting the finish on. That should have told me something! I need to be more careful around chemicals, I take this stuff for granted sometimes. I assume that the warnings are there just so some idiot doesn't drink the stuff. It seems like everything has some kind of warning on it these days so I don't always pay close attention to them like I should. When everything has a warning label, you have a tendency to tune them out.