Poll: Stock finish - To dye or not to dye?

[Commander Guineapig]

THAT is the question.

I have a 10/22 that I just finished stripping the beat up
finish off of. And I've bleached it a few times to boot...the old finish was...hideous IMHO.
I've come to few realizations...this is NOT a great looking piece of wood by any stretch. But that doesn't mean I want it to look crappy when I am done.
I've read some of the threads over at Rimfirecentral (great place BTW), and have found some good info on dying a stock. Here's a thread on the subject, with pix:
http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145062&highlight=bleach+bleaching+RIT+dye

So my two options are:
Dye the stock a nice darker red, and Tung oil it as a finisher.
OR
Leave it and just tung oil it.
The wood itself is REALLY blotchy for some reason. Can someone explain why? is it natural, or not? What kind of wood is this anyway? is there anything I can do to make it look better?

I've included pix of the stock in it's current condition.
thanks!

GP

 

[DMK]

Dying it probably would even out the splotches. I've refinished both ways and like both. I think I like the look of natural wood better though , even if it has flaws.

Here's an example of some dark areas in wood stocks:

 

[byf43]

That appears to be birch.

No matter what you do (for a finish), I'd recommend:


A FINE grade of either sandpaper or a 'Scotchbrite' pad to smooth up the stock.

Wet the stock with a rag and some (not much) water to raise the grain, again.

Us a really fine grade of sandpaper or 'Scotchbrite' pad, once again.

Vacuum the stock, then wipe down with a 'Tack' cloth.

Get yourself some Minwax wood conditioner.
Stir the snot out of this stuff, then put a coat of it on the stock. This will help prevent 'splotches'.
Birch is so soft, the finish will look uneven, unless you use an opaque stain, similar to what Ruger uses, to begin with.

I'd suggest a 'cedar' stain or a 'red cherry' stain. The cedar will be light, whereas the cherry will make it darker.

Or, use a Danish Oil finish and put at least three coats on the stock, and buff with a lint free cloth, between coats, and finish up with a really good buff after the last coat.


Thanks for reading.

 

[Commander Guineapig]

hey yall thanks for the input so far...

A FINE grade of either sandpaper or a 'Scotchbrite' pad to smooth up the stock.

I have steel wool, a finer grade, will that work ok? It's not rough to the touch really, though I suppose it COULD be smoother...

Wet the stock with a rag and some (not much) water to raise the grain, again.

The last thing I did before I took the pix was to wipe it down with bleach, multiple times...in an effort to get the dark Ruger stain to lighten up and go away. (I can see the original wood color under where the buttplate was).
The bleach wipe down...it was fairly wet...is that enough, or should I wipe'r down with water just to be safe?

Birch is so soft, the finish will look uneven, unless you use an opaque stain, similar to what Ruger uses, to begin with.

Uneven in color or uneven in the glossiness of the finish? are certain parts going to accept the Tung oil better then others?

Is there anything wrong with using just tung oil?
The reason I ask...I kind of wanted a fairly light colored finish on the stock..
or a colored stock. The more I see this thing light colored (with the action dropped in), the more I like the idea of it light coloredness.
I am assuming Tung Oil doesn't really add much in the way of coloring to the stock...is that a safe assumption?

Or, use a Danish Oil finish and put at least three coats on the stock, and buff with a lint free cloth, between coats, and finish up with a really good buff after the last coat.

is danish oil like tung oil, or BLO, or something of that nature?

thanks for the help!

GP

 

[byf43]

I have steel wool, a finer grade, will that work ok? It's not rough to the touch really, though I suppose it COULD be smoother...

I'd recommend using the Scotchbrite pads, instead of steel wool, IF you use water.

I've seen where steel wool wasn't completely removed and after wetting the stock, or even using water-based stain, the steel wool has rusted, ruining the finish.
Back to square one. . . . . if that happens.

The last thing I did before I took the pix was to wipe it down with bleach, multiple times...in an effort to get the dark Ruger stain to lighten up and go away. (I can see the original wood color under where the buttplate was).
The bleach wipe down...it was fairly wet...is that enough, or should I wipe'r down with water just to be safe?

You need to get the bleach out of and off of the stock. The chlorine in the stock will interact and react with whatever you put on the stock.
Take the stock outside and give it a good hose-down with water.
DON'T soak the stock, just spray it down, then take it inside and dry it with a towel and hang it up in your workshop for a couple of days.

You'll notice that the grain has been 'raised' again.
Hmmmmmmmm. . . back to the Scotchbrite pads. . . . .

Uneven in color or uneven in the glossiness of the finish? are certain parts going to accept the Tung oil better then others?

Both. Birch can and will accept a finish much like pine will. (Unevenly.)

It's just a guess, but, I'd be inclined to think that's why Ruger uses an opaque stain. It hides the imperfections in the wood.
(Not bashing Ruger here. Not at all. Just sayin'.. . .)

Is there anything wrong with using just tung oil?
The reason I ask...I kind of wanted a fairly light colored finish on the stock..
or a colored stock. The more I see this thing light colored (with the action dropped in), the more I like the idea of it light coloredness.
I am assuming Tung Oil doesn't really add much in the way of coloring to the stock...is that a safe assumption?

Good question. Tung oil is o.k., I guess. I've never used it.
I yield that question to someone that has experience with it.

is danish oil like tung oil, or BLO, or something of that nature?

I've used Danish oil on tables that I've made, to give them a 'warmer' finish than what I've done with stain and polyurethane or stain and varnish.

I must say here, that I am NO expert at woodworking or refinishing rifle stocks.
I'm just conveying what I've done and used in the past.

I've seen rifle stocks done with a light stain (after cleaning) then several coats of Minwax 'wax' applied and buffed that have looked tremendous.

One guy on a forum across the street has even used Hoppe's gun oil on his K98k rifle stock(s) and it looked fantastic!




Keith

 

[jrfoxx]

I'd just go with a BLO/Tung oil finish.I think you be pleasantly suprise at how it came out.The wood has a nice color to it, and I think the oil finish would come out pretty nice.

 

[Cannonball888]

If she's a pretty stock, I'd slip her the Tung.

 

[byf43]

If she's a pretty stock, I'd slip her the Tung.

Now that's funny. I don't care who you are.

 

[Commander Guineapig]

LOL!

say it fast and it's "slip-of-the-tongue" to boot...
I think I'll go with Tung for two reasons:
1 - I have some, and my budget is limited.
2 - I don't have the means to do much more...my whole apartment
stinks like spray-on stripper. (ie, I cannot do a nice airbrushed finish with some nice finisher)

Since I first posted, I touched up the rough spots with a little stripper..
some of the finish evaded me the first few times.
after the stripper evaporates (not long with this stuff),
I'll rebleach, and then dry. Then I'mma try some Tung in the
barrel channel (hidden spot) to see how it spreads.
To get the bleach off, I think I will use the shower...
apartments don't have hoses on the 2nd level.
probly cuz they don't want tenants raining down caustic chemicals
on their downstairs neighbors!
then off to scotch pads or something fun like that.
GP