Re-finish of a 1903A3 stock

[GarandOwner]

I am refinishing the stock on my 1903A3, my question is, does anyone have pictures of what the difference looks like between linseed oil, and tungs oil? I dont want the rifle to have a dirty look as some of the milsurp rifles do. (Which I think the Tungs oil gives) Would I be better off going with a wood stain? I like the finish on the new stocks done by boyds, but cant figure if it is the traditional tungs oil or if it is a new wood stain

 

[BsChoy]

My method is starting with a clean stripped stock mix Truoil with low odor min spirits 50/50 or maybe even 60/40 min spirits to truoils and rubbing the finish on in small sections with your fingers until they get hot from the friction. Then move to another spot with more finish. About 3-4 coats of that with a 000 or 0000 steel wool rub (with the grain) in between coats and you will have a durable almost completely weatherproof finish.

 

[DMK]

I dont want the rifle to have a dirty look as some of the milsurp rifles do. (Which I think the Tungs oil gives)

Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO) will darken the wood more than Tung Oil will. If I want a darker stock, I always use BLO first, then real pure Tung over that onces the BLO cures. Tung is more water resistant. BLO is slightly more porous than Tung as far as I understand it.

As far as cleaning the dirt out of the stock, do not use water on wood. I've used I like the finish on the new stocks done by boyds, but cant figure if it is the traditional tungs oil or if it is a new wood stain

I don't think Boyd's, Wenig or any of the others stain their stocks. It's most likely BLO over clean Walnut wood.

As far as cleaning the dirt off, do not use water or water based products. Water ruins the wood (no dishwashers! water, heat and pressure will clean it for sure, but are very bad). I found Acetone or lacquer thinner to work best along with some "light* sanding with 100 grit or finer paper and a wood block (just to take the top layer of dirty wood off, not deep enough to remove stampings or dents). Formsby's Or Minwax Antique furniture refinisher is good too, but doesn't clean as well as Acetone. Sanding, while frowned upon (mainly because few do it carefully or properly) really does make a huge difference. Nothing else removes that dirt staining from the wood as effectively.


Poke around on this forum:

http://parallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums.yuku.com/forums/101/t/C-R-stock-cleaning.html

There's a guy there named Cabinetman that really knows his stuff.