Refinishing with Boiled Linseed Oil

[dougwx12]

I do a lot of woodworking, building tables etc. that will get a lot of use, and normally use a polyurathane. I've also done french polishes, danish oil etc. but find I can get a very nice finish with poly. I started using it on gun stocks a couple of years ago and believe it's the ideal finish. I normally use a satin or matte finish poly, spray it through my HVLP system in very thin coats, a wipe with 4-0 steel wool between coats, a final wax when it's dry and it seems to hold up to anything and looks decent. Spray cans would work just as well if you don't have a spayer.

That's a great finish, no doubt. And I also like BLO finishes. But like I said in passing above, if you want an oil like finish with the toughness of poly, try wipe-on poly. Goes on much thinner than anything else (since you wipe it off, just like oil), and allows the feel of the wood better like oil. Biggest downside is that it won't age like an oil finish. Biggest upside is that it won't age like an oil finish.

Wipe on, wipe off, dry. Repeat until thickness desired. Do it too much and you'll just have to knock it down with 0000 wool, just like spray on poly, though.

 

[dirtyjim]

Quote:
i use the method from clyde bakers modern gunsmith

2nd edition printed 1933, now thats modern tech. Finishes we now have are much better in protection and ease of application.

Don't use this logic in regards to your engine oil.

the information in bakers book is just as relevant today as it was in 1933.
there are there are faster & more waterproof products on the market today but for a classic oil finish blo is still one of the best.
the only other finish i would use on a rifle i intended to keep would be seafin over a red-oil base coat.
i've tried tung, watco dainish oil & a bunch of other stuff in the past & they worked ok but in my opinion they did not compar to the finish on some of my pre-war sporters that were done with linseed oil 75 years ago & still look great.
if i was turning rifles to sell & wanted a fast oil type finish i might use something else but when i build a rifle i build it to keep & i don't mind spending a month or two finishing the stock.

 

[maskedman504]

Well I have definitely applied too much boiled linseed oil to my stock; right now the finish is 'tacky'. Should I buff it will fine steel wool? I am surely at a loss. Thanks in advance.

 

[lipadj46]

After each coat dries overnight I first buff with a clean cloth to remove the excess then I buff with a piece of fine steel wool. A BLO finish is impossible to screw up so you should be fine. Just make sure youat least buf with a cloth between coats to remove the excess.

 

[maskedman504]

That is reassuring; most likely 000 steel wool would serve me well?

 

[lipadj46]

yeah that should work. Like I said you may need to buff it with a cloth first to get off some of the goo. How many coats do you have on?

 

[maskedman504]

Well, I had been putting coats on liberally and allowing them to dry with about 24hrs between coats. Afterwards, the coats were a little tacky and I would wipe with a microfiber cloth and everthing was cool. Only recently I have noticed the very stickiness after applying a coat (proabably 20 coats in about 20 months). It is June now and I am in FL so I believe the problem is related to humidity. I am going to give the stock a rub tomorrow with cloth and fine steel wool and go from there.

 

[lipadj46]

Yeah the steel wool will knock down some of the finish and fill the pores a little better. BLO may not be the best finish for a BLO finish, maybe tung oil would be better as it dries better.

 

[GBExpat]

Well, I had been putting coats on liberally and allowing them to dry with about 24hrs between coats. ...

With BLO you are "putting coats on liberally" but not wiping off excess until 24 hours later ?!

I think it fair to say that the standard approach to BLO application is to apply it, wait 15-30 minutes, wipe of the excess, buff and put aside to "dry". Repeat ~daily until you are satisified with the finish.

After doing many stocks with BLO (I cut mine 2-3:1, BLO:MS) I imagine that a stock done with "liberal coats", no excess wipe-off and 24 hours before recoat will be a really sticky mess.

 

[lipadj46]

If it is to much of a mess to get a polish even with steel wool just dip the steel wool in mineral spirits, turpentine etc. to cut the goo. Wipe down and start over.

 

[maskedman504]

It is no glopped on or anything haha. I have been wiping the coats. It is just kinda tacky and I was wanting to ammend that.

I have been dipping one finger tip into the can of oil and using that amount for the whole stock per single coat.

 

[Slamfire]

I believe linseed oil oxides over time, but it takes decades. If you notice linseed oil gets gummy, I suspect that same process occurs inside the wood.

I have a number of walnut military stocks from which I removed all the gunk with spray on oven cleaner. (did this in the back yard with a toothbrush and the garden hose) After drying and after smoothing the surface with steel wool, I let the stocks absorb all the raw linseed oil they could. Now, at least 20 years later, the stocks have darkened considerably.

I don’t really know if linseed oil is as good a preservative as modern urethane finishes. Wood will still absorb water with linseed oil finishes. Mold likes linseed oil. “Spar Varnish” Urethane is water proof.

 

[lipadj46]

I just put a light beeswax polish on it. It puts a good waterproof coat on it plus puts a little more shine on the stock. It's easy to make also, until your wife asks where her beeswax candles went.

 

[Col. Plink]

Thanks for the tips, y'all, I may take the linseed or tung oil approach when I get a Garand.

With my Yugo SKS M59 I chose to go with the best sanding job I could do and polyurethane. My object was to remove the old finish and as many irregularities in the surface while keeping (and bringing out) the dings and carvings from its service. The result is that it really does show up more of the original color and grain, plus all the imperfections that were too serious to get sanded out.

I guess for that reason a lot of purists wouldn't like it, but my idea was to preserve and present the unique condition of the weapon. I think it looks really cool because it looks worn but not neglected.

Not sure what kind of wood it is, light brown grain with almost black rings and some reddish grain at different levels (shows up more towards the muzzle). Have read it could be Carpathian Elm or Beech. From the best description I have seen I think it's the elm. It has the 'teak' look described, so decided to bring that out and the dings and boo boos.

 

[maskedman504]

Plink pictures are a necessity!

 

[Col. Plink]

I will post pics when I am done slathering it with polyurethane. I figure I have 3 more fine grain sandings and brush coats, will probably spray the last one on so no brushmarks or hairs(!) in the finish.