I'm looking at finishing two Win 70 stocks that I've carved from blanks. I'm just curious the best finish to use. I've sanded down to 220 grit and wondering the best finish to go with from here. I've heard some people start with linseed oil right off and sand down, other people start with watered down tru oil and sand down eventually getting to straight tru oil after 2 or 3 coats, and I've heard some like to seal the wood before finish is applied. I'm going for high gloss finish so I know I have a lot of work to do before they're sent for checkering

I would recommend timberluxe. It is probably the easiest I have used.

Others will probably have different products they have been happy with.

So there as many ways to finish as there are guys' doing it. But ,
the basics are, next use a clothe with warm water to lightly dampen wood, hit with blow dryer then sand with 220 lightly, the 0ne or two more times going finer with each application.

Seal with two coats, sanding in between, 220 or finer. some thin the first coat.

now apply finish or oil of choice. As to poly I have no experience.

apply oil, sand with wet dry, then rub, then wipe small areas at a time, repeat two or three times. then add finishing coats.

That is the basic process. wiping down or not with a cloth ( with some linseed oil on it ) on hand rubbed can have affect as to high gloss or duller finish.

For the first time there is nothing wrong with true oil.

also, I forgot to add putting a stain on which I have never done as I like a dull natural look.

Maybe the experts will chime in now

Charles,

I have had great results with the Laurel Mountain product called "Permalyn". It is sold by Brownells and possibly others. It is offered as a two stage finish so you need a bottle of each. The first part is a thin sealer that soaks into the wood and penetrates more deeply. The second stage is an actual finish that can be built up by multiple applications to the desired level to fill the pores. I like the results.

Some of the other folks on the forum may recommend products that are just as good or even better. All I can do is give an endorsement of what has worked well for me.

It's always exciting to see the beauty of walnut come to life with a nice oil finish!

Good luck with the project!

Forget Linseed oil; it does not seal anything; it is a finish from ancient times before they had chemistry.
There are far better finishes how, and if you want a gloss finish; most guys don't these days.
But you will need to wet sand the wood to fill the pores; otherwise it will never be smooth.
Read and practice that. Or come over and I'll show you how.

Laurel mt stains and finish are all good. So is anything Brownells sale; I use gun savr. And tru oil the old standby can't go wrong. For a gloss finish you might want spray poly, again, no one wants that these days. Gloss=Yuck.
Times chanted from 1963.

I've used Pilkington's finish products, also from Brownells, for many years.

Follow their instrustions, which are very detailed, and you'll do fine.

I like a semi-gloss final finish.

A pic from the 80's.......

Kevin

Both Brownells and Midway are saying Pilkington's is NLA.

quote:

Originally posted by rcraig:
Both Brownells and Midway are saying Pilkington's is NLA.

That's too bad. I've not bought any in many years.

Hopefully, it's still being made.

Kevin

It's a shame they discontinued it. The Laurel one sounds intriguing especially since the two products should take care of my needs at the moment.

I've used the Laurel Mountain product recently, an a flintlock, and I found it very easy to use and get a great-looking finish. The sealer is the same product as the finish, except diluted with a solvent to encourage penetration on the first coat.

Clarence

An earlier thread on this topic may be of interest...
https://forums.accuratereloadi...1019521/m/4511090272

I’ve had very good results using this recipe

https://www.vintageguns.co.uk/...-for-stock-finishing

And use red garnet paper, c400 grit to sand it in. Oil stock, sand going in little circles and then rub the slurry into the stock. Let it dry and repeat. Start with red oil for the first coat or two, then once the colour is there go to finishing oil.

As you apply further coats drop down to 600 if not 1200 grit.

The secret is to really let each cost dry thoroughly and only apply a little oil at a time. It needs to polymerise and if you over oil it never will. It will take about 6 weeks to get a good finish, it takes time, but each coat really doesn’t take long to apply.

Once done its usable, but it takes a few months for it to really cure. A finger tip of good boiled linseed oil once a month for 12 months then a finger tip full every now and then.

Velvit oil is idiot proof IME (In My Experience - since I am an idiot!)

I get 100% pore fill with in the wood finish. Pics I have don't do justice.

Here's what I do (after sealing with 2:1 mineral spirits:spar urethane):
1) Wet sand 400 grit; leave build-up on stock, don't wipe off. Can't let it be too thick
2) Ditto with 600 grit (sometimes I do this step twice)
3) Wet sand with 800 grit; depends on the wood what happens next, but usually I wet sand once, leave a little on, and then do one more wet sanding and remove it all. Sometimes I have to go to a 1000 grit for the final removal
4) Hand rub with a minute amount of oil

Wait at least a week between each wet sanding.

Hee Hee...guessing by now, the OP wished he'd never asked!

There must be thousands of stock finishing ideas with a bunch of the super natural and twilight zone thrown in.

A very good "finish" is simply soak in RAW linsed oil and set the stock aside for a month...Yes...the linseed oil WIll dry...that's why it's called a "drying oil"

From there on, one can refine ad infinitum to give this or that desired appeaance or result.

degree of "refnement" is where the smoke and mirrors start showing up.

Pick a procedure that seems comfortable and give it your best effort..It's not rocket science and...truth be known, you'll change to another procedure down the road anyway

Just another thought..."Boiled linseed oil" simply is raw oil with additives...sometimes heavy metal additives...almost all "BLO" containes cobalt (Not good)


Most products like "Velvit" ...and Timberluxe" contain toluene. That is the very same POISON that put Jerry Fisher in the hospital twice until the medics got it doped out. He had been using "Plastic Oil" by Flecto.

Jerry died of multiple cancers...connection? Dunno!

Point? Read the labels and warnings, research and figure out your own level of acceptable risk

Remember when asbestos was so marvelous.....or leaded gasoline such a short cut to hi octane?

I quit using Flecto when advised by the guild member James Anderson that it contained Touenol (sp?)... I really liked the finish and it was the most weather proof product I tested on my Idaho roof..I like most of all Brownell's finishes particularly Gun-sav-R in the spray or can..A filler and Linseed Oil suits me and it has a luster all its own and I know some say it never cures or dries but I see a lot of old English rifle with Alkanet and Linseed still working and many being used to death in Africa by pro hunters and gun nuts, self included. I like Lin speed, and Birchwood Casey. Mostly I think good results depend on the person, I see all manner of finishes being used by the best and the worse, maybe it all works if properly done...I believe the wood makes a big difference also. Black walnut is full of big pores, French or European has few and easier to fill and hide if you must...some woods have almost no pores but most make poor gunstocks or rather plane stocks is a better explanation..My main complaint is high gloss is more waterproof and beautiful egg shell satin isn't by comparison, but high gloss will scare every animal in the country to death with that reflection, a plus for those plastic ugly stocks that I just cannot abide by.

Most of my hunting rifles are dead flat no reflection and probably a sponge if you neglect them..

Tung oil is overlooked....No..not "Tung oil finish" such as offered by Min Wax.

I'm talking pure tung oil. Realistically, about the best (on paper) gunstock finish ever. But...one big drawback...Not a small portion of homo saps are allergic to this natural finish.

Ain't a perfect world!

quote:

Originally posted by Duane Wiebe (CG&R):


But...one big drawback...Not a small portion of homo saps are allergic to this natural finish.

Does that mean allergic to the cured finish or those who are getting their hands wet with it, as in applying it?

yes tung oil is great stuff..

The "drums" say some GI 's in WWII, handling Jap rifles developed allergies...So I assume wet or dry the situation persists. However, modern thinking seems to go with the idea that allergy victims is in low numbers.

What to do? Fact is that many finishes contain tung oil in small percentages....which also diminishes the advantages of tung.

Puts the stockmaker in a difficult situaion.