Hi All,

I am finishing a Walnut stock for my Rem. 600 .204Ruger and so far have three coats of thinned Tru-Oil worked into the wood. I have heard that the finish coats should be "wet sanded" between coats question is: what is the "wet" component? water? thinned oil? thinner?

Thanks in advance,

Marcos (elalto)

Wet sanded means you sand while applying the finish, the goal being to get the sanded grain to fill the pours of the wood, NOT to do much, if any, "shaping" while sanding.

you let the first coat dry, then *I* , depending on the resulting finish, either do another coat or put some of the same finish I am going to do the next coat in (thinned, whole, whichever), on sandpaper, (the same grit i last used on the wood) and lightly sand any hidden/new/surface finish areas that need sanding to be smooth.

This is also why some folks wait days to weeks between coats, as if the finish is not totally dry, it willl gum and fill dry sandpaper nearly "instantly" .. but wet sandpaper wont.


How does the grain look? you need to be VERY serious with youself... find a strong light, and polish or burnish the wood with a dry shop rag. if there are sticky spots, let it sit another day or 2. under strong light, lay the stock so you can see a "reflection" of the light bouncing off the stock. (it's not REALLY what you are looking at, but this will start you along the road to seeing it)

is the surface totally consistant? any little pits at all? if you have 3 coats on already, have you let these dry ALOT, like days ?

your sole goal with thinned coats is to fill the grain while penetrating the wood.

I have changed my finish to use "minwax sanding sealer", as 2 coats in 1/2 a DAY get me to nearly having 100% of the grain filled. It's designed to be sanded over in 30 mins and dry enough for another finish to be applied in 2 hours. I soak it with sanding sealer (and I mean SOAK) on a rag , 2 hours later, another coat, 2 hours later I lightly wet sand with whatever I am using for final finish... probably 3 coats of that, applied over the next week.

jeffe

Jeffe is right. Everyone does it a little differently, I suspect. Don't forget to use wet/dry sandpaper. Not trying to be condecending, just being careful.

I use a backer that is something like one of the old erasers for most of my wet sanding. Always use a backer. I just dip the edge of the sandpaper and backer in a small dish I have with the chosen finish in it and sand lightly. If you are filling pores, let the "mud" work up for a coat or two and let it dry for a few days between sandings. When the pores appear to be filled, wet sand small areas at a time wiping them off lightly with a soft cloth as you go, and you will see the true finish when you put it up to a light as you work.

And as Chic always tells me, have some patience. I always let the stock sit for a week between coats...well at least I do now.

Well for years I used Tru Oil. At several's suggestions I tried Pro Custom Oil. I will never go back. It seems to cover better, smooths easier and most important in hot muggy Houston. It dries quicker.

Like others have said use a thinned oil to wet sand. I start around 320 and then after the pores are filled work up to finer paper. I use a paper towel to wipe across grain on the early coats and switch to a soft cloth for the later one. While a strong light works I find the sun really shows what the finish is looking like.

As a backer I took one of those big rubber blocks they sell to clean your belt sander. Then cut some various shapes, sizes and contours.

Don't get in a hurry.

I'm with Ramrod on the pro custom oil, it does dry in hot humid weather like we have on the Texas coast. Velvit oil drys good also.

Pro custom oil spray works good too, its harder to rub out with rottenstone, but it makes for a good finish also.

Elalto,

Do you have a lot of patience? I use thinned Tru-Oil without wet sanding, since I detest wet sanding. Continue to use the thinned Tru-Oil but use very light coats. Allow each coat to dry at least 3 hours (here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon) and, when you are ready to recoat gently rub with a very fine abrasive such as the gray 3M Scotchbrite pads to remove any dust, etc. which might have caught in the finish. Keep doing this for 2-4 weeks (Yes, weeks!) until you get the level of finish you want.