Took out one of my Swedish M96 stock with least dings and decided to give it a Linseed oil finish. Being the first time doing a LO finish, I applied the oil to the top handguard only so nothing will ruin the rest of the furniture if things went wrong.

The LO is boiled linseed oil from arts store originally for oil painting base. The label said this product can be used to finish wood products. Claimed drying time is 12~18 hours.(I don't like the usual modified & stained gunstock linseed oils, I think they dry too fast)

The handguard is washed with paint thinner and properly dried. Liberal coat is applied till the wood can't take anymore(30 min), excess wiped off. Then I waited 24 hours, applied second coat with a piece of cotton patch, the surface look shiny from freshly applied oil. But 24 hours later the wood is bare without any "coating" on it. Does linseed oil leave a coating on woods at all or should I apply more coats of oil till it looks good enough, what kind of look can I expect?

How do YOU finish a gunstock with BLO?
Input appreciated.

Bring the stock to room temperature.

Take a half-teaspoon of boiled linseed oil into the cup of your hand.

Apply it to a small area of the stock.

Rub it in with your fingers & hand until your hand feels hot and your muscles get tired.

Repeat all over.

Leave overnight.

Wipe off any excess.

Leave it at room temp for a week.

Repeat all over again. And again.

If your wood is dry and thirsty you can expect to lose several coats before seeing anything for your endeavours.

I reckon my Lee Enfield has taken five coats like this.

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tikka 3 barrels

Hi Pyrotec
I did my M96 with linseed oil.I sanded the stock back to bare wood then applied coat after coat of linseed that is rubbed in each coat.You keep going untill the wood won't soak up any more linseed.Then after that you can give it a coat of linseed and a rubbibg whenever it looks like it needs it.

Pete has the right idea and I bet his first
experience was with a cricket bat.

I guess you never had a cricket bat.
When you get a new cricket bat you get the bat to soak up as much linseed oil as possible before you use it.You basically stand the bat in linseed oil and let the wood draw up the oil into the wood.A "dry"
bat is too brittle and a well oiled bat has more strength and stability.

When they were assembling SMLE's in Australia
at Lithgow they would soak the butt stock in linseed oil before squeezing the butt into the butt recess.

Linseed oil tends to "feed" the wood as it soaks right in.

The warmer the temperature the easier it is to get the oil "into" the wood.

The rubbing you do is important to the finish.The more you rub the more of a polished look you can achieve.

Regards
Deafdog

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deafdog@turboweb.net.au
http://deafdog.turboweb.net.au

Thanks for the tips, I am starting to see something on the handguard.
Pyrotek

I've heard it said with oil finish, one coat a day for a week, one coat a week for a month, one coat a month for a year, then one coat a year for the life of the stock.

The only thing I can add is to use some 400 grit sand paper and sand in the oil to fill any pores in the wood. This forms a mud on the out side of the stock. do this about three or four times after the initial soak up coats. Then let dry and sand down one last time with 400 or 600 then start the rub coats.
Takes me about two months to finish a stock this way but it is 100% filled and glass smooth. Oil finished wood is the only way to go. Either tung or linseed
Kerry

I agree with the 400 sand paper, and creating a bit of "mud". Works great to fill the pores.

PYROTEK,
Refinishing stocks is a hobby of mine. I prefer Casey Birchwood to linseed oil. I've found that linseed doesnot seal and waterproof the stock. If you have a block of wood, finish it with linseed oil and another block with Casey. About three good coats with the Casey spray should be enough. Once you've finished the block with linseed oil and are satisfied with it, place both blocks in seperate buckets of water over night. If the blocks are about 2" square you'll be able to split them and see the condition of the inside of the block. I hate to rain on your parade. The Casey's will give a high gloss finish. If you prefer a satin finish, Casey also offers a satin finish oil. I hope that this is of some help. Good luck.

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BigBob

This is just what I need to hear..........

I, too, am in the process of preparing an M96 Swede for refinishing.

What I want to do is to use the finish on this stock (when I finish) as an example of how to do another stock--my next step will be my Garand, then my M1A.

Here's the question: Take a look at a new Browning rifle. Note the finish--absolutely beautiful!!!

That's what I want to duplicate. How do I do it?

Any and all suggestions, comments, and tips are welcome.

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Happiness is a 200 yard bughole.

"Browning rifle. Note the finish--absolutely beautiful!!! .......--my next step will be my Garand, then my M1A."

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But hey, whatever floats your boat. But, to me and I bet most, knowledgeable shooters, a gloss finish on an old war horse like a Garand, looks like hell. It looks plain cheap and out of place. Kind of like a an original Pennsylvania long rifle that has been reblued with a buffed gloss hot dip finish and a gloss bar-top finish on the wood. But hey, like I said suit yourself.

To get that kind of finish you spoke of you want a catalized resin finish, like Fullerplast. This stuff is best sprayed on. There are health issues. Do your research.

Better for the old military stuff is something I call stock spit shine. Take a lump of bee's wax and add a good squirt of tung oil finish and a bit of mineral spirits. Maybe 1/3 of each ingredient. Possible 50% wax and 25% of the others. Experiment. CAREFULLY melt these together, use a double boiler!. Let is cool. It will be like peanut butter. Leave the sandpaper out of this. Sandpaper makes the job look over done. It messes up the cartouches, rounds things, it never looks right if you attack the wood with sandpaper. Leave the dings! Rub the "spit shine" it into the wood real well. Buff it off with a cloth. It will look really nice. Very warm glow. IT will most importantly, look correct, not cheap.

The biggest mistake with old military rifle stocks is refinishing them to agressively. I messed up my share of stocks before I figured that out.

Skip all the voodoo finishes, toss the linseed in the well and get a bottle of Tru-Oil cut it 50-50 with mineral spirits, soak the stock until it has taken all it will take, let it set for 30 days and then wet sand as per the bottle instructions...If you want a high gloss add coats towards the end and if you want a egg shell luster then cut the finish back with oil and rotten stone real well and then use a little Pilkington red oil (Linseed) rubbed in several times..I like a very flat finish with no luster at all on my hunting rifles andI can get this too...

Most finishes are good today, oil modified urathanes like Tru oil or Linspeed, stright tung or polyurathanes work wonderfully if the application is done correctly..Polyurathanes are probably the most moisture proof...but if you really want a water proof stock then use three coats of outdoor house paint, think I'll pass on the last one.....

But really, Linseed is a 100 yr. old finish that never was worth a flip and the wonderfull luster it gave can be duplicated by adding a couple of hand rubs to a properly finished (completed) stock, after it has been cut back.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

I have used the Tru-Oil on 3 muzzleloader stocks and just was not happy with the long term results. Starting experimenting, talked with a friend who has been refinishing wood for years...SO, hold your breath, I tried Formby's Tung Oil finish (mix of tung oil and urathanes)on a scrap piece of wood, left it outside for a month here in Indiana....That's what I used on my last stock and I am very satisfied...I know, sounds crazy, but it works for me....

Scot, I gotta try your spit-shine someday, sounds like it would fill the pore nicely for all the wax, alas, I ran out of stocks to practice now.

Whisler,
I,m not surprised that Formby tung oil urathane works well for you, it's basically True Oil at a cheaper price...

the difference in most finishes is the finisher IMHO...they all work pretty good including Spar VArnish.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com