I got some tru-oil yesterday for the Marlin .22's I'm redoing. My grandpa was with us (they came down for the week), and he said you put tru-oil on bare wood, not over a stain or finish or anything. That doesn't sound right to me, but I wanted to ask you guys first. I says just rub it in with steel wool, so I got some. Should I focus on rubbing it over a small area at a time or like one side of the stock? Thanks for replies, I'm clueless about this.

Tyler,
he's right... the only time you color enhance wood, on purpose, is if there is a flaw, mistake, or problem.

put it on,,, in fact, the first coat should be 50/50 oil and mineral spirits or turpentine, with a WHITE rag or papertowel. Don't use steel wool with a wet surface.. it's fine (plastic "Steel" wool is better) for sanding/giving the surface some bite.

you just "swab" it on, keeping the surface WET but moving along, untill it won't take any more finish.. then let it dry for a couple days. you may as well let is sit an hour, and wipe off any runs, on the first coat

jeffe

Dangit, I already stained it. Should I still put the oil on?

Sure you can, go ahead and follow the same thing, the stain won't hurt the process... Do you ahve an "sanding sealer" from minmax? this could make you life easier on this. If not, proceed!!

jeffe

I have some poly-protectant stuff from minwax. Is that the same thing?

Good thing i've only don one gun so far. Now I know I need to get some stripper, use Oxpho Blue (I've heard it actually produces a "blue"), and don't stain a gun stock. I kinda feel like a retard.

I don't know that I agree with Jeffe's assertion that you shouldn't stain a gun. Winchester did it all of the time with almost all of their guns, which is why most older Winchster stocks look a little bit red. I believe even the venerable firm of Holland and Holland used stain on some of their very high end guns. Brownells sells stain for gunstocks.
So, don't feel bad about staining the gun. On some woods, especially very light woods, it may improve the looks of the stock.

As for tru oil, the first time I ever used it I did it wrong by building up and building up. You end up with a kind of plastic looking thing.
Water it way down with thinner, cover the stock, leave it dry a few days, sand very lightly, and do it again. What you want to do is try to fill the little tiny pores in the wood without building up a big mess on the surface of the wood.

22,
agreed, on lighter woods, or making a commerical "cookee cutter" normalizing the color, or bringing to a desired tone is fine.

on "good" wood, stain hides what you paid for.

jeffe

Yeah it does look redish, but I like it. How much should I water down the tru-oil? Also where can I get oxpho blue? Online it's $17 shipping, and midway doesn't have it. I live next to midway so I could probably go pick it up if they did and be gone with the crazy shipping.

If the wood is very light in color, and you wish to make it darker or change the color somewhat, it is certainly appropriate to use a stain of some kind. Just be careful not to darken it too much.

In addition, if you are refinishing a stock made of a wood with big or deep pores, like most American black walnut, you should fill the pores with several coats of some kind of filler, sanding down to the wood after each application, leaving the filler in just the pores, before applying any oil finish. I believe Birchwood-Casey makes such a filler to use with Tru-oil. Spar Varnish also makes a great filler, but is a real pain to sand down to the wood after it dries. Do this filling after raising the grain, but before applying the Tru-oil.

Apply the Tru-oil per the instructions on the bottle, SPARINGLY!! (The worst mistake a lot of people make is using TOO MUCH OIL! If you use too much, you'll end up having to steel-wool or sand it down to the bare wood again, because it'll dry goopy & tacky, or too-thick a coat.

Apply it all over the stock, and level the coat out by handrubbing with your bare palm before setting it aside (in a dust-free environment, if available!), to dry. DO NOT TOUCH THE REFINISHED WOOD BEFORE IT DRIES, AFTER YOU'RE FINISHED WITH THE LEVELLING-OUT PROCESS.

I recommend that you let each coat of Tru-Oil dry at least a full 24 hours before touching it or applying the next coat.

I''ve refinished hundreds of stocks...some using Tru Oil. While my preferred finish is a sanded in teak oil or tung oil finish, Tru Oil gives a very very nice finish. The trick to using Tru Oil is to use only a little bit at the time!!! I can't stress this enough. As Tru Oil is NOT a penetrating oil, per se, you DO NOT slop it on till it won't absorb any more and wipe off the excess!! You DO, however, use very thin coats until you have built up enough finish to fill the pores. Even with thin coats, when the pores are basically filled, the finish will be uneven....this is ok at this point. I then cut it back with 320 grit until the sealed pores are even with the rest of the wood. Then rub in another thin coat with the palm of my hand, and another coat 24 hours later. And then cut it back with 400 or 600 grit and rub in a few more coats with your hand. If you want to get obscene, cut it down to 1000 grit and rub it in from there....true mirror finish! I never use steel wool in the process...it won't cut the pores down even with the rest of the wood as good as 320, 400, 600 grit sandpaper will. As you go finer in grit, you will notice you don't need as much Tru Oil on the heel of your hand...it spreads easier as you get finer in grit. Tru Oil gives a very good, serviceable finish if it is put on a little at the time....too much at once and it will just peel off.

Best of luck!

quote:

Originally posted by Hank H.:
The trick to using Tru Oil is to use only a little bit at the time!!! I can't stress this enough. As Tru Oil is NOT a penetrating oil, per se, you DO NOT slop it on till it won't absorb any more and wipe off the excess!! ....
Best of luck!

Unless, as I stated, you cut it 50/50 with mineral spirits.

jeffe

Here's a post I did a while back with a step by step: refinishing a stock with Tru oil and using the oxpho blue on the barrel. I like both products.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/C...5/page//fpart/1/vc/1

Like Jeffeosso said cut the oil down with mineral spirits so it will penetrate.

Weagle

Why cut it with mineral spirits? For penetration? Why? If the object is to fill pores, fill em on up a little at the time and cut it back with sandpaper. Guess there are many ways to skin a cat right??

If you are concerned about waterproofing to the max, then here is another trick: prior to beginning the Tru Oil finish, put a coat or two of Thompson's Water Seal on the stock, letting it dry thoroughly between applications. Be very sure to wipe off what does not immediately soak in. Let dry at least a day - I like two days better with the Thompson's. It dries crystal clear and it looks like nothing was ever put on to begin with, however, hold it under a stream of water and see what happens! After the Water Seal is dry, start with your Tru Oil.

My 2 cents.

I have used Tru-oil to completely re-finish a stock, as well as to take care of scratches in a stock. It works very well, but the one thing I do that hasn't been mentioned yet is to use a small spirit gum eraser, or similar. I wrap the sandpaper around the eraser. It keeps everything flat and eliminates "scoops" in the finish while I am sanding. And it is amazing what using 1000 grit paper will do to a finish. The last thing I do is to use either rottenstone or a combination of rottenstone followed by whiting to do the final polish...

Hank,
You are right, bunch of ways to skin a cat, and if the hide is hanging off the barn, heh, who really cares how it got there?

penetration is based off a couple things,, porousity (sp) solids in the oil (which can look like viscosity, but is inaccurate), dryness of the stock, oil content of the wood, temp, density, etc...

when you thin your first couple coats, you are decreasing the solid count but gaining penetration.. most finishes benefit from the soaker coats being thinned down and allowed to go deeply into the wood to build up a base or foundation. this changes the wood deeper than just finish alone ever can. You can prove this, and the relative penetration of just about anything, by coating a hardward 1.5" dowel and sectioning after drying. This is a REALLY interesting thing to do an see what changes "under the hood" so to speak.

This is frequently even on the can as part of the instructions, at least on some minwax products and procustom gunoil.

thinning the first couple coats saves a TON of time, and puts the finish "in" rather than "on" the wood. You aren't going to fill grain with the plastics (that's what poly is) in the oil, but you will set the matrix of wood under the surface to support that oil very nicely.

Minwax "sanding sealer" is a fantastic high solid, fast solvent, good penetrating product for the first 2 coats.. use it as is, and it goes in pretty deep and dries FAST

jeffe

I'm about to refinish a badly beaten Antonio Zoli stock and I'm headed to the hardware store shortly to got some of that minwax sanding sealer. I've always been a Tru oil fan, but the lure of a fast drying finish is too good to not try.

I'll post pics of my progress.

Weagle

Weagle,
the minmax sanding sealer is AMAZING... give it a coat, wait an hour, give it amother, let it sit 2 hours in front of you AC ar return, and give it a coat of finish. you'll need more, but the base will be built up QUICK

jeffe

Weagle, awesome job on that Savage 99. I think I'll try to do the same stuff with the Marlin that's untouched so far. Do you know what the total cost of the job was?

Unless, as I stated, you cut it 50/50 with mineral spirits.

jeffe[/QUOTE]

I never had good luck with mineral spirits (but the humidity down here may have had something to do with it.) Even cut 66/33 it still gummed up. Someone on here (hell if might have even been you ) suggested trying laquer thinner instead and it really made a huge difference.

I might have... was I mad at you ???
weird that it gummed up, but that may have been the solvent in the finish, rather than the humidity...

wear gloves with that hot thinner.. and a mask ...

Tyler, Thanks.

It's hard to determine a cost for a single project because the products that I used could be used to do many guns.
But here's a quick supply list:

Citristrip- walmart/home depot etc $12
Tru oil - Anywhere $4 0r $5
Oxpho Blue- Brownells or some gun stores $12
Stain if desired $3

I just went to home depot and bought some of the min wax sanding sealer that Jeffeosso recommended. The smallest container they had was a quart ($9) and it is enough for a couple of dozen stocks.

Weagle

Ok thanks. Redoing the other Marlin will cost less than a new stock and even though it will take a while it will end up looking way better.

I did just put the Jeffeosso finish (aka minwax sanding sealer) on the shotgun stock. I think I might be a convert. The minwax is as easy to use as the tru-oil, drys faster and is a whole lot cheaper.

Here's the before and after pics.

Weagle,
nice looking finish!! if you run a coat of true0-oil over it (if you haven't) it will be amazing

jeffe

weagle,

Nice finish on the Zoli. Is that straight sanding sealer without a topcoat?

I did 1 coat of sealer. Straight out of the can, not diluted with Mineral spirits. Waited 2 hours and it was completly dry. I put on a second coat and let it dry overnight. Buffed it down with 0000 steel wool and then rubbed on a tiny bit of tru oil with the tip of my finger.

It takes a week to get the same results using just the tru oil. The pic makes it look pretty shiney, but it has a pretty nice satin finish.

It's too bad they didn't match the wood colors better. Of course that's one reason they use that crappy stained finish.

Weagle

Weagle,
fill the grain fairly well on the second coat of sanding sealer? I am having good results, as well.

jeffe

I just finished a stock with true oil, it looks good, but is a bit shiny. I have tried finishing with 0000 cotton wire, but it seems to scratch the finish anything else I should do to create a best english gun style look?

Jeffe, Yes it filled very well. I think at some point I may knock it off one more time with 400 grit and do the tru oil top coat again as the stock has some really nice fiddleback that I think will come out even more. It looks fine as is and since I plan to shoot it quite a bit for over the next couple of months that will have to wait for some down time.


All in all not bad for a $225 pawn shop gun

BTW the Citri Strip worked great once again. I somtimes feel like I'm doing a commercial for Citristrip, but that stuff is just awesome!

Slop it on thick, wrap the parts up for 30 mins in aluminum foil. use a stiff nylon brush and then mineral spirits to clean it up. Presto: unfinished stock.

quote:

anything else I should do to create a best english gun style look?

Have your tried pumice or rottenstone. I use paraffin oil. Others just use a dilute finish like you were wet sanding.

Many of you worry too much about Tru Oil! Rubbing it on with fingers works for most guns but if I have a very fancy stock that needs rubbed out, I put it on another way. Thin coats allowed to dry will rub through with any rubbing compound exposing the layer or layers underneath. These will always show.
After the pores are filled and the stock is glass smooth I thin the Tru Oil and use a touch up spray gun. I put a coat on and prop the stock for about 15 minutes until it "takes" and won't run. I apply another and do the same until I get five or more coats on the wood. This allows the finish to melt together making one coat instead of many hard layers. It is set aside for two weeks or more until the smell of the finish is gone. Now it can be rubbed and polished all you want.
I have even propped the stock in the truck with the windows shut, in the sun to speed up the drying.
Tru Oil will NOT peel unless something is contaminating the surface under it.
If the wood is not super fancy, stain it. Laural Mountain stain is the best and will bring out figure wou would never see on bare wood.