I am finishing an English walnut stock with an ebony forend tip, but have a small problem in that the oil on the ebony is not drying, 5 days now and the oil is dry on the walnut but on the ebony it is still tacky.
Has anyone had this happen before and what was the solution?

Ebony is a very oily wood. When you apply an oil-based finish to it, the wood oil is drawn into the finish and retards drying. Give it another week in a warm, low humidity environment. If it won't dry, strip the finish and start over. This time, apply heat(a hair dryer works well) to the ebony and sweat out excess oil. Wipe it away with toilet paper as it comes to the surface. When very little is coming out, give the wood several washes with acetone or naptha. Let it dry for an hour or so and re-apply the finish. If that doesn't work, prepare a 50:50 mix of shellac and methyl alcohol. Seal the ebony with this, then apply the Tru-Oil.

+1 on the shellac. I did not pre-heat just a good thorough wipe with denatured alcohol then shellac. Thinning canned shellac isn't a bad idea either as the mix in the can pulls quickly. After a coat or two it can be buffed with light gray scotchbrite to almost no surface buildup. It still seals inside so then you can oil finish. Cocobolo is just as bad. Sometimes the oil will smear into the adjoining wood and you get pretty purple blotches in your well worked walnut. Hate that!

Anyone ever used a mix of acetone and epoxy for a gunstock finish? We use this a lot when finishing wood arrows and we call it the "Massey" finish after the late great Jay Massey who used it. I think I have heard of people using it on boat stuff but have never heard of it on gun stocks. For thos who have never heard of it you just mix (i think) 4 to 1 acetone to 2-part epoxy and put it on in very thin built-up coats as the next coat will melt into the last. On arrows we did maybe 3 or 4 coats. I broke the arrows too fast to know how it would hold up for avery long time but maybe some of you have tried this. And maybe it is an idea for covering the ebony so it doesnt bleed oil??

Just a thought...

on oily woods i usually wipe down with acetone or alcohol (the external kind) then use quick drying lacquer to seal. a couple coats seems to work well. never had any success using oil that tended to end up with the use of laquor alcohol (the internal kind)

quote:

Anyone ever used a mix of acetone and epoxy for a gunstock finish? We use this a lot when finishing wood arrows and we call it the "Massey" finish after the late great Jay Massey who used it. I think I have heard of people using it on boat stuff but have never heard of it on gun stocks. For thos who have never heard of it you just mix (i think) 4 to 1 acetone to 2-part epoxy and put it on in very thin built-up coats as the next coat will melt into the last. On arrows we did maybe 3 or 4 coats. I broke the arrows too fast to know how it would hold up for avery long time but maybe some of you have tried this. And maybe it is an idea for covering the ebony so it doesnt bleed oil??

IMO ; A better product for that is ; http://www.smithandcompany.org/CPES/index.html

As a person who has worked in the field of chemical formulations, Epoxies ,Polymers urethane's coatings an such for 32 years ,I caution altering or diluting standard formulations . BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN especially with extreme dilution's .

May I suggest wiping the Ebony back with acetone ,applying oil and rubbing it in ,with felt an rottenstone ,then wiping it off before it dries .
Gaboon Macassar or Makassar Ebony is a dense oily wood an really incapable of taking any reliable over coated finish , other than a wiping Oil unless properly sealed prior to applying a finish .

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Morerams

Hey mate are you familiar with , Tallowwood or Eucalyptus microcorys ? It's similar in nature as too it's oiliness an waxy substance .

If I may suggest the following ( if you're not going to epoxy seal everything ) Buff a high polish on the Ebony ,with rottenstone wiping oil like Watco oil ,using felt after a 600-1500 sanding with same oil . Wipe it all dry then finish the remainder of your stock with Tru oil ,stay off the Ebony . After stock is thoroughly dry simply apply Quality buffing wax too any Ebony or the entire stock for a final finish .

With self oiling woods like Ebony Teak Tallowood ,they don't take top coated finishes well without solvent wiping like Acetone ,denatured alcohol, lacquer thinner or Mek, then an "immediate sealing " , like epoxy sealers or shellac ,which is old school but also can be used .

One is simply attempting to seal in the woods own natural oils, which it exudes in order to preserve it's integrity and unless it's done properly ,can result in heart ache when it fails .

Teak on Boats , oils are far more popular and practical than varnishes !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Many thanks for your helpfull suggestions.

quote:

Originally posted by BaxterB:
Anyone ever used a mix of acetone and epoxy for a gunstock finish? We use this a lot when finishing wood arrows and we call it the "Massey" finish after the late great Jay Massey who used it. I think I have heard of people using it on boat stuff but have never heard of it on gun stocks. For thos who have never heard of it you just mix (i think) 4 to 1 acetone to 2-part epoxy and put it on in very thin built-up coats as the next coat will melt into the last. On arrows we did maybe 3 or 4 coats. I broke the arrows too fast to know how it would hold up for avery long time but maybe some of you have tried this. And maybe it is an idea for covering the ebony so it doesnt bleed oil??

Just a thought...

Don't do it.....hand rubbed is the only way to fly, boy..

quote:

Originally posted by BaxterB:
Anyone ever used a mix of acetone and epoxy for a gunstock finish? We use this a lot when finishing wood arrows and we call it the "Massey" finish after the late great Jay Massey who used it. I think I have heard of people using it on boat stuff but have never heard of it on gun stocks. For thos who have never heard of it you just mix (i think) 4 to 1 acetone to 2-part epoxy and put it on in very thin built-up coats as the next coat will melt into the last. On arrows we did maybe 3 or 4 coats. I broke the arrows too fast to know how it would hold up for avery long time but maybe some of you have tried this. And maybe it is an idea for covering the ebony so it doesnt bleed oil??

Just a thought...

I believe that Ross Seyfried has suggested using highly diluted epoxy as a stock finish. He reported that it was extremely durable. He wrote several articles about it back in the '80s or '90s, I think.

Thanks, got it sorted washed with acetone and sealer on ASAP and then tru oiled as normal.