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I'm looking at refinishing a stock with a traditional linseed oil (or perhaps Tungoil) finish. I would like to use unboiled linseed this time but I can not find any local with the added driers. I suspect I can get the driers, but how much do you add and are they mixed as required or can you mix a larger batch without it "going off". Also what is the red root which was traditionally used to colour the oil and any idea where it can be bought (preferably in the UK). Finally what is "rotten stone"?? I know its a fine powder used to remove the shine, but I'm having trouble locating some. I have read of someone using french chalk for stock finishing...is that the same stuff?? Thanks in advance, Pete [This message has been edited by Pete E (edited 06-14-2001).] | ||
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one of us |
Try to get a Gun Stock finish set from Napier, or just use the unboiled linseed oil without any additives. Instead of "rotten stone" you can use very fine steel wool (Buy it at the iron monger (?) or in a paintshop.) Fritz K. | |||
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Try talking to someone in a furniture repair/restoration shop. I imagine there must be gobs of them where you live. They would not only be able to explain it (In that funny language that you use, har har har... just kidding) but can also give you local suppliers or sell you some of theirs. | |||
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| one of us |
Pete. Linseed oil isn�t always the best way to go when finishing a stock. If you have a dark stock liseed oil will make it allmost black and kill the burl and fiddleback (if there are any). If you have a nicely figured stock I would recomend a oil that hardens quicker than linseed oil. A tung oil based finsh give you a good result. It�s close to impossible to get sutch oils here in Swe. but True oil is always avalible. True oil is a bit messy and sticks to everything else than the gun as well. It gives a pretty good result though. I have used a tung oil based product latley with good results. The oil is called Rustins Danish oil. I bougth it at a shop that sells stuff to make custom knifes here in Swe. I have seen this oil at shops in USA (where this oil is made). Good luck! Stefan. | |||
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Firstly,Thanks Guys, Mark, I'm trying to do a "tradional oil finish" just to see how it works. My father-in-law restores antique furniture and he advises to use pure turps as the drier, but I'm just curious what the "trade" uses so to speak. I'm also aware that there is a difference between the requirements of a stocker and furniture maker. My stock is quite light and I'd love to give it a little colour. I think the tradional way was with something called "alkernette root"(sp?)which actually looks a very dark red colour but I need to confirm that. Stefen, I used the Dannish Oil you mentioned last time I re finished the stock and my only complaint was that it came up a little to glossy with wet sanding. In fact it was probably my fault as I could not find any rotton stone to finish it off with. I may actually use tung again as it is supposed to be more waterproof than linseed. I'm staying away from steel wooland sanding with wet & dry down to 1200 grit..... If you ever have trouble getting the Rustins Regards Pete | |||
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| one of us |
I'm told that a certain English custom rifle maker (clue - double barrelled name last of which is not dissimilar to the bird that sits on a pirates shoulder) uses a furniture trade type finish which looks great in the showroom and then turns white when rained on! Good luck with your stock. | |||
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Thank�s a lot Pete! I�ll keep it in mind if the Dainish oil is unavalible here in Sweden. Stefan. | |||
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Hi Pete I've been using teak oil which i bought at homebase. It certainly brings out the grain and does not colour the stock,it dries non tacky and contains silicons so it waterproofs as well,not that we need it here in the sunny south west scotland. good luck! Griff | |||
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| one of us |
Pete, First, never use steel wool on a gun stock as the tiny steel fibers will inbed into the finish, later rust and rot a hole in the finish.......always use emory paper and wet sand the wood. Use the rottenstone (pumice) two weeks after the stock is finished..... Your best professional finish is to sand to 400 grit...raise the grain a few times and sand it off. Let the raised grain stand the 3rd time and soak the stock with true oil mixed 50-50 with mineral spirits until the wood will take no more, let stand 30- minutes and wipe it off...Let the stock cure for two to four weeks....then wet sand until a mud of finish and sawdust appear all over the stock, rub in circles with fingers and let dry ( looks don't matter at this point) it will be plumb ugly....let dry for 24 to 48 hours and repeat this process several times until in sunlight ALL pores are filled then wet sand again and gently wipe all the excess sludge off with a non absorbent napkin and let dry for a week or two...Then using finish mixed with rottenstone on a rag very light polish until gloss is gone and wood is smooth and the luster of an eggshell...Somewhat simplified but this should work wonderfully if you do not get in a hurry and just keep repeating until the pores are filled.... Forgot about Alkenet root stain, its a real pain and dirty to work with and changes little..If you want that Alkanet root color use a dye, and again thats tough to work with for a beginner as you will sand through it sure as the world..You want dark wood buy a dark blank...... ------------------ | |||
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Pete, I forgot to tell you that Linspeed is Linseed oil with dryers in it and thats what you are looking for... Truoil is the tungoil with dryers in it... I prefer the Truoil as it does not yellow with age... Both are fortified with fillers and both are head and shoulders better finish than stright linseed oil that with dryers will never quit dry...Modern oil modified finishes are so much better than old oil finishes that its just not feasible to use Linseed or Tung oil anymore as it just rots the wood away in time....Even Hollands used Shellack and Japan dryers with the Linseed oil, as did Rigby and the others.. ------------------ | |||
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Atkinson has done this, listen to him. I have done several too. Forget linseed oil, especially the raw kind. It will never dry. It will sweat out oil when it gets warm. Raw linseed oil is a mess. You can use boiled linseed if you must try it. You will need to use the wet sanding technique, with oil, that he described. You need to get some muck in the pores to fill them. Even better than wet sanding with oil is to wet sand with varnish thinned with mineral spirits. That will fill the grain and give you a solid foundation. When that is dry, sand lightly until you are down to wood. Then put your oil on it. This makes an OK finish. If you fill with oil instead of varnish or sililar, it will take a month or two to get something that resembles a decent finish. The wood will absorb lots of oil. Once if finally starts to gum up you have the beginngs of a finish. It won't be a good finish though. It will be soft and easily damaged. You can wax it to help that. Of the real oils, a tung oil product is your best bet. Bottom line........linseed oil is in every way inferior to modern products. It was used because nothing better was available way back when. The hand rubbed look is best achieved by how you finish the stock not the product. An in the wood finish will give you the look you are after. Try using matt spar varnish or any of the commercial stock finshing potions. Any of them will work fine. Just don't let it build. [This message has been edited by scot (edited 06-19-2001).] | |||
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There is a Linseed oil finish that I will recommend, it is Pilkingtons from Brownell.. Phil Pilkinton, being a chemist and a stockmaker put a bunch of stuff together and it gives you a true oil finish with all the good saved and the bad out..He also has a wonderfull red root oil (alkanet) that adds wonders to any stock...I always finish off my stocks with this stuff regardless of the type of finish I use... ------------------ | |||
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quote: You are not wrong!! As I know to my cost. DD | |||
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| <KilgoreT> |
Tung oil polymerizes as a double oxygen bond whereas boiled linseed is a single bond, chemically much less water resistant. FYI, tung oil was used from ancient times until "modern" times from China to Egypt in water proofing reed boats, contemporaneous records indicate that these boats could last 100 years and more, IN WATER. A post-WWII effort to grow tung trees in our Gulf of Mexico states was stopped when a 1950's hurricane destroyed the tree farms and "Big Chemical" swayed Americans with "better living through modern chemistry". The key is many coats, starting with pure tung oil cut 50:50 with thinner for a soaking, deep penetrating coat or two, always with plenty of curing time to thoroughly polymerize the oil. CURING is more than drying as the oxygen bonds must totally form in each coat. (Trace cobalt is the oxygen bond catalyst, included in high quality tung oil.) Driers are not really necessary as curing the carbon chain polymer is the goal - have patience. I have used ten coats applied over one month, each coat buffed matt with 0000 steelwool and old knit cotton shirts - lint blown clear with compressed air. (The layering fills the grain fully after 5 or 6 coats.) Even the 3M brand plastic scrub pads and brass wool leave "lint". I finish my buffing with nylon pantyhose, borrowed, not mine. Linseed oil finish will turn white as water penetrates, but my dozen or so tung oiled stocks appear effectively "water proof" and attractive. I have never used stains as I like the deep natural coloring of tung oil. Serious finish damage is EASY to repair in the field, very unlike polyurethane. quote: | ||
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