The finish on my Steyr S rifle is a very dull oil finish wiht some areas where pores are visible.

The stock wood is in very good condition (apart from the "bad" finish, it has no dings or scratches and is smooth/polished.

I'm looking for suggestions for getting a better oil gloss finish.

What kind of oil can I use to improve the existing finish ? I didn´t wanted to do a complete refinishing job, just give a little more shine to the existing finish....

Cheer´s

First you need to determine what the original finish is. You may (probably) encounter adhesion issues. Since that may be impossible you are more than likely going to need to take it back down to bare wood, or just live with it.

If the finish on your stock is dull all over including areas generally not handled ,then it's more than

likely a traditional Oil finish . If this is the case then you could use a mild solvent such a

mineral spirits ( Paint thinner ) and wipe down the entire stock ,using a two rag method . One wet with

solvent one dry . By alternating the wiping process and turning the dry rag often to a new clean surface

to remove any residual wax or dirt from the stock . Many use a product called Tru Oil for re sealing

Wooden stocks . Number of coats is dependent upon a few things mainly protection desired and gloss finish

your looking for . Others use different products . Myself I prefer more durable finishes However if

traditional Oil is what I'm doing. I like Tung Oil mixed with ( Oligomeric polybutadienes ) which is

Polyoil . Urethane floor finishes especially Commercial Hardwood floor finishes make EXCELLENT Stock

finish material . An you can still use traditional OIL finishes over them ,only apply a single coat .

I personally prefer Bonakemi or Duraseal or Glitza / Not sure what's available in your area ?.

Small quantities of similar ( same company Duraseal ) products are available through MinWax .

Another really good product is Watco ; http://www.rockler.com/product...684&source=googlelps

http://store.mybonahome.com/Finish.aspx

http://www.duraseal.com/sectio...ucts/ss/gymth450.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Birchwoo...Finish/dp/B0000C5398

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx...earch=Stock_finishes

Once the stock is free of all dirt wax and any other contaminate , simply apply either full strength

or slightly diluted floor urethane by brush , lambswool ,felt or a lint free rag .

If you desire a lower gloss finish use Matt or Satin , I use HIGH GLOSS yet only apply ONE coat , then

wipe traditional oil over the stock several days AFTER urethane has dried thoroughly . If it's to shiny

fine brass wool knocks it down or dulls it slightly ( I don't care for steel wool and oil finishes ).

Now after your satisfied with the finish you've chosen and it's NICE AND DRY . Wax with a fine wax

such as a high quality furniture or cabinet makers grade of wax .

Whichever finishing route you decide on TEST ON ANOTHER PIECE OF WOOD before doing your stock

practice nearly makes PERFECT . Besides you'll see which finish you prefer BEFORE doing your stock !.
PS ; I've never found a more durable deeper penetrating modified Polyoil product than GYMTHANE

by Durseal. For use on wood PERIOD . If you can secure a small amount possibly from a floor re finisher

You'll thank me years down the road !!!. BOL ...

quote:

Originally posted by Nsiro:
The finish on my Steyr S rifle is a very dull oil finish wiht some areas where pores are visible.

The stock wood is in very good condition (apart from the "bad" finish, it has no dings or scratches and is smooth/polished.

I'm looking for suggestions for getting a better oil gloss finish.

What kind of oil can I use to improve the existing finish ? I didn´t wanted to do a complete refinishing job, just give a little more shine to the existing finish....

Cheer´s

You can probably apply Linspeed over your existing Oil finish to improve it:

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx...Product/GUNSTOCK_OIL


This would be the first thing I would try over an existing oil finish to build it up to a higher gloss.

Of course you could also try a good wax like Rennassaince wax also.

Refinishing the stock is an entirely different project altogether.

But anyway, if it was my rifle I'd buy the Linspeed and try it on a small area, if it works to your liking rub a couple coats into the rest of the stock. After it's dried a minimum of a week give it a good wax and then go hunting.

This is a pic of linspeed over a Tung-Oil finish:




Good luck, if you decide to refinish we can start another thread............dj

Thanks for the advices,

Unfortunately I´m limited as to the products I can obtain here in Portugal, my choices are limited to products I can obtain locally in DIY stores or from mail order / ebay sellers, that ship to Portugal :

Tru-Oil or CCL Gun Stock Conditioning Oil

CCL Oil

And then Danish , Tung or Teak oil

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayI...geName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayI...geName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayI...geName=STRK:MEWAX:IT


I´m not familiar with the different kinds of oils, but from the descriptions and what I´ve red the Danish oil seems like the best option, as well as this one :

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayI...geName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I´ve removed the action, recoil pad, sling swivels from the stock and gave it a wipe down with turpentine to clean it.

I noticed that the stock has become darker under the action and on the pistol grip, probably from handling, and would like to “clean” this areas in order to obtain a more uniform color/finish. Will fine steel wool with turpentine work OK ? Or will I have to sand it ?

I´m thinking about lightening the color on the entire stock, as I would prefer more of a “blond” tone over the “very” dark brown it now has. Can this be easily done ?

Here´s a photo of the stock, sorry for the quality, but I´m not much of a photographer....



Cheers

Sorry if I misled anyone into thinking a complete refinish was required . Didn't mean to that and is more than likely unnecessary .

Solvent ,paint thinner, mineral spirits or whatever it's called over you way ; is simply used to clean

any old wax and dirt sweat grime off before applying which ever product you decide to use .

This is what I use to " Really Clean " a wooden surface ; That i don't want to Strip the original finish from . http://www.mohawk-finishing.co...rowse.asp?ictNbr=164

Please feel free to Look around this Company's web site for Professional Wood Finishing products and Ideas as to what Really Works best .

Example ; http://www.mohawk-finishing.co...rowse.asp?ictNbr=232

Mohawk Tung Oil (Modified) is a proprietary blend of non-break tung oil and propolymerized alkyd resin in a solvent system. Recognized as fast drying, hard, resistant to water, acid, alkali and mildew. One of the most durable of all natural oils. An ideal oil finish for new or stripped wood furniture. One coat achieves a low luster finish. Each additional coat increases gloss. Far superior to linseed oil as finished wood will not darken with age. Tung Oil preserves the natural color of the wood. Surface scratches in a Tung Oil finish piece can be removed with a small amount of Tung Oil. An occasional polishing with Mohawk's Lemon Oil Polish will preserve the beauty of the original finish.

Renaissance wax is Top quality as is Briwax

http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/default.asp

http://www.woodcraft.com/Produ...Renaissance-Wax.aspx

http://www.woodcraft.com/searc...7Stp8CFRKiagodlEs_zw


I like this one or the Teak Oil of what you've posted .

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayI...geName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

BOL ; With whatever your choice is .

You mentioned lightening the stock wood. Once the finish has been removed and you're down to bare wood, you can apply wood bleach to lighten it up to a point. Some pieces of wood will lighten quite a bit, others not as much. Wood bleach is pretty much oxalic acid, I'm guessing it should be available in your part of the world.

Wood bleach:

http://www.google.com/webhp?hl...&fp=e8d6ef47431c6a4a

As bleaching the wood will require striping all of the previous finish, and I don´t intend in doing that now, and as I´m not shure of the results I´ll leave it as is for now and concentrtate on “improving" the existant finish.

I looked up the Data sheet for the Quick Dry Outdoor Danish Oil, http://www.rustins.eu/ProdData...productdatasheet.pdf , and it is said to be : “... a unique water-borne blend of natural plant oils and other special ingredients to nourish and protect all types of exterior timber”, they also recommend that the brushes be cleaned with soap and water.
Beeing water based I´m not so sure this is the right product for a stock finish, as I was thinking more about an oil / resin mix.

From the data sheet the Teak oil seems more appropriate :http://www.rustins.eu/ProdData/Teak%20Oil.pdf, also the CCL oil, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayI...geName=STRK:MEWAX:IT, states that : “....it will soon fill the pores and provide a fine surface sheen to wood...”

So I think I´ll go with either the CCL or the Teak Oil, and would like to know if anyone tried any of this and what´s your experience.

Another question I have is about the checkering, should I tape it during refinishing ? and how should I finish it ?

I´ve red that a thinned down mix of the chosen oil should be applied to the checkering, when should I do this ? Before or after the rest of the stock ?

Cheer´s

Yes ; I've used every known oil, combination of oil along with nearly every other concoction one can

apply to wood be it soft or hardwood . I've also formulated many different " Coatings "


as well as Epoxies in last 30 years for a few of the largest chemical company's around .

Teak Oil comes from the Teak tree . I've not found any better than this one .



Tung oil comes from the seed of the nut of a Tung tree .


Rarely unless you Purchase " Pure Oil " do any products simply contain just that ingredient .

Most are proprietary blends of several substances including Polymer chemistry and that's from A-Z !.

A totally wide open spectrum of nearly any chemical and combination of plastics . Tougher than nail

waterproof Urethane is near impossible to beat ,for soaking into wood . On stocks I'm not crazy about

plastic shiny looking stocks ; So I don't let it set on the surface . If it does I knock it off with

brass wool or scotch pad . Allow it to dry and then apply either teak or tung oil over it and soak it

with several coats . Allowing it to fully dry .A few days buffing off any excess which may surface an

then applying a quality wax 2-5 coats buffing each one . An extremely durable scratch resistant oil

finish .


Below is an article on Stock finishing ; Note how they make one believe Only tung oil penetrates an

seals or locks out moisture . So does Teak oil linseed on and on . One of the reasons I prefer

urethane is it's water proof PERIOD . A well cleaned stock solvent wiped even with lacquer or acetone

will leach out the Oil. If your stock is " Truly an Oil Finish " NO PROBLEM . As it will lighten an

severe as a opening process to allow new oils to soak in and reseal . If it's a combination finish ?

well then a gummy messy and even stock stain concoction can result and will also need to be

removed . It's how far do you want to go ? It's why I suggested paint thinner first for cleaning

See if that does it , if not try another solvent in an inconspicuous area and determine if that's the

way you want to go ?.Now perhaps you know why I like and suggested Dura Seal Gymthane Oil,its the

toughest oil wood finish made PERIOD . Basketball , racket ball courts use it with an over lay of wax

.Think about that for a minute . IMO ; You do want to stay with an Oil based and NOT a water based

product !.




Pro-Custom Oil Gunstock Finish

Tung oil is an excellent gunstock finish. There are many ways to finish a gunstock, and there are many different types of fine finishes available, but there's nothing quite like tung oil. When tung oil is applied to wood it penetrates deeply into the pores, seams, and tiny indentures found on the sanded surface and seals up the wood. So it prevents the wood from "breathing"; for example it can't absorb more moisture when exposed to water or moist air, and it can't discharge water vapor when subjected to extremely dry air or intense heat. Because the wood is sealed up, it becomes much more stable. Any tung oil finish has this penetrating sealant property. But pure tung oil is a very thin fluid, and it may take many repeated coats to saturate the wood's surface. To hasten the sealing process, some tung oil finishes are mixed with some other type of finish. For quite a number of years many gunstock makers utilized a tung oil finish called Flecto Verathane Tung Oil Danish. It was a mix-90% tung oil, combined with other urethane solids mixed in. The tung oil carried the urethane solids into the wood. They "gummed up" the pores much more quickly, and the whole sealing process was accelerated. Two or three coats of mixed finish sealed as well as 10 to 12 or maybe 14 coats of pure tung oil. The trouble is, Flecto Verathane Tung Oil Danish was taken off the market in 1984. Other tung oil finishes work well. Formby's is good, Watco oil is good, and many of the others are likewise quite suitable for gunstock finishing, but none of them quite satisfied stock makers, and enough complained to the finishing oil makers, until something happened. Thanks in no small part to Al Lind, Larry Brace, and other members of the American Custom Gun maker's Guild, a company called Chem.-Pak, Inc. began making a finish called Pro-Custom Oil. It is actually an improvement over Flecto Verathane Tung Oil Danish in that it utilizes more compatible solids additives. We are gratified that this type of finish is available to our customers-found in the accessories section.

A common misconception !.

Many of the products that are manufactured as tung oil on the market are not true tung oil. Instead they are a mixture of polyurethane and paint thinner that are manufactured under the name tung oil. Polyurethane/paint thinner mixtures that are manufactured as "tung oil" are distinguishable from true tung oil by their ingredient list. Tung oil that is not true tung oil is listed as having petroleum distillate added.

I have read so many errant articles and BS about wood and wood finishes on several different

web sites. Including wood working sites as well re-finishers sites ; it's truly pathetic the amount of

misinformation the internet carries now days !. I even read where Urethane can't soak into wood and

only forms a shield on top of the wood !. The guys at the lab are rolling in the isles !!!.

quote:

Originally posted by Doc224/375:
...Teak Oil comes from the Teak tree . I've not found any better than this one .

I believe that is not correct. teak oil is drying oil, thinned to absorb easily in teak and other woods. it is not made from the teak tree.

Teak (Tectona grandis)

Teak (Tectona grandis), sometimes called Indian Oak, is found in Southern India, Pegu, Java, Siam, and Burmah.



The wood has a fine straight grain. It somewhat resembles English oak in appearance, but has no visible medullary rays. The annual rings are very narrow and regular.

The colour varies from brownish yellow to dark brown with green black variations . The texture is very

uniform,

The timber is stronger and stiffer than English oak, generally considered heavy . It contains a resinous aromatic oil, which makes it very durable, and enables it to resist the white ant and worms. It does not corrode, but rather preserves iron fastenings.



There are seldom shakes on the surface, but it is subject to heartshake .

The resinous oil which exists in the pores often oozes into and congeals in the shakes, and will then destroy the edge of any tool used in working the timber.

This oil is a preservative against rust, and teak is therefore used for backing armour plates and other iron structures.


The oil is sometimes extracted while the tree is growing by "girdling;" that is, cutting away a ring of bark and sapwood. This practice makes the timber brittle and inelastic, and reduces its durability.

( Admittedly this practice is extremely limited now days unless the oil is captured and distilled in shake areas , after the trees are fallen and cut . Mainly because of timber values !.



teak, tall deciduous tree (Tectona grandis) of the family Verbenaceae (verbena family), native to India and Malaysia but now widely cultivated in other tropical areas. Unfortunately, the wood of plantation teak is considered inferior to that of wild teak; consequently the wild populations are being decimated. Teakwood is moderately hard, easily worked, and extremely durable; beams said to be over 1,000 years old are still functional. The wood contains an essential oil that resists the action of water and prevents the rusting of iron. The heartwood is resistant to termites. Teak is superior to all other woods for shipbuilding and is also used for furniture, flooring, and general construction. Several other similar woods from unrelated trees are sometimes also called teak. Teak (Tectona grandis) is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Famiales, family Verbenaceae.

( I believe as I previously stated ;vary rarely does one get PURE anything unless you specify from a

chemical supplier for industrial or medical grade product . Most products are a combination of

ingredients of which some are proprietary .

delloro, you are, of course, correct for the wood finishing industry. For example, Watco Teak oil is actually a Linseed Oil with UV inhibitors and penetrating solvents. Daly's Sea-Fin Teak Oil is a Tung Oil finish with modifiers. They are used for wood finishes where penetration is necessary as well as a lasting seal.

There is an oil in and from a teak tree, but it has no uses for wood finishing.

Update :

I´ve obtained and tested Teak Oil on a piece of blank wood, but didn´t like the results very much, the oil had a dark brown color and I didn´t liked the look of it, so I went with Tru-Oil.

Over the last few weeks the stock has taken 5 applications of Tru-oil, with ample drying time between each one, the wood seems to be sealing nicely, there are just a few areas on the forearm that keep taking the oil and looking matt and dull.
I think that two or three more applications should give me a uniform finish.

After finishing the Tru Oil applications how shoul I proceed ? Wax ? Polish ? Steel woll ?
I prefer a satin fiish over the gloss of Tru Oil.

Thank you all for the suggestions.

cheers

You can dull the gloss with rottenstone.

Thanks for the suggestion Craigster.

How is rottenstone used ?

I´ve found, on e-bay.UK, the Birchwood Casey Gun Stock Sheen & Conditioner said to give a satin finish to Tru Oil finished stocks and a “ Stock Burnishing Cream”, the description sais : “Provides lovely mid gloss shine.
Are this an alternative to rottenstone ?
Anyone has experience with either product ?

If I wax the stock will this harm a future recoat/repair with Tru Oil ?

How shoul I protect/finish the checkering after finishing the stock ?
I´ve avoided the checkering on the several coats of oil I´ve given the stock so far, and was thinking about giving the checkering a coat of 50% diluted Tru Oil, with a toothbrush, for protection, is this ok ? Or have you other suggestions ?

Cheer´s

I mix the rottenstone with mineral oil. I've used the BC product and it does work well. Your take on the checkering treatment is the way to go, I like to use an artist's paint brush rather than a toothbrush. Down the road if you want to recoat with Tru Oil, I'd remove whatever wax that had been applied with a wax/grease remover. Mineral spirits works well.