A friend of mine mentioned to me that he uses Owatrol Teak oil on the inside of his stock (beneath the barrel) to keep out moisture and thus prevent the front of the stock from swelling, moving, etc. when it's wet.

You guys have any opinions on this substance?

What affect would it have on the outside of a stock as weather protection?

Erik D.

ErikD, I have used Daly's SeaFin Teak oil as a finish and it does an excellent job. It is more of a gloss finish but it is very good at repelling water, as one might imagine.

"Teak oil," of course, isn't made from teak. It's a thin wiping oil varnish somewhat like "Danish Oil," marketed for applying to teak.

Ricochet,

I'm aware that "teak oil" isn't from teak, but rather for teak! Owatrol is a Norwegian brand made for boats (and other woodwork uses). As I've understood it, the teak oil will protect the wood from moisture from the inside unlike a coat that just covers the exterior. I'm thinking it might be worth trying!

Erik D.

Never used teak oil as a gunstock finish. I have used tung oil with good results. Are there any pros or cons regarding teak oil as a gunstock finish? Inquiring mind wants to know. Thanks.

Are there any pros or cons regarding teak oil as a gunstock finish?

IMHO after 25 years of messing with gunstocks is that it does not really matter, within reason of course, what you slater on your wood.

If lovingly rubbing your stock with teak oil, tung oil, linseed oil or what ever make you happy then I say have at it. Truth is that you can get a good looking long lasting finish with a myriad of products.

Good old spar varnish is easy to come by and can take care of any need an amatuer gunstocker might have. You can make it look dull and be in the wood. You can build it up. You can thin it down and wash the inside of the stock. You can get it at the hardware store!

Most of the exotic catalized stuff is more adapted to production work. I have used lots of it. It is faster but more toxic and more expensive. Don't discount the toxic aspect, you could find yourself , like me, with persistant dermatitis and a hyper active allergic response. It is not worth it! Anyway, back to catalized finishes, you can make them look how you want by altering application tecniques.

The look is more in the application techniques than the juice you put on. I want some thing that dries thoroughly and quickly. I am not intersted in gummy messes. One of my recent finds is good old laquir. Dries fast, looks good, and is pleanty durable for any reasonable use. A couple of fill coats of laquir cut back to the wood and waxed with a mixture of bees's wax and linseed oil looks great and can be touched up. That is what I do on my own projects now. If I had know about proper grain filling and laquir spraying when I was doing stocks for hire I could have saved countless hours.

A word of warning about Tung oil. The real stuff is made from a Sumac plant realtive. You could find yourself with a nasty rash if you are unlucky.

Sorry Brother but Tung Oil comes from a tree that is in a completely different genus from any of the Sumacs, so they are not related.

Tung Oil tree: Aleurites fordii

Poison Sumac: Rhus verix

The Rhus genus also includes both Poison Ivy and Poison Oak.

Rick

http://www.gunboards.com/sites/banzai/Rifles/Finish/UpM99Fin.htm



http://www.gunboards.com/sites/banzai/Rifles/Finish/M99Finish.htm



I'm not botanist, guess I got it wrong. Read it and decide for yourself.

I read the article and saw no mention of Poison Sumac...perhaps I missed it.

Tung Oil is "Oil'...Not lacquer...Not Varnish...and Not Shellac. Tung oil can, however, be one of the ingredients of any of these products.

Both the Chinese and Japanese used a "lacquer" made from the sap of a tree...which just happens to be the Rhus vernicifera, which if you recall is in the same genus as Poison Sumac.

Now...if Tung oil was mixed into this lacquer (which it was for gun stock finishes) any allergic reaction would be from the sap of the Rhus vernicifera in the mixture...NOT from the Tung Oil.

Rick