I stripped the stock, several times. Worked it over with steel wool. Now I've got 4 coats of Formbys Tung Oil Finish. It looks great.
What do I do next put it back together, wax it, and shoot it?

I would give it at least 4 more coats.. MDC

I'd hold off on waxing it. I'd let the tung really really cure before I waxed it. (its the buffing part of the waxing that could take some of that tung off in your waxing process)

Some guys might think I'm nuts but i think tung oil takes a month or 2 or even 3 depending on conditions to really cure. I know linseed oil takes at least that long times 1.5.

Waxing could wait if I were you.

Isn;t tung oil a terrific look? What gloss grade did you use? Did you use any pumice or rotten stone at the end?

I hate to say it but I think Tung Oil sucks as a gunstock finish.

But you did. Tell us why.

I have used tung oil and I will continue to use it. I find it to do what I ask it to do.

Whether it sucks or not it's on this gun for now.

What would the pumice or the rotten stone do that steel wool not do? And why treat like that?

This is my first one and it looks good. Oh, Low gloss.
Thanks
DB

Tung can work great, if you know how to use it. Pure Tung is hard to work with and if you dont know how to work with it your results may SUCK.

And a prepared finish like Formby's is modified with dryers and urethanes to make it a lot more forgiving for a novice than pure tung.

If you really want an oil style finish tung beats the snot out of Linseed in moisture protection. Using either one as part of an oil modified polymer finish makes good sense and is the basis for many commercial products, none of which SUCK.

Deltaboy, tyake the advice posted earlier about giving it a month or two. Even though it appears to be finished the oils are continuing to polimerize. Patience is one of the ingredients needed to prevent SUCKING.

Pumice or rottenstone are finer abrasives than OOOO steel wool. They leave much finer scratches, so fine that when done right they just leave a flat even soft surface with no evidence of scratching.

Jeff

The additional value of pumice or rottenstone is they leave no broken metal fibers behind. I prefer rottenstone, it is very fine and easy to control.

yeah, what they said (about rottenstone and pumice) :)... It is a long held gunstock finisher and fine wood finisher practice to use rottenstone or pumice to get that really warm surface finish and/or cut down the gloss without as others pointed out scratch the surface.

And, it is great to see others pipe in that oils take months to cure and one should not be in a hurry to wax and buff them.

My buddy just called me and said he is putting on his fourth coat of tung oil on an old gun stock he is refinishing... I converted him to tung oil recently... On the phone he keeps saying to me: "You won't believe how great this stock looks now!"
(Geepers I'm the guy who convinced him to try tung oil! hahaha)

Just another happy convert... although I do know there are many out there who don't like Tung Oil. Everyone has preferences. It's all good.

So the people that don't like Tung Oil - What do they not like about it? I mean, if someone were to have a 2,500 dollar stock made with 1,000 wood, why not Tung Oil? What else and why? Jake

How does Pro-Custom Oil stack up against tung oil?

Pro custom oil is a blend and one of the main components is Tung oil. These blends are known as oil modified polymers and they typically contain urethane varnish, oil (usually tung) and dryers like Japan dryer.

Click the link and then click the link to technical specs:

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=273505

Lot's of people are using tung oil and dont know it cause they are buying a prepared blend and don't have any knowledge of what is in it. These blends are easier to use than straight tung and IMO leave a more durable finish.

I make my own blending the components in small batches as I need them.

Jeff

I've never used Pro Oil. Years ago I used Homer Forbys 'dung' oil and didn't like it.

A while back I made up a mixture that I believe Solapan posted on here of Linseed oil, turpentine, Cobalt dryer and Carnauba wax...it really brought the glow back in the stock of one of my old guns. I'd like to see the mixture posted on here again. I think it was pretty much mixed on thirds with a small addition of Carnauba wax simmered in a pot for awhile.

I have used Pro Oil on several stocks and it is great...but the different methods are worth trying until you find one you like.

Jim

Well, I'm up to 5 coats of Formbys and it looks great. I'l try the pumice in 4-5 days.
Where do you get the rottenstone or is that another name for pumice?

Rottenstone is made from different material. It is finer than Pumice which is made from volcanic rock.

I refinished a Tobin 12 with the Formby's tung oil last year-the stuff (green can) was on sale at the hardware store. Cheapskate that I am, I gave it a try. I've got more like 8 or 9 coats on the stock, and I just wiped it on with lint free printers cloths pilfered from work, and used Birchwood Casey's "Stock Sheen and Conditioner" to knock the gloss down. Carol at Ahlman's recheckered it. It won't ever fool anybody into thinking it is a London finish, but, the results are certainly durable, it was easy, and low buck/low effort. Not sure I'd recommend it for a spendy gun, but, poly sure holds the weather out of the wood.

I've got a few guns with real oil finishes. They are pretty. But, I think for a go-to everyday gun, poly seals up the wood a lot better. Tradition gets in the way of progress sometimes.
Best,
Ted

Thank you, very useful information. The previous posts address the various pemutations of tung oil. Even in pure form, it will dry in 24 hrs. if applied sparingly and rubbed in. Pure tung oil does dry to a fairly high gloss with multiple coats.

Here is Dig's (highly recommended)formula for oil finish:

Boiled linseed oil – 16 oz
Spirits of turpentine – 2 oz
Carnauba wax – 200 grains
Venice turpentine - 2 teaspoonfuls
Mix together and heat until it simmers. Simmer for ten minutes then allow to cool.
Be careful it does not catch fire -!!!!

Rottenstone, pumice and whiting are available at any good paint or hardware store, usually Synko brand. Most woodworking supply places like Woodcraft carry these and other finishing products.

I might add, I consider these show gun finishes and would never take these guns out in the rain despite what others might say. If the weather is lousy, I have my Merkel 8 beater or an 870. Why play football in cashmere.

Homeless guy,

You have strong opinions.

Is there a commercial product that you have a strong positive opinion of?

Jeff

I have been using Formby's tung oil in low gloss and high gloss for years not only on gun stocks but on fine furniture. The last gunstock project I did I mixed the low gloss Tung oil 50/50 with boiled linseed oil and bu using it VERY sparingly..... literally half a drop per side of a SxS stock, and rubbing it in thouroughly, the finished product was amazing. I put on a coat every evening while watching TV for about a month, each coat taking about two hours to rub in. The results are a soft and satin finish that is very deep. After at least two months in the safe I completed it by using Butcher's Bowling Alley Wax, a carnuba wax in a petroleum base, this dries very hard. I use this on the whole gun, to include all metal parts. Looks great!

Anyone interested in another mans opinion on tung oil, read http://doublegunshop.com/phiatt3.htm . Mr. Peter Hiatt has a lot of experience finishing gunstocks. He is a member of this board also. Tung oil does offer the best protection against water, but then again it has its downsides. It does take a long time to completely dry, even if you add driers to your finishing mix.

Indeed! I've used a lot of the American "barracks soldier" version of Hadoke's linseed-based goop (BL, turps, beeswax but without the Venice turps resin)as a shiny patch over not so great to worn finishes. Said to be quite permeable and it certainly water-spots. Question: Did the "London oil finish" originally suffer from the same failings? What is the timeline? Does the current version contain synthetic resins or urethanes?

jack

Something else to consider about tung oil. Some people can develope an allergic reaction to it. If I remember reading a tech sheet correctly about 10-15% of people are reactive to it in some way.

Tony

Well, hell this is just an old beater. About 1 in 10 times out it's raining. That's what happened to the original finish. Looks great now.

Pete Hyatt's process is great, but he's just using a commercially prepared blend of polimerizing oils and mineral spirits, similar to what I make at home...

By the way, if you look up the MSDS sheets for Tru-Oil you'll find out that it is:

56% mineral spirits
33% Modified oil
11% Linseed oil

Jeff

Because cashmere reminds yOu of your high school sweet heart ?

You left out the Gumbracher brand name or use equivilant Artists oils and turps.
Where's the Cobalt dryer ?

TruOil, Linspeed, Formbys, Minwax, Permalyn, ProCustom, Deft Danish, Watco Danish, Napiers, CCL, Pilkingtons and countless homebrews.....have all "worked" for me to a certain extent...



But after 30 years of experimenting, I've found the best....

https://www.waterlox.com/default.aspx

Not exactly, but its high quality, soft hand and gentle warmth reminds me more of your replies than anything else.



I made you the sandwich dear, put your own mustard on it.

I refinished a couple of Parker stocks a few years back using Tru Oil cut with a little turpentine and "mineral spirits". Used the 0000 steel wool route and Formby's stripper for removal of the original finish (modified Wonko version). Then 14 coats hand-rubbed and knocked down between applications using rottenstone paste made out of uncut Tru Oil right out of the bottle. The 0000 leaves no trace of fibers or threads and the rottenstone makes a "grinding slurry" that leaves and ultra-marble smooth finish, filling pores and layering out the finish. A long and laborious process but the results are spectacular. KBM

Mike Campbell,
When you use this waterlox product, do you use a small amount and rub it in like is done with fine oil finishes? Does it give you that same deep look that comes from the slowly rubbed repetative process?
What is it that you like about waterlox?
Regards, Jake

Mike,
which version do you use?
Do they only come in gallon size?

Jake,
There are no shortcuts to a perfect finish. I use the same technique of sealing, wet sanding to fill pores and rubbing for luster and touch with every product I use. When I finish a stock I expect to invest 15 minutes a night, most every night for a month. I judge the different finishes by how easy they apply, drying time, imperviousness to water and chemicals, toughness & dutrability, "re-touch-ability" and ease of attaining just the right luster. Name any one I've mentioned and I can tell you just where they came up short.

Builder,

I now use the Satin Oil Finish and if you click on the drop-down arrow you'll see it's available online in quarts and 2oz bottles. Use the dealer locator and you'll find it at TruValue stores and woodworking stores. I just bought a quart locally for $22.

Like Laurel Mtn Permalyn, it comes as a "penetrating sealer" or an "oil finish." I've used both Permalyn and Waterlox sealers to do entire guns, start to finish. That's what Joe Balicki does with Permalyn sealer in his excellent video. Trouble is, ANY clear, transparent finish will dry to a gloss, especially if you're a fan of a very thin top coat as I am. The time honored way to get a low gloss is to "rub out" a high gloss finish, essentially scratching up the surface with a fine abrasive so it reflects less light. For various reasons, I've never been completely satisfied with the process.

The other, less common route to a low gloss is to use a finish with a "flattener" in it. Basically, it has some very fine solids suspended in it, making the oil look cloudy. It will dry to a lower gloss, can still be rubbed to smooth out imperfections and give a silky surface, but it will never get a high shine. Waterlox is the best "satin" oil I've tried.

Read their website. They've been around nearly a hundred years. A Waterlox finish is tough enough to WALK on, and we're talking just a couple superthin coats, not a plastic, bar top buildup. They claim Waterlox will withstand boiling water(I haven't tried). Even if they're exagerating, stands to reason it ought to repel rain pretty well and it does.

My comp gun gets cheeked 20,000 times a year. The combination of my beard and facial oil has forced me to use finishes with a higher ratio of polyurethane than I'd like to keep from abrading/staining the comb. Waterlox is the nearest thing to an oil finish I've ever used that will withstand the abuse.

Finishes are a very personal thing if you do your own and we have different criteria, so it won't be for everyone. But even if you like the annual rub-down with rottenstone/linseed routine, you can still start with Waterlox.

Mike,
Thanks for taking the time to anwer my questions. Do you apply it in a similar fashion to Tru Oil - put a drop on finger and rub stock or do you use something to apply it. Do you put it on thicker than Tru Oil?

Milt

Milt,

I rarely use the fingertip technique. Take a tiny drop on your finger and the first thing you do is put a puddle on the wood, right? Then you try to spread it as thinly and evenly as possible; invariably, I end up with a streak here, a drip there, or I keep going until it gets too tacky and I leave a fingerprint. I prefer to use a 3" square of non-absorbent, lint free cloth (T-shirt works) stretched tightly around my index finger. I dip it in the oil and wipe it on as thinly and quickly as possible. I've also used brown paper towel like you find in a public restroom, not the super absorbant kitchen type. My grandaughter gave me a package of gun cleaning squares as a stocking stuffer this Christmas; they work well,too.

This brings up a characteristic of finishes I refer to as "tack time." How thinly and how long can you spread it around before it starts to get tacky? In this regard, boiled linseed oil rates A+, right up there with motor oil....cures about as fast, too. Tru-oil has pretty good tack-time. Unfortunately, Waterlox comes up a bit short in this department. But I can get around it by using a cloth dampened with the finish as an applicator and working as fast as posssible. I'd say, working on just the butt stock, it takes me about 90 seconds to apply one coat. Fortunately, even though it tacks quickly and I can see tiny streaks when I'm done, it does tend to level itself substantially in the next 20 minutes or so. The next night, I apply another. Maybe a third microscopically thin coat and I'll be able to feel some slight imperfections in the finish, maybe a dust particle or two.

About every fourth coat, I use 4-0 steel wool dampened with the oil for a LIGHT rub down, wipe it off with a dry cloth and immediately apply the first coat of another 3-coat series. Somewhere around 30 coats and I'll be done. I'll give it a final 4-0 rub out, possibly also with rottenstone, and do a last, final wipe with 50/50 oil/mineral spirits.

With Tru-oil and other linseed-based products, I've moved too quickly and built up coats over others that weren't fully cured. I've had finished stocks sit for 2 months before checkering them, only to smell linseed oil when I make the first cut. I've never experienced cut-through when rubbing out Waterlox or found sub-surface, uncured finish when checkering.

regards, Mike

Mike,

Thank you for your post and your work looks very nice.

I am a little confused from looking at the Web Site exactly which product you are using. Am guessing it is the Waterlox Original Satin Finish. I see there is also a Waterlox Oil-Modified Urethane - Satin XL-89, which uses the word "oil" in the name. Would you please advise which you prefer.

Thanks again for your post. Any other tips for rookies like me would be greatly appreciated. Have three stocks to work on this winter but will do them one at a time to see how they come out.

Best to you.

tim

"Am guessing it is the Waterlox Original Satin Finish."

That's it, Tim.

If you want to try it, I'd recommend you buy a quart of it and also a can of Dust Off or some other aerosol dust cleaner. When you open the can, remove enough to fill a small, 2-3 ounce bottle. As you replace the lid, blow the inert gas into the can constantly as you lower the lid. If you want to be really thorough about it, do the whole operation inside a plastic bag. Any of the tung- or linseed oil-based finishes will set up in the can if there's air in it. No big deal if you're working out of a 2 ounce bottle, but a quart is a lot to lose.

Don't know what your woodworking experience is, but even if it's considerable I'd recommend you check out these essays. These are a couple that cover stock finishing very well and I happen to agree with all their advice...

Pete Hiatt has a good one right here on doublegun...

http://www.doublegunshop.com/phiatt2.htm

and here's one I stumbled on and saved...

http://riflestocks.tripod.com/

Winter is the time to tackle them. I'm not in a particularly humid area but, even so, the oils start giving me trouble about late March. I try to complete my finishing jobs Dec-Feb, then start on the checkering. Good luck and you can PM me with any specific questions.

regards, Mike

Mike,

Thank you so very much. I may take you up on the PM offer should I run into problems.

I also will study both the links.

Best to you.

tim

Mike Campbell.
Excellant posts and advise, as you guys may know, I do a fair (AKA a lot) of stock finishing using old traditional recipes based on Linseed Oil.But being fully aware and working in a commercial environment.(Did I use the word impatient?).We all have to be aware of modern technology and available products.To this end I fully endorse everything Mike as advised and would offer this tip.
If you can obtain it over there (It is available in the US) try Liberon Finishing Oil it really is good stuff and IMHO it is superior to WATCO.For traditionalists you could try Mike Smart's Trade Secrets Rapid Oil available from Woodcock Hill.

Mike,
You mentioned you use a polyurethane finish in your post where you talk about your comp guns. Would that be the Waterlox Original Satin or the Waterlox Oil-Modified Urethane?

Salopian,
Thanks for the nod and I will definitely try Liberon. They have a host of products; can you be very specific about which I should buy? I'm always looking to try new finishes, especially when they're recommended by people with firsthand experience on gunstocks.

Chuck,

Ya got me......I've never actually used straight-up polyurethane on a gunstock. I've only ever used the Waterlox "original sealer" and "original satin oil", what they call their #1 and #2 selling products. With the polyurethane remark I was really refering to Tru-Oil.

My first projects were rifle stocks in the 70's and 80's and I did many of them with Tru-Oil. Varmint rifles get handled very little and most of those are still beautiful today. Tru-Oil is a good finish and I still heartily recommend it to novices and/or people who want to do a passable refinish on a gun or two but aren't looking to make a hobby of it.

I was perfectly happy with Tru-oil until I got into shotguns in the late 80's. Target guns get handled a tremendous amount and game guns are gonna get scratched. I found Tru-Oil was cheap, available, easy to use and did a darned fine job of sealing and protecting. Also, I was able to duplicate the Weatherby-type, high gloss, mirror finishes that were a fad in the 70's. But when I got interested in shotguns, the gun writers convinced me what I really wanted was a "satin, low-luster, hand-rubbed oil finish." Tru-Oil started to let me down....no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get satisfactory results by cutting the gloss off. I also found it left something to be desired when there's a need to retouch.

I read an article by Jim Carmichael in which he canvassed a number of pro stockmakers for what finishes and techniques they used. That's where I first heard of "Danish oil", a tung oil/urethane blend sold by Deft and Watco. I tried it and was instantly hooked for the next several guns. Still not ecstatic over the luster but thrilled with the "retouchability" of wear spots and removing scratches without a complete refinish. Virtually all of our modern finishes are blends of urethanes and either tung oil (Waterlox, Watco Danish, Permalyn)or linseed oil (Tru-Oil, Minwax Antique, ProCustom). I've developed a bias towards tung oil blends. Tru-Oil is a linseed blend and I think it tends toward the urethane end of the spectrum.

About this time I learned of Permalyn with seems to be nearly identical to the Danish oils but "formulated for gunstocks" and I did a couple with it. This was the comp gun with honey-colored Caifornia English. Remember the 30 page thread on alkanet stain and a couple of folks commented on stains passing right through a cured Tru-Oil finish? Well, my skin oil passed right through the Permalyn finish and darkened the wood. I stripped, bleached and redid and it happened again. Finally redid with Tru-oil (unlike the stains, my skin oil didn't penetrate) and told myself I was happy with a glossy comp gun.

After doing a couple of game guns with Waterlox I used it on a second comp gun in CA English and there's no hint of discoloration after about 45,000 rounds.

FWIW, these stocks were done with 1) Waterlox Original Satin Oil Finish and 2) with the Original Sealer. I like both but I prefer the slightly lower luster of the first. The important thing to me is that those gloss levels are inherent in the finish....thats the way they dry......no rubbing or other doctoring required.

I guess few use Dembart Stock and Checkering oil but i have used it several times and i am very pleased with the low sheen finish it produces! Bobby

Mike beautiful guns and work! In looking at both styles ,capped and round knob pistol grips,i like both styles but the capped grip looks cleaner or? to me! Bobby

Nice job Mike beautiful gun, but it's kind of lacking in Luster in comparison to an English oil finish.

Mike,
Very, very nice work. I really like the satin sheen.

Does the Waterlox Original Satin Oil Finish have urethanes at all? Or is that only in the other Waterlox Oil-Modified Urethane?

Bobby,

I gotta confess, I've seen the Dembart oil in Brownells catalog, but never tried it. And I agree about the grips....I like 'em all, but if I had 6 shotguns, one would be a round knob, one would have a straight grip and the other 4 would look like the first gun!

Joe,
I don't know what an English oil finish is or I might like it too. We all have different tastes and mine is no more "right" than anyone elses. My main point is...IF you like something less than high gloss, and IF you're gonna do it yourself, and IF you're a little frustrated with trying to rub the shine off, and IF one of these lusters appeal to you, then I can vouch for how easy it is to get these results with this product. At any given time I've got a dozen or so guns I've stocked myself and 2-3 projects in the works and no 2 are ever finished exactly the same way. I WISH I had a standard process to guarantee success, but I'm still working on it. I'm always studying the finishes on custom guns and I've seen dozens I really like, but I don't know how the stocker accomplished it.

I'm not trying to sell anything here and I'd sure love to hear how others finish their stocks, especially with pics.

Chuck,

"Does the Waterlox Original Satin Oil Finish have urethanes at all? Or is that only in the other Waterlox Oil-Modified Urethane?"

Unless you're using pure, boiled linseed oil (I don't recommend it) or 100% tung oil (I've never tried it and I'm not about to)or something that says explicitly "polyurethane" on the can, then you're using a blend of drying oil and urethanes or phenolic rsins. So ,yes, the Waterlox original satin oil is a blend of resins and tung oil, just like many other products, but it's THEIR proprietary blend that makes it unique. Like Pepsi and Coke...the same, but different.

Finish jargon (resins, urethanes, drying oils, varnishes,evaporation, oxidation, polymerization, shellacs, lacquers, epoxies, etc) means one thing to a finish chemist and something else to the consumer; can be pretty confusing.Try making sense of this....

https://www.waterlox.com/Portals/Documents/0a70f60c-5ba1-43d2-a33e-257a149476cf.pdf

I think for our purpose we should treat the Original Satin Oil as another gunstock finish and the Oil-Modified Urethane as something to shy away from.

regards, Mike

Here's an image posted in the alkanet topic but it gives some impression of sheen from the previously posted oil formula. This finish has not received its final polish as I doubt it will be dry enough for another month, a drawback of linseed.
[img]http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p148/HansliCharpent/?action=view&current=DSCF0168.jpg[/img]

Mike,is the grip cap you used a late Savage factory style that came on Sterlingworths or a custom made one? Bobby

Bobby,
I made it out of ebony. Rough cut it with a coping saw, epoxied it on and shaped it in place. I've made a bunch of grip caps and a curved, checkered, removable butt plate so far. My next Fox will have a grip cap and I'm going to do my first forend wedge.

Hansli,
I didn't read the alknet story, but that is a heck of a beautiful stock. I have a piece of straight grained english that I'm whittling into a Zischang Schuetzen Borchardt that might benefit well from whatever you did to that one. Can you provide some info about how you did it?

Thanks very much for the picture.

Brent

Thank you, Brent. Skim through 'The Alkanet Story' for the pertinent posts. Some useful info there concerning color and there is a formula for the oil finish I used there and in this thread. There was another thread on finishing and alkanet running concurrently with the one above and it had good info as well. Can't get the search to work for me this morning. If you like, give me a call 512 913 5233, might save some time.

Gentlemen,
The Liberon Finishing oil I keep mentioning is exactly that description in the Liberon catalogue.Available in 250,500ml 1L,5L, and 25Litre cans, contains pure Tung oil.
Anyone seeking my opinion (not necessarily correct !!!)I am very happy to help.Please ask via these refinishing threads or PM me.
Hansli, that one photo of your stock is practically identical to a AYA 20 bore I have refinished.
Nice colour isn't it?

Yes sir. There are 2 more in the alkanet thread. One is in resplendent Texas sunshine revealing more color.

Salopian,

Appreciate any info you care to share. Am doing lots of reading before jumping into this (these) project(s).

What is it you prefer about Liberon over Waterlox products? Is the finish waterproof? Is it a Satin finish or more of a shiny finish? Any pictures we can look at?

Hate to be a pest but to do a nice job seems to be pretty labor and time intensive. Hope to do it right the first time. Mike's guns are beautiful, only hope mine come out half as nice.

Thank you.

tim

Liberon is heat and water resistant.
I have not done back to back test comparing Waterlox, but Taunton's magazine Fine Woodworking did do an extensive product comparability test August 2005 edition.Also refer to Steven Russell's Oil Slick articles http://www.arbortech.com

Yes it is labour intensive, but you only get out what you put in.Very important to realise that if your wood as little or no figure you are possibly wasting time trying to enhance it with a fine finish.

Dig, Tim,
Forgive my intrusion into your dialogue, but in Dig's earlier post Watco was brought up in comparison to Liberon and now it seems Waterlox is being compared. I poked around the net a bit and it appears they are not the same product nor from the same maker. Can you clarify this discussion for me?

Thanks

Thanks Chuck. I think I am the one who is confused. I did not realize these were two different products - Watco and Waterlox. Appreciate you pointing this out.

tim

Chuck may be confused also? Because I am not Dig.Digory is the wealthy one.I am just a poor old craftsman.Not many of us left in the UK.

I just put a coat of Tung Oil on my current stock project last night. This is the second layer. (One layer the night before). I just want to reinforce that it did take about 2 drops for each side of the stock. I never understood how so little could go such a long way, but following the sage advice of others here, I'm learning. Part of the key this time seems to be that the grain was really filled on this stock, whereas in the past I may have thought it was filled well but the amount of Tung Oil needed proved otherwise. Now a drop and I cover half of one side of the stock, and again this was only the second layer... I used multiple coats of Behlen Blood Red prior to the Tung Oil and had filled the grain with stain and wet sanding prior to the Behlen Blood Red applications, which I am not ashamed to say totalled about 12 or 13 (I did lose count)... I am assuming the next layers will require just ONE drop per side of the stock.

This stock refinish project on a rolling block is taking shape to be looking like it came out of 1878 era... It's a stock look I like alot.

salopian,
I'm sorry for the mistaken identification. I had somehow come to that conclusion from other threads.

Could you clarify the question of whether Watco or Waterlox was the subject of your experience and references?

Chuck,
If you refer to my previous post and follow the links you will find that both Watco & Waterlox are reviewed on one or the other.Hope that helps.Sorry for the delay in replying.

i just LOVE gunstock finishing questions? so many different opinions! bugsy

Salopian,

I wish thsat were true! Just had the engine on my Freelander blow up, taking out turbo, exhaust and cat - had to sell my favourite Holland & Holland 16 bore hammer gun to pay for it all to be replaced with new - then got my tax bill and last year's accountant's bill. Oh joy.

Anyway, glad you cleared up that we are two people and have not morphed into one, despite my Salopian origins.

How did you get on with the bottle of stock oil I made up for you?

This thread goes on and on (which is cool)- and as I reflect on it my avice to those wanting a simple and easy (wife friendly)means by which to get a good stock finish is to buy a bottle of Napier finishing oil.

I have used and made all sorts of traditional concoctions over the years (which is fun)and most work well - but if used properly, the Napier oil is basically the same stuff and will deliver professional results if applied by stages and rubbed off with an oil soaked cloth after each application is overnight dry.

Dig,
Sorry to hear of your misfortune.
Your oil was very good as of course we both knew it would be.
I agree that the Napier is very easy to use and anyone can get good results with it.
I actually do not like it for my own use, preferring Liberon finishing oil as a commercial finish.But frankly I have so many home brews I have probably got enough for my last ride in an oil finished Viking boat.Better get on with refinishing that as I haven't got time on my side.
Interesting link to Spiceworld hope that is not another part of the Beckham Empire ( only joking Victoria)