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.
