doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Tru Oil Question

Hi all, I hear so much about this finish and may have a stock redone using this. What do you all think about Tru Oil? Is it a good finish? Can you get a nice gloss finish from it? All the pros or cons would be great.

Thanks so much and all the best!

Greg

I gave it a try. No problem getting a nice gloss. It was too much for me. I muted it with fine steelwool and rubbed it by hand from time to time. Looks the way I wanted it to look: a cared-for well-used old gun.

I have used it to decent results easy to apply easy to touch it up when dinged but not very good in the wet weather. I still use it but would prefer a harder finish if I could find one. Recently Chuch H. advised a wipe on poly by minwax I think, I'm going to try that next.
All the best,
Jeff

Greg, as you may know, I like Tru-oil. I use it on all my guns. It's easy to use, you can leave it anywhere from a dull finish all the way to shiny chrome-bright. I hunted all day in the rain on Thursday with no problem. I just wipe the stock down well, let it dry and then rub in a coat of a mixture of 1/3 Tru-oil, 1/3 artists' cold pressed linseed oil and 1/3 turpentine (my stock finish maintenance "elixer"). If you want it shiny, leave a slightly thicker last coat on. If you want it satin, wipe off the last coat with a cloth, if you want it dull (which you don't), rub out the last coat with 0000 steel wool. Not fancy or expensive stuff, but it works great. That new Garbi I posted pictures of at Shotgunworld was done with Tru-oil before I even shot it.
Best regards, Joe Bernfeld

I also standardized to TO as the basis for finishing, but almost out of nostalgia - it's what my Dad used and the smell can bring on time travel.

The Minwax wipe-on satin poly is darn good stuff, mostly because it's so forgiving a finish. It's thinned right out of the can, dries fast, and self levels as well as anything I've bought or mixed.

I use lots of coats of TO mixture, so never had water issues.

Before Tru-oil:


After Tru-oil:

Watch out for Minwax wiping poly! The finish is VERY soft and does not hold up well, had to redo a K-80 after 2 months! I use floor grade poly and cut it about 20% with mineral spirits. It goes on like wiping poly but makes a very hard finish. A baby food jar will do several stocks so don't mix up a quart.
bill

I like it.

Minwax Wipe-on-Poly is made in two different formulations. One is a water based and the other is oil based. I find the oil based to be a very good finish, easy to apply and dries fast and hard. I have not used the water based version, but doubt it is as durable as the oil-based. Comments anyone?

OB

I use Tru Oil, and then, after a week of drying, rub it out with a mixture of mineral oil and powdered rottenstone. This results in a satin-like low-luster finish.

JERRY