doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com True satin finsih on gunstock, how to?

Most all surface type stock finishes need to be rubbed down with ultra fine steel wool, rottenstone etc, to turn a glossy finish into a satin one. The only problem with this, is the satin finish picks up skin oil and friction contact areas with your cheek and hand become glossy again. Do any here have a recommendation for a true satin finish that is satin when applied, not made that way by rubbing down?

Thanks for any suggestions. Jeff

Generally, any satin finish that is a surface coating will include a flatting agent of some sort, usually silica. Those flatting agents will have a tendency to mask some of the figure in the wood. It's a trade-off. Examples would include satin poly and satin spar var.

Hi Dogfox et. al.:

What a timely question! As I type, I have two rifle stocks that have cured with a glossy "oil finish:

I also would like to learn a method to get that great oil finish with that "glow" that a hand rubbed finish provides.

I have tried about 20 finishes recently but the closest that I can come is an oil finish that has been rubbed with steel wool and pumice stone. By adding a wax over this finish, I can get that glow.

With the rubbing with steel wool, I can get a very nice dull finish. If one has seen the finish on a Merkel shotgun, this is the same finish that I get with steel wool. I may use this dull finish as a final finish as my wife really likes this finish. It looks really great on a piece of highly figured walnut with very dark blued steel!

In any case, lets hear from all of you as to how to get this type of finish on our guns.

Be well my friends,

Franchi

For durability I finish my field stocks by sanding in a 75%/25% mixture of dull finish oil base polyurethane lightly wiping the excess slurry off between applications to fill the pores. I then finish with two or three coats of Formby's dull finish Tung Oil lightly rubbed to almost dry to even the finish between applications. After the stock has dried for a couple days I lightly rub down the final coat with 0000 steel wool to bring the finish to a soft glow. Makes for a durable finish that is easily maintained by rubbing with Tung oil to git rid of those nicks, scrapes and other boo boos picked up in the field.

I get excellent results by using powdered Pumice Stone, which is called 'Rottenstone' here in the UK and can be found in artist supply stores.

Make a thick paste with this and a gunstock oil (I use Handrubbing oil) and use this as the LAST step in redoing a stock.
The better the preparation work on the stock, the better the satin finish will be!

Rub the paste with a soft cloth onto the stock and buff with the same cloth.
Wipe off any excess and let the stock rest for a while (up to one day)
Repeat process
Repeat process
Repeat process

You'll be surprised!

Regards
Gunter
England

OP is asking for a satin finish that does not require rubbing down.

Gunter when I first started finishing my own wood I tried using rottenstone on several stocks and ended up with a beautiful high gloss finish more suited for a high grade gun. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong to achieve the soft glow hand rubbed look. Are you using a boiled linseed base oil with a dryer or something else?

Hi:

I tried the thinned dull polyurethane method with Fornby's and I could not escape areas that had too much finish, too little finch and the finish not flowing out to a smooth surface.. These products would not self level.

I tried 14,26 and 7 coat applications but I could not escape the lack of consistent coverage1 The best results that I obtained was by using a flannel patch wet with oil. This gave a coat that did flow out and self level but gave the "on the wood" look. Yes, I rubbed these applications with steel wool pumice etc. but still disliked the results.

I tried spray poly but I had a choice between runs and orange peel!

Keep the comments coming!

Stay well my friends,

Franchi

One could use satin or semi-gloss polyurethane, but IMO poly is a less than desirable finish for gun stocks. It is harder than spar varnish and will develop 'crazing' if the stock is subjected to extremes of climate change or dampness. Wood will move, no matter how well seasoned it is, and I prefer a finish that will move with it (like spar varnish which is more elastic than polyurethane).

Realizing that the following statement doesn't address the OP's question, I fall into the camp that prefers a glossy spar varnish finish, sanded between coats to achieve a glass-like surface (usually 8-10 coats on black walnut)- then rubbed out to dull it, and waxed to restore a 'sheen' rather than a gloss. I've had this method claimed to be an oil finish by unsuspecting souls.

I got to jump in here. I keep reading about guys getting a satin finish by taking some fine steel wool to the wood. If I were to handle the gun like that a little bit, it would go right back to a nice gloss unless maybe that steel wool was single-ought.. My experience is that a gloss finish is a gloss finish, and a satin is a satin. What am I missing?