So I’ve done a few stock, but this one seems problematic, I can’t seem to get right. The pores are filled and the finish was knocked down, but I can’t figure out how to get the figure in the wood built up and end up with dull spots in the finish, I’m using boiled linseed and Napier’s London finish which is a linseed oil with dryers. I want a flat finish but the dull spots are driving me nuts. Any advice.

It's only a guess, but it looks as if there's a large darkish patch. I think, if curly figure darkened or stained fairly uniformly, you may not have prepped the wood to the same leveled uniform grit as parts of the stock that you're satisfied with. I think the hot reflective light spot helps illustrate some prep uneveness that might feel different to the touch, maybe soft backed sanding or some reluctance to go after it? Again, only guessing, good luck with it.

You could keep doing what your doing and in time it will slowly even out as the dull spots fill from the edge and get smaller Or you could put a few top coats to Timberlux on and be done in a few days.

Never been a big fan of boiled linseed for a gunstock finish...great for protecting axes, shovels and hoe heads and handles.

Kinda looks like part of the wood is still absorbing finish.

I'd try wet sanding you might start with 200 grit wet/dry then a couple of times with 400 grit wet/dry paper with your paper on a rubber sanding block...before the slurry starts to dry give 'one wipe with a tissue paper across the grain.

You need to be sure it's had time to fully cure between wet sandings...could mean over night in a warm room.

Heck what could eYe know I'm no rOcky mountain gunsmurf...

Got to lOve that signature line of yours Mark...

Coming from a guy flagrantly trOlling for business in the same signature line.

I think I agree with Craig, I just maybe have a different way of saying it. I see it as end grain of figured areas coming to the surface. I would guess most on this forum have more experience with this, than I, but I would work down the dry finish in the big middle areas with fine steel wool( maybe 00), but next to inletting and corners with fine abrasive paper( 400-600 grit), backed up with a rubber/wood/or hard felt block. Take the surface all the way to the wood. The reflective areas are where the grain is filled and there is finish on top of the wood. If you look closely at the dull areas, it looks like the grain is not quite filled( the end grain will take in more finish than side grain). You can concentrate on the dull areas by applying finish, take it down, do it again until all the dull areas are filled. Once this is done take the whole surface down to the wood completely. You will then have the finish in the wood, rather than on the wood. At this point, you can apply whatever finish you want and knock it back to suit yourself by what ever way you prefer. What I like to do for the final finish in to rub in one coat of "Boiled Linseed Oil". Then, when( not if)I get some rain spots or other small defect from use, I only have to rub it up with fine steel wool and rub in another coat of oil.
There will be disagreement with my method, some likely very forceful, just remember I already admitted everyone else has more experience than I.
Mike

Does he troll for business? I live in Wisconsin and asked him to be my gunsmith. He rejected me very rudely and told me to take a hike.

I do not believe Mark does work for others. I have known him nearly 20 years and have never heard a rude word out of his mouth. I do not accept all clients or types or work either and I am getting more picky by the day. Could be a sign I am getting old.

He trolls for gun sales...

What do you troll for Frank?

I troll for liberal free loaders.

I have a bite....

Frank, weren't you going to pay for me? I distinctly remember you saying you would cover for me. Yet, I don't see my name on this year's contributors list.

I don't see yours either. Imagine that!

Frank you are a liberal free loader!

BrentD, you got any suggestions for refinishing? If not stop your bullshit!

Go pick on Frank, Your bullshit gets old.

You talking to the mirror again?

You are certainly not in my mirror, and I'm happy to carry this on with you as long as you want.

Seems to me that you should really be squawking at double freeloader Frank, but that's up to you.

What's next?

You might try taking it to a high gloss then knocking a little shine off.

I just go it glossy, plan to knock it back when it dries.

Are you sure that grain is dead flat? Perhaps the absorption of finish has created some tiny bit of uneven swelling. I have seen that happen with knots (which don't swell and thus become depressions occasionally).

I would be tempted to run a hard flat block of very fine grit paper across that area, recognizing that it may set you back on the finishing process.

Also, the butt pad seems to be pulled away from the wood slightly. Was that there originally, or is that really something else and just a photo illusion?

Hey Brent, thank you! Yes the grain is raised a touch I was able to get it down. There was a gap between the wood and pad I had sent it out for installation and ended having to do more work on it after it arrived. Tough to find someone to install a pad these days. It did come back better than a Silvers I sent out on another gun, that one was butchered! I filled the gap and once the finish is done it will blend better.

Just peeked in to see, you guys rock! Thanks for the help!

I once made the mistake of having a LGS install a pad. Amazingly bad. Then I moved and tried a different LGS for the same operation on the next gun, but the same thing happened again. You are right, pad installation is apparently over the heads of some gunsmiths. But I was thinking in your case that maybe that feathered wood is just a little unstable for some reason. I've seen that with some nongun projects in my shop. Hard to tell from photos though.

Looks good!

I thought you was supposed to be down in the prO'fessional section...

Cuddled up with SKB and singing songs about ya'lls greatness around the kAmp fire.

Nice Job Rick, looks great!

I went to home depot and bought a piece of highly polish 12" x 12" granite flooring and spay adhered a piece of 180 grain sandpaper.

I run my wood but end on this until I have full contact and then I do the same thing to the underside of the recoil pad. I get 100% contact between the two doing this. When the sides are dressed down it looks awesome.

So what did you end up doing to get it right?

Please do tell.

Looks great.

Patience! And more coats, it’s curing now. I think my problem was not letting the finish cure long enough before knocking it back, and as Brent suggested some of the figure was raised creating issues. Once I got that leveled out it came together! I got a few more to go but I think I’m out of the woods! Final coat airing before it goes on the box!

Looks really good, thanks for the follow up pictures.

I don't know what happened to the reply I made last night, but I felt that the problem might have a lot to do with insufficient drying time between coats. I also don't care a lot for BLO as a stand alone stock finish because there are many better choices. BLO is a reactive, rather than evaporative finish. In that regard, it is more like tung oil and varnishes, versus evaporative finishes like shellac or lacquer. So complete curing between coats is very important, and that is why folks that use BLO know how important it is to apply very thin coats, and give it plenty of time to cure. Also, successive coats of reactive finishes don't dissolve into each other, so it is important to lightly scuff them with very fine sandpaper, rottenstone, or fine steel wool between coats for good adhesion. Always follow this up with a tack cloth to remove dust or stray bits of steel wool. If the finish just beneath the surface is still a bit soft or tacky from insufficient curing, this rubbing or sanding between coats can make a mess similar to what you had.

Whatever... it looks like you have things under control now, and it is really looking great. That is a very nice piece of wood.

Thanks Keith!

What many people fail to realize is that any oil based finish cures by polymerization (an oxidizing or slow "burn" if you wish)
unlike an evaporative cure.
That is why balled-up oil soaked rags catch fire.
Leave them spread out, no problem, the heat dissipates.

A lacquer thinner soaked rag will never catch fire, as the evaporation is a cooling process.

Yes! Out of the box and now to air cure for this week! Thank you guys! I almost gave up and used Tru Oil! So what I used was Napier’s London finish and steel wool with BLO to smooth out and level. I really like the Napier’s! My first oil finish is on the books!

I find that oil finishes cure faster and better if exposed to UV light. A little sunshine helps, but not hot sunshine that could shrink a stock.

Over the last two months I have been testing various finishing methods based on the red oil and slacum information I have found on this site. I have a few questions for those of you that have used red oil and slacum for a while. My refinishing experience has been limited to about 15 guns over a number of years and finishes included varnishes, tung oils, Timberluxe, Tru-Oil, Pro-Custom Oil and Dem-Bart oil. So, I am not a rookie, but I certainly am not a professional. By the way, I'm a biologist by degree but a chemist for 35 years by profession.

First I would like to explain how I am testing the various slacum and slacum blends. All of the various slacum blends were tested on 3” x 5” flat pieces of walnut. I cut them from a number of plaques I picked up at sporting clays events over the years. In all, I have used about 25 of these walnut boards with different finishes. All of these boards were sanded smooth to 800 grit and prepped the same. I varied how many coats of red oil I applied on a number of the boards to see how the grain came out and I tried a number of different methods of application including trying to dry under UV light, rubbing down with steel wool or emery cloth between coats of finish oil to fill pores. I have tried or am trying a blend of the typical slacum (BLO, Carnauba wax, terp and Venice terp) on it's own and mixes of slacum with tung oils, Minwax Antique Oil finish, Master Pro Gel and with some red oil mixed in. The tung oil and Minwax AO were tried at a couple different concentration with slacum. All were applied after a number of coats of red oil we're rubbed in and dried. I have even tried talc to fill pores and heating the solutions before application. I used just tung oil and Minwax Antique oil over red oil on some boards as a comparison. At this point, I am still working on these samples so I am not prepared to discuss all the results. I can say that some have turned out pretty good and others were failures. I learn something new every day about the various finishing products and how to apply them for the best finish.

The questions I have are:
1) Do you rub in the finish oils after they have become tacky and after they have dried, just before the next coat? Some people rub it in by hand and others use a cloth with some of the finish oil on it. What's best?

2) Do you find that the stock color lightens or darkens after more coats of the finish oil?

3) Have you tried adding some red oil in the finish oil? Is so, how much and what have your results been. Does it tend to hide the grain?

4) Do you allow the slacum to completely dry between coats? Sometimes I find that it is still tacky the next day. Is that from putting it on too thick? As I get more and more coats of finish oil on, it takes more drying time. Does it need to completely dry with no tackiness between coats?

Once I am finished with this testing I would be happy to give you more details about my methods, formulas and results and what I plan to put on a new (old) William Evans I picked up recently.

Any suggestions or helpful comments?