doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com in the wood vs. built up finishes

The complete story, with additions, will be out in my new book Double Guns and Custom Gunsmithing in September 07 from Countrysport Press.
I'm scheduled to introduce the new title at the Vintage Cup, Pintail Point MD, 9/07
I very much look forward to meeting each of you there to personally inscribe books.
It's a rare thing for me to leave nearly perfect Montana in September!
BTW, I've seen Permalyn sealer soak clean through a thin forend into the barrel channel.

After viewing Joe Balicki's video on stock finishing a few years ago, I finished a couple of shotguns with Permalyn sealer. One was a field gun and one a target O/U. I got acceptably beautiful results, and the game gun, which got carried a lot under tough conditions and shot all too little, fared well. It gets refreshed after every season and looks as good as all my others.

The comp gun doesn't get as much exposure to the weather and none to briars, but it gets cheeked an average of 300 times a week year 'round. I quickly found that the oil in my skin passes through Permalyn like water through a sock. In short order there appeared a big dark oval on the comb of my honey-colored CA English stock. Eventually, I stripped it, extracted it with solvent and refinished it completely with Permalyn a second time. The problem recurred.

I refinished it with Waterlox and it's impervious to the oil. Couldn't resist my usual plug, since I've actually finsihed stocks with about every commercial finish available...TruOil, Permalyn, Formbys, ProCustom, Pilkingtons, Linspeed, Napiers...

They're all good products and any will do 98% of what I expect from a stock finish. It's the last 2% that separates the top 4 or 5 for me and Waterlox wins hands down.

Mike, I recall your photos of that gun. I think you have either an unusual piece of wood or an unusual skin chemistry. I have not had your experience with Permalyn on my .22 low wall which gets "cheeked" many thousands of times per year (I use it in competition).

Seems odd, but I've never heard or seen anything like what you have experienced with that gun.

Brent

Dave,
That recipe I put up was to specifically emulate the factory satin finish.

And I as much as I don't like change, I'm prolly gonna to take Mike's suggestion on the Waterlox. In Mike's excellent how-to he explained the tedious process I go through as unnecessary if using Waterlox (middle coats of XYZ, topcoats of ZX, Pumice, topcoat YZ, blah, blah). The finish he's getting is what I generally want and get, but it the Waterlox method is much more direct route.
And though touching up guns hasn't been a hassle, I like the idea of no different layers in the finish.

Does anyone have a copy of a link to Mikes how-to? I recall seeing it but can't find it. I'm fast growing a collection of MC "how-to's"!

Two of Mike's excellent how-to's:
FINISHING

CHECKERING

Dave, to save a thread to your PC, go up to Topic Options tab, go to Print Topic, then Intrnet Explorer File>Save

Sweetness and light, thanks!! Got the checkering one already, but missed the other.

If you go to my site here under advertizers, click on my article on finishing techniques. Of course there is oil in wood finishing.

OB,
I tend to agree with your assessement of the penetration. I have some limited experience with the impregnated wood stuff. We used some of this for making model airplane props for a formula 1 race plane. I believe the impregnated wood we used was for electrical insulation applications. Also, Browning dabbled with similar impregnated wood for the Challenger pistol grips.

I'm suspicious that the best of the 'in-the-wood' finishing techniques may only penetrate the finish solids to a depth measured in thousandths of an inch, similar to casehardening. Sectioning a sample block that has been finished in your favorite method will tell, I suppose.

Chuck: Some time back, we had a long string on Dan Lefevers original finishing method. If this method is used, the finish penetrates the wood at least 1/16", that more than a few thousanths.. MDC