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Has anyone used rotten stone to “tone done” a very high gloss finish? I picked up an old jar of Brownells without any instructions and not sure how to apply it to a recent stock refinish, also with Brownells Tung oil.

Kind regards,

John

Yes, I use it regularly. I rub it in using BLO and a carrier and lubricant, if you rub too hard you can cut through the top coat. It should work fine with Tung oil as well.

I use it dry, just dust a very small amt onto the wood surface and use soft cloth pad to rub out the finish. The old reliable worn T-Shirt material works well. Folded over a few times to make a pad.

I've saved the pad as it still holds the rottenstone in it after use and re-use it again and again on othe stocks and grips.
I store it in a plastic bag, If I do happen to drop it onto the floor while using it, it gets trashed immedietely as it lkely picks up some tiny narly bits of metal filings off the floor that won't do th finish on the wood much good.

I use Pumice the same way. It's just coarser grit than the Rottenstone,

I have used both with a Linseed Oil top coating on a dried finish. I use the snobby Artist Linseed Oil , the smaller bottles for oil paint artists.
I find the stuff actually drys in a couple days+ unlike the hardware BLO in a big can.
You use so little of it in a stock coating, or should be using so little, that the small bottle goes a long way.

I apply the thinnest hand rubbed out layer of oil I can on the wood all over first. Then sprinkle a tiny amt of either onto the surface right onto that oil.
Then again hand rub the surface down once again. No pad this time,,just bare hand rubbed down.

Set it aside for 12hrs or so. Then go back and hand rub it out again w/o adding any more oil or rottenstone. The Linseed will still be soft and the surface will be able to be polished again with the mix. Any harsh gloss will be gone and the nice oil finish type glow will result after letting this second session completely dry, which will take a while.
You can always add more micro thin layers on top of it of course.

Just the way I do it, There are plenty of other ways. Results are what count.

It is available in several different grades of powder grit size. I have bought it from Luthier supply houses but other places carry it.

Way back when, it was also recommended as a way to finish off plastic butt plates and grip cap edges which had been sanded down with the stock wood. Used wet on a felt or cloth pad.

The previous comment is correct. It is the same thing as pumice powder, just ground to a much finer mesh size.

I had need to do this to a refinished AE Fox 16 ga. a few years ago and ordered it but never used it. I was afraid, with lack of experience, I'd screw something up. Birchwood Casey Stock Sheen and Conditioner was recommended to me by someone here as an easy to use substitute. I bought a bottle, used it according to instructions, and it worked perfectly.

https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/products/stock-sheen-conditioner-3-fl-oz-bottle.html

i doubt I ever use any of it again as I just refinish my shotguns now with a sanded in finish with which it is very easy to control the sheen.

Pumice is coarser grit than Rottenstone, bit they are different materials as well.

Pumice is a volcanic rock. That light weight one that floats on water..
Rottenstone is a mineral, I think a type of limestone.
The latter can be ground/milled down to finer grades as well.

Some finishers start with Pumice for the project and then switch to a final rub down with a favoite grade of rottenstone depending on how high of a gloss they desire.

Most of the commercial rubbing compounds for polished metal & finished wood & painted surfaces have (or at least had used) some small amt of rottenstone in them as the polishing agent.
The finest grade was used in glass polishing/lens polishing so it can be quite fine
It can actually enhance a gloss and bring it up on a surface rather than 'knock it back' when you get to the finest grades.

Good 'ol Brasso brass polish has a touch of rottenstone it in to brite polish the brass surface. That along with ammonia compound to remove the brass oxidation.
...Don't use it on a Shellac wood finish (like a Stock) as the Ammonia will disolve the Shellac..

You are a veritable treasure trove of gunsmithing info, Jim. Thanks once again.

I gave up using rottenstone and Pumice for finish matting and grain filler because they are abrasives and had this tendency to take the edge off chequering tools. So as an alternative for grain filler Talcum powder works extremely well with non of the abrasive qualities, and as for matting a finished stock I use "OOOO" Wore Wool with a soft wax polish as a lubricant and just in case some Wool strands are left behind I go over the stock with a strong Magnet.