doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Stock Finish Drying - Question

Hi all, I've been treating my stocks with Clive C. Lemon Oil (CCL) and I really like this product. What I've been doing is hand rubbing it into the stock like BLO or Truoil.

Here's the deal, I have one stock that is being pigheaded in drying. One side of the stock has dryed and is fine, the otherside is still not dryed to a hard finish.

I'm looking for suggestions. I have heard or read that putting the stock in sunlight will speed up the process.

Your thoughts please?

All the best!!

Greg

In my opinion you might not have let the previous finish dry and then re-coated again, or you put a heavier coat on. Like suggested on the other forum, either strip it away with something that thins it or give it more time.
Years ago when I was fooling around with bamboo rods and applying spar varnish to seal the rods the full cure was 6 months.

Hang it in the sun.

Greg, another thought is to make a drying box. I made mine out of plexiglass with a 40 watt bulb inside. It will speed up the drying process. I've also read that another individual made a drying box out of a corrugated box with a hanging low wattage bulb - same drying effect. The only caution is to be sure that the bulb does not touch the corrugated paper - could cause a fire. Humidity will also slow the drying of the oil - this could be your drying problem coupled with too heavy an applied oil finish. For future oil coats you may wish to thin the oil a little - I use a several drops of turpintine in the finish bottle to thin out. The thinned out mixture will also be easier to apply. Some prefer to spread with finger tips. I use a small ball made from a T-shirt, ie., it will not leave lint in the finish.

I second the drying box. Lowers humidity and the heat speeds curing. I keep a Radio Shack battery powered thermostat/hygrometer in the box. Only way to go for me.

I made a drying box out of plywood that I painted the inside with several coats of enamel (better dust control). I use a 40 watt bulb in the summer and a 60 in the winter. I use two temp probes,one low and one high to monitor the temp. I can hold the temperature at 100 degrees for as long as I need to.

Regards, Gordon

Thanks all, great ideas!! I niver thought about a box, excellent!!

Say, if one were to let it hang in the sun, is there a time element or just let it sit till dry?

Thanks again all!!

Greg

Will lemon oil dry? I thought it remained a liquid.

Assuming your coat of finish on both sides is from the same container, I'll agree with JDW that you either went heavier on one side or put it on over a coat that was'nt fully dry. I once bought a bottle of Lin-Speed that must not have had enough dryer in the mix because a thin coat was still tacky after weeks. Tung oil varnishes are notorious for slow dry and even worse if you put a second coat over an uncured coat. As the others have noted, a warm or sunny place to dry and a little patience will usually work. That bad bottle of Lin-Speed I mentioned would have made good glue traps for mice. Note also that none of the finishes mentioned here, except maybe spar varnish, get real high marks for durability or preventing moisture transmission into the wood on a gun that will see use in the field.

Joe.....Clive C Lemon is the brand name....