Tung oil / Stain / For Gunstock ????

[Truefire]

Hey Guys, i am finishing a gunstock that appears to be made out of a somewhat softer wood (unknown) such as maple. I am wanting to stain the wood a light tannish brown color and also wanting to seal the wood with a tung oil-mineral spirits combination to get the water resiliency and somewhat of a stabilazation factor down into the pores.

Now, would you recommend staining the stock first and foremost then sealing and ending with a wet sand to fill the grains or I have even thought of mixing the stain or can one even add stain to such a tung oil - mineral spirits combination mixture ???

I don't know really. I have finished some in the past but i didn't really stablilize the wood properly. I want this stock to be somewhat stabilized by having several coats of tung oil buried deep within it's cellular fibers and pores.

Just not clear on the sequential order of stain, tung oil mixture, wet sand or somewhat different that this order mentioned.

Thanks for your help.

Chris

 

[Dragon]

It's been a few years but the last time I refinished a gunstock I used the Birchwood Casey stuff. You can find it at most better gun stores and some big boxes like Wal Mart and K Mart. They make a full line of specialty gunstock finishes and I had good results out of it. YMMV

 

[Mike Davis]

I did a shotgun stock that was pretty rough a couple years ago.

I scraped it down to clean wood, stained it and put on about ten coats of the Birchwood-Casey stuff.

Here's how it turned out.

Sorry I don't have a before pic.

 

[Dragon]

Nice work Mike. :thumbs_up

 

[Mike Davis]

Thanks!

I got the old 870 cheap because the stock had a lot of rough wear on it. The wood had dirt and grime ground into it. I think it was an old Police cruiser gun. There were wear marks like it had been rubbing around in a car rack for a long time.

 

[Gotcha6]

I know a retired Police Officer that says that is one of the best crowd silencers he ever saw. The sound of the slide action jacking a round into the chamber gets EVERYONE'S attention!

 

[Mike Davis]

You should hear it in the middle of the night, in the dark, through my front door...

Or maybe you shouldn't. :rotflm:

 

[jhreed]

The Birchwood Casey stuff is called Tru-oil and is very easy to apply. I used my index finger. Applied several coats. apply, let dry, next coat. Came out looking like the browning high gloss finish.

Mike, the 870 is a great gun. Had one and sold it, I hate it when I do that. I still have a pump gun, it is a Colt.

James

 

[Truefire]

Yeah i'm familiar with the Birchwood Casey product Tru-Oil. That isn't what i was desiring to use, i was inquiring as to what order i would apply a stain and tung oil. I have a stain that i am wanting to use to produce a color that i am looking for. The tru-oil is limited to one color.

My question again is should i use my stain first and after a few days of curing utilize the tung oil - mineral spirits mixture or should i stain second, if at all possible. I will be using the tung oil to stabilize the wood by filling the wood's pores and fibers.

I am simply inquiring as to the best order of operations regarding these applications.

Thanks, Chris

 

[rick7938]

Chris,

The stock is probably a type of gum - especially if it is a Stevens/Savage from the 60's.

To get an even stain coverage, I would put on a sealer coat of the tung oil mix, let it dry, polish with 0000 steel wool, put on your stain, and then follow with more tung oil mix to the desired finish. I can tell you from having refinished similar stocks in the past, it is tough to get that gum to look remotely like walnut.

Good luck.

 

[Mike Davis]

I thought I did answer the question

Sand

Stain

Oil

and oil

and oil...

 

[jhreed]

I agree with Mike. Stain first until you get the coloring you like and then apply the finish.

 

[Howard Acheson]

I have never finished a gun stock but let me give you some basic info that may help.

First, you stain before you coat with any clear coat. The only way to know what color your wood will be when stained is to test the stain on some inconspicuous spot first. Do not rely on the color shown on the label of the can.

Second, maple--if that is what the stock is made of--is a difficult to stain wood. It is very small pored so tends not to absorb stain well or deeply. It has a great tendency to color unevenly.

Third, what is on the gun stock now and what did you do to prepare the gun stock for finishing? Stain can only be applied to a wood that has had all the old finish removed. The only thing that will do a good job is a chemical stripper containing methylene chloride. If an residual finish is left on the gun stock or in the pores, a new stain will not be absorbed or color properly.

Fourth, Tru-Oil is a polymerized tung oil. Tung oil is not as water and watervapor resistant as many other finishes, but if you want to use tung oil, a polymerized tung oil is somewhat better than a non-polymerized tung oil. Even thinning the tung oil with mineral spirits will not give you much penetration if you are dealing with a non-absorbent wood like maple or some other hardwoods.

 

[CarvedTones]

Tru-Oil is a polymerized tung oil. Tung oil is not as water and watervapor resistant as many other finishes, but if you want to use tung oil, a polymerized tung oil is somewhat better than a non-polymerized tung oil. Even thinning the tung oil with mineral spirits will not give you much penetration if you are dealing with a non-absorbent wood like maple or some other hardwoods.

I did not know this. I have an even higher opinion of tung oil now, if that is possible.

Try this Google search:

http://www.google.com/search?q=tru+oil+waterproof

People who use it think it is waterproof by a factor of about 10 to 1. I first heard about Tru Oil in a mandolin building forum. The consensus was that it was very good but a few builders feel it seals too well, almost like sealing it in plastic.

 

[Truefire]

Thanks guys for the insight and advice, for which i am thankful, as for the species of wood, it does appear to be some type of maple, but i am not 100% sure.

I do appreciate the advice about using a chemical stripper containing methylene chloride, i wasn't that familiar with this in regards to cleaning out the old pores. I did however sand the stock down to the original wood of course, but i did not utilize any chemical cleaner afterwards. Hmm...

I wonder if it would hurt the wood to utilize same after having been cleaned of the prior finish. There doesn't appear to be much stain from the original finish left in any of the pores but i suppose there could be some microscopic portions down in there that might would prevent the stock from taking stain now.

Could i use the same chemical stripper to clean this raw wood now or is there another type to use to clean out pores and such?

Thanks, Chris

 

[Mike Davis]

If you have sanded all the old finish all the way through the old stain, it should be good to go. I would not put stripper on it at this point.

You could wash it with alcohol or acetone in a well ventilated area if you just feel the need to use chemicals.

I wouldn't.



Sometimes dampening the wood with mineral spirits before you stain will make the stain even out better.

Stain. Steel wool, lots of oil, dry well, more steel wool, more oil, dry well, repeat.

 

[Kyle]

how to..

http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/jim-carmichel/2007/09/refinish-your-rifles-stock


a good finish..
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(p5...tId=5&subId=66&styleId=226&partNum=LMF-FINISH

I have a recipe for high end stocks I can't seem to find..but it is primarily a french polish.

 

[golfdad]

Another great product to try is Great Stuff from Grizzly.....awesome...wipe on ...let sit...buff it out]ccasion1