TRU-OIL problem

Stripped Pedersoli walnut stock and stained it. I let it dry completely , 2 days, and I applied the tru-oil as directed. Looks real good but it didn't dry completely after a day in the sun. Still a little tacky but I lightly steel wool it and apply another light coat and let it dry in the warm weather. Still a little tacky after 2 days of drying. Again I steel wool it and apply another light coat. Crap !#% I do it a couple more times but absolutely will not completely dry even after 3 days. I've tried it on windy warm days as well as under the air conditioner. Any ideas? I will call the manufacture & hopefully get some answers. date code 241156..........labrat

Try a heat gun

I think your problem is you're putting on coats that are way too thick. Coats should be applied very, very thinly with your fingers and rub in and smooth out (you can feel it getting "thick" when it's been applied right and ready to be left alone). Then wait until all tackiness is gone before even attempting the next coat. At this point you've got multiple layers too thick to properly dry and cure and I'd suggest you go to work with your steel wool and get it all off, or at least at much as you can, then get all that steel wool dust off of there by brushing, air-blowing, tack-ragging and wiping down with solvent. Start all over again by first very lightly sanding, leaving the sanding dust on the stock (why? the dust mixes with the oil and helps fill the pores), then apply as I suggested, wait again, and then again lightly sand in between coats, just enought to dull the surface, 400 grit ought to work fine, each time leaving the sanding dust on. DO NOT USE STEEL WOOL in between coats unless you take great care to get all the steel wool dust off.

Personally, I wouldn't use Tru-Oil anyway for a muzzleloader, as the final result is a shinier finish on the stock than I prefer for that type of firearm. I have, however used it obviously, or wouldn't have been able to recommend how to remdediate your project.

I refinished my Pedersoli, too, but didn't use Tru-Oil:
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/yup-fixed-my-pedersoli.167978/

ArmorerRoy said:

Try a heat gun

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Mmmmm .... I think by now it's past that point, sorry.

I’ve used Tru-oil for many stocks over fourth years and have no problems getting a dandy finish. It can be dull to shiny depending on how you apply it. My technique is to thin it with mineral spirits about half. Then apply very thin spreading with the palm of my hand very briefly to flatten it but not to the point of it getting tacky. In an average day it drys fast enough to apply two to three coats a day. If it gets to thick or shiny for the effect I want break it with Scotch Brite pads then tack cloth. A couple of examples,
IMG_0507 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr
61F9779D-D402-456B-B8A1-93652CF5142E by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

Thank You gentleman for your feedback. Very beautiful stock finishes you all have. I did apply the first to the last coat very thinly as I have been warned to do on this website. I would rub it in until it started getting sticky then stopped. I should have stopped and waited for it to completely dry regardless of the time it needed. The instructions said it should be dry in two hours. Each coat I let dry in the beautiful weather we have ,90's. But no luck. I think for now I will let it dry for whatever time is needed. I'm in no big hurry. If it doesn't dry in a week I'll start all over.............. Thank You moderator for correcting me.........labrat

I haven’t used Tru-Oil in quite some time, but when I used it, my application method was similar to what others mentioned. Dipped one or two fingers into the bottle of the stuff, then rub it into the wood until dry, repeating until the entire stock (or whatever) was covered. Remember it being dry to the touch when I stopped the rubbing. Then I let it cure overnight and repeated the process everyday or so for a few weeks. Only took a few minutes per coat. To knock down the gloss I would rub it back with a piece of sisal cloth (think course weave burlap) from some coffee bean bags I came into for another project that didn’t pan out.

In all honesty, from what you describe in your OP, if it were my project I would strip it back and start over. You will avoid a lot of frustration and wasted effort. Would also suggest working on a ‘practice’ piece of wood to develop a process that meets your expectations.

Like Phil said cut with mineral spirts and rub in. I let it sit for 24 hours between coats.

have used tru-oil for over 40 years. once or twice i got a bottle that would not cure. drove me batty the first time. the rifle was scheduled to go to Africa in a few months and I couldn't get it to cure. stripped it with acetone and got a new supply. as far as I know the rifle is still in Africa.
my process is the rubbed in finger tip load. rub until it starts squeaking. (almost). normal recoat is 3 hours. minimum coats for me is 6 and usually 12.

Phil Coffins said:

......My technique is to thin it with mineral spirits about half..... If it gets to thick or shiny for the effect I want break it with Scotch Brite pads then tack cloth

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Yes, I do that, too, thanks for bringing up mineral oil and Scotchbrite. I forgot.

Hi,
Your problem is none of the coats are drying so new coats are not bonding with any cured surface. Let me suggest an alternative to hand rubbing. At this point, you may have to rub the stock down with mineral spirits and let it dry for a few days before continuing. I apply finish with a maroon Scotch Bright pad and always rub in the direction of the grain. Then I let it sit for 10-15 minutes, sometimes only 5 minutes if the day is sunny and hot. Then I wipe off all of the excess finish with a rag or paper towel getting into every nook and cranny leaving no pooled finish anywhere. I much prefer this method to any hand rubbing I've done in the past.

dave

labrat said:

Thank You gentleman for your feedback. Very beautiful stock finishes you all have. I did apply the first to the last coat very thinly as I have been warned to do on this website. I would rub it in until it started getting sticky then stopped. I should have stopped and waited for it to completely dry regardless of the time it needed. The instructions said it should be dry in two hours. Each coat I let dry in the beautiful weather we have ,90's. But no luck. I think for now I will let it dry for whatever time is needed. I'm in no big hurry. If it doesn't dry in a week I'll start all over.............. Thank You moderator for correcting me.........labrat

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I think the concept of "dry" is very subjective. One has to develop a "feel" for it. I'd describe it as being able to slide your finger across the surface without resistance. That's not the same as "tacky" dry. Further, there is no oil or even oil "finish" product that cures overnight. Even with the benefit of mineral spirits and/or a heat gun. A week is more like it. Curing is a chemical reaction process that's more than just solvent evaporation. That doesn't mean you have to wait until the last layer cures before you work on it. Properly dry is good enough, if you're using the same product for the next layer.

Side note: if you tint your oil, as I've sometimes done, it can take a LOT longer to dry.

labrat said:

Stripped Pedersoli walnut stock and stained it. I let it dry completely , 2 days, and I applied the tru-oil as directed. Looks real good but it didn't dry completely after a day in the sun. Still a little tacky but I lightly steel wool it and apply another light coat and let it dry in the warm weather. Still a little tacky after 2 days of drying. Again I steel wool it and apply another light coat. manure !#% I do it a couple more times but absolutely will not completely dry even after 3 days. I've tried it on windy warm days as well as under the air conditioner. Any ideas? I will call the manufacture & hopefully get some answers. date code 241156..........labrat

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What I do when I finish a project is ,"I take a napkin and soak a section of it with the finish and wipe it on. I then take another clean napkin and wipe it off. and then let it dry. I repeat this until I get my desired results. If I don't wipe it off I know it will not dry for a long,long time.
Have you tried this method? I get very good results! I also like to use "Danish Oil" but any like product will work using this method of application!!

Is think if you can smell the dried finish it’s not really dry yet.
I agree the applied finish must be given time to chemically cure like 2 part epoxy glue.
New interior house paint a single part epoxy says 7 days cure time before reaching full hardness.
Every day you walk into a room that was painted and find the odour of the paint getting less and less that paint is curing, 2 weeks later no smell.
Don’t believe the advertised dry times that’s is there to make you choose to but that product versus another product that say wait a week between coats.

dave_person said:

Hi,
Your problem is none of the coats are drying so new coats are not bonding with any cured surface. Let me suggest an alternative to hand rubbing. At this point, you may have to rub the stock down with mineral spirits and let it dry for a few days before continuing. I apply finish with a maroon Scotch Bright pad and always rub in the direction of the grain. Then I let it sit for 10-15 minutes, sometimes only 5 minutes if the day is sunny and hot. Then I wipe off all of the excess finish with a rag or paper towel getting into every nook and cranny leaving no pooled finish anywhere. I much prefer this method to any hand rubbing I've done in the past.

dave

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This is what I thought of when I read the original post but having no personal experience with Tru Oil I stayed out of it. Very similar to what I do with the Boiled Linseed Oil finish I make and use.

An old stock maker taught me to apply BLO and other finishes with a ladies' pantyhose stretched over your finger. It guarantees a very thin application when rubbed down. It never failed me.

I’ve used it for years, thick coats, thin coats, hand rubbed, sprayed on, you name it and I never had it not cure. I even applied it on old surplus military stocks that had gun oil absorbed into the wood that I could not completely remove.

However I agree with the post that said that you are probably applying it over a finish that is not cured. I believe that he said to strip the TruOil you have on the stock and clean it with mineral spirits. I would definitely strip it but would use acetone after that. When I spray TruOil I thin it with naphtha, used to use lacquer thinner but they apparently changed the TruOil formula and it no longer works as a thinner.

Whatever you use, I would take a rather stiff bristle brush and scrub the old finish out of the pores as best as you can and let it dry a day or two before starting again with TruOil.

Old-Duckman said:

.... use acetone after that. ....

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Ditto that. Best wood-finishing cleaner there is. And it evaporates almost instantly, so you can keep on working!!

wiscoaster said:

I think your problem is you're putting on coats that are way too thick

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BINGO!!! I apply it with my fingers, "rub off any access" and fagetaboutit for a couple of days or longer, as needed till it is dry.
And using steel wool BEFORE it had dried (still tacky) is asking for trouble. And thinning with anything is better than not getting the finish you were after. I have done stocks in mid winter, wiped off any access and set it behind the stove for a few days or longer with no issues.
Patience IS a virtue.

Humidity?