Amazing collection of armchair experience.
It won't 'rub in' because the wood is sealed. It will just build up on the surface. Big difference.Purely for esthetic reasons(smell/feel) and some people like the idea of polymerised linseed oil as the final finish layer so they can rubb in a little extra every year.
It won't 'rub in' because the wood is sealed. It will just build up on the surface. Big difference.
Amazing collection of armchair experience.
To me linseed oil for stock finish being compared to Tru-Oil is like a kerosene lamp being compared to a LED lamp, or the stuff that was used in 1850 compared to what I use in 2021. Tru- oil has tung oil in it along with some other stuff
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I suppose this will upset a lot of knowledgeable posters on this thread. For 60 years I have used nothing but raw linseed oil on wooden objects from gun stocks made of Black Walnut, Various Maples, Rosewood, Birch, and Siberian Larch, to furniture made of everything from Pine to Mahogany. If applied very sparingly and hand rubbed in it dries or is absorbed fairly quickly. Its a long process actually taking years in some cases, depending on if you want a matte or shiny finish. If a darker color is desired, mixing a little Minwax Oil Based stain with the raw linseed gets the job done. It is not practical for a “ customer’s gun “ but for my own, I find the process enjoyable, and produces a deep penetrating finish that is in look, smell, and feel, incomparable to any other, unless you like the bowling alley look. I was once asked if I knew what a snipers primary weapon was. When I answered the rifle, I was told. No, it’s patients.Well, in your example both lamps do make light.. Right?
Regarding the subject of the thread, natural drying oils (linseed oil, tung oil) , as well as oil based modern varnishes(marine spar varnish, outdoor use poly), and mixes of both(tru-oil?) all polymerise resulting in a plastic-like coatings that differ in their physical properties, but are not that dissimilar.
I think all have their place.
Edit: It is possible to use different finishes in one object. For example boiled linseed on top of polyurethane, but for anyone planning to do it. You have to test compatibility of your chosen product on a piece of scrap before. There is no way of telling in advance which modern product will play well with it.
I was told that the military used raw linseed oil to finish rifles like the M1 Garand, 1903 Springfield, and others. I like the idea of going military standard to get a hard wearing, dull finish for a hunting rifle.
I am curious what experienced rifle builders have to say.
I suppose this will upset a lot of knowledgeable posters on this thread. For 60 years I have used nothing but raw linseed oil on wooden objects from gun stocks made of Black Walnut, Various Maples, Rosewood, Birch, and Siberian Larch, to furniture made of everything from Pine to Mahogany. If applied very sparingly and hand rubbed in it dries or is absorbed fairly quickly. Its a long process actually taking years in some cases, depending on if you want a matte or shiny finish. If a darker color is desired, mixing a little Minwax Oil Based stain with the raw linseed gets the job done. It is not practical for a “ customer’s gun “ but for my own, I find the process enjoyable, and produces a deep penetrating finish that is in look, smell, and feel, incomparable to any other, unless you like the bowling alley look. I was once asked if I knew what a snipers primary weapon was. When I answered the rifle, I was told. No, it’s patients.
The main reason I use raw instead of so called boiled is i hand rub my stocks, meaning with the bare skin of my palm. A process I rather enjoy. Raw linseed is basically the same product sold as flax seed oil in health food stores with a little less care taken in manufacture to insure it is “ food grade “ as food grade it canI'm not sure why anyone would get upset
Your experience matches with everyone else's posts including myself. No one said raw linseed will never set. Very thin layers set quicker as well as those exposed to sunlight. UV rays speed up the process.
However, I would be very interested in hearing from you Springerpanheads why do you use raw linseed oil instead of boiled? What perceived or real advantage does it give you to offset the inconvenience of having to wait longer? Or do you simply don't mind the wait and you prefer a simpler, purer product?
On subject of boiled linseed oil not being what it used to, that is completely true. One of first drying agents used with drying oils were lead salts. For example lead white and lead sugar. We all know why lead salts are a no no.
I don't know what do they use in today's "boiled linseed", but I have no doubt it dries much much quicker than raw oil. I'm not surprised at all old stuff was better. As in machining greases(lead white), cadmium in hard soldering, or pure lead in soft soldering. There were many processes that were far superior that were banned because of perceived (and real) health risks.
If I was making spoons, or food bowls I would do a lot more research what indeed is in a boiled linseed oil I use. For gun stocks I would be fine with lead salts (except those that are water soluble like lead sugar).
The main reason I use raw instead of so called boiled is i hand rub my stocks, meaning with the bare skin of my palm. A process I rather enjoy. Raw linseed is basically the same product sold as flax seed oil in health food stores with a little less care taken in manufacture to insure it is “ food grade “ as food grade it can
even be taken internally and often is. I do not want any “ drying agents “ absorbed through my skin . Additionally, I don’t mind the wait, and find the developing finish somewhat akin to watching something treasured grow.
Boiled linseed oil is not boiled, it just means a solvent was added. Either one will never really dry. Linseed oil is used in house paint to let the wood breath moisture out.
Of all Tru Oil is best. Linspeed does not dry for a long, long time.
I'm mildly surprised no one has mentioned gunny paste yet: equal amounts of beeswax, turpentine and boiled linseed oil, lovingly hand-rubbed in over time. I have somewhere north of two dozen bolt-action milsurps of one sort or another, plus miscellaneous other long guns, and that's the treatment they all get - over linseed oil if I'm refinishing them, or as a protective layer over the original finish. It gives a deep soft glow instead of a plastic shininess, it isn't slippery to the grip, it's easy to touch up or renew - and I may be weird, but I actually like the smell.
I'm sure linseed oil by itself, or as part of gunny paste, isn't as watertight as more modern finishes. But I hang out in the desert. On the rare occasions when there's water falling out of the sky, I stay the heck inside.
When it comes to sealing inletting and barrel channels, Jim Kibler recommends a single application of whatever you're using as a finish coat.
Add: I have an old Winchester 'thutty-thutty' a guy found behind a bush off a hiking trail, when he answered a call of nature. It was completely buried in sand and dirt, except for most of the buttstock. The side of the buttstock exposed to the weather looked like a piece of driftwood: grey, feathery and covered with cracks both deep and shallow.
I sanded off the fluff, and started laying coats of gunny paste into the wood. After a few months the cracks had closed up, and the color of the walnut matches the side that had been facing down. People who shoot it don't even notice anything about the stock... The receiver will never look brand new again, but the barrel looks decent and the bore is fine. I have to tell you, though: disassembling a Winchester '94 down to every pin and screw, to make sure you got every last grain of sand out of it, isn't a task for the faint-hearted.
I'm mildly surprised no one has mentioned gunny paste yet: equal amounts of beeswax, turpentine and boiled linseed oil, lovingly hand-rubbed in over time. I have somewhere north of two dozen bolt-action milsurps of one sort or another, plus miscellaneous other long guns, and that's the treatment they all get - over linseed oil if I'm refinishing them, or as a protective layer over the original finish. It gives a deep soft glow instead of a plastic shininess, it isn't slippery to the grip, it's easy to touch up or renew - and I may be weird, but I actually like the smell.
I'm sure linseed oil by itself, or as part of gunny paste, isn't as watertight as more modern finishes. But I hang out in the desert. On the rare occasions when there's water falling out of the sky, I stay the heck inside.
When it comes to sealing inletting and barrel channels, Jim Kibler recommends a single application of whatever you're using as a finish coat.
Add: I have an old Winchester 'thutty-thutty' a guy found behind a bush off a hiking trail, when he answered a call of nature. It was completely buried in sand and dirt, except for most of the buttstock. The side of the buttstock exposed to the weather looked like a piece of driftwood: grey, feathery and covered with cracks both deep and shallow.
I sanded off the fluff, and started laying coats of gunny paste into the wood. After a few months the cracks had closed up, and the color of the walnut matches the side that had been facing down. People who shoot it don't even notice anything about the stock... The receiver will never look brand new again, but the barrel looks decent and the bore is fine. I have to tell you, though: disassembling a Winchester '94 down to every pin and screw, to make sure you got every last grain of sand out of it, isn't a task for the faint-hearted.
I'm mildly surprised no one has mentioned gunny paste yet: equal amounts of beeswax, turpentine and boiled linseed oil, lovingly hand-rubbed in over time. I have somewhere north of two dozen bolt-action milsurps of one sort or another, plus miscellaneous other long guns, and that's the treatment they all get - over linseed oil if I'm refinishing them, or as a protective layer over the original finish. It gives a deep soft glow instead of a plastic shininess, it isn't slippery to the grip, it's easy to touch up or renew - and I may be weird, but I actually like the smell.
I'm sure linseed oil by itself, or as part of gunny paste, isn't as watertight as more modern finishes. But I hang out in the desert. On the rare occasions when there's water falling out of the sky, I stay the heck inside.
When it comes to sealing inletting and barrel channels, Jim Kibler recommends a single application of whatever you're using as a finish coat.
Add: I have an old Winchester 'thutty-thutty' a guy found behind a bush off a hiking trail, when he answered a call of nature. It was completely buried in sand and dirt, except for most of the buttstock. The side of the buttstock exposed to the weather looked like a piece of driftwood: grey, feathery and covered with cracks both deep and shallow.
I sanded off the fluff, and started laying coats of gunny paste into the wood. After a few months the cracks had closed up, and the color of the walnut matches the side that had been facing down. People who shoot it don't even notice anything about the stock... The receiver will never look brand new again, but the barrel looks decent and the bore is fine. I have to tell you, though: disassembling a Winchester '94 down to every pin and screw, to make sure you got every last grain of sand out of it, isn't a task for the faint-hearted.
I use a mixture of beeswax, olive oil, and Venice terpintine to treat my leather holsters after making them. Venice Terpintine is not what you buy in the paint store. It is a jelly like substance bought in tack stores and farrier supply houses and is used to toughen the soles of horses feet. In that application it must be used very judiciously, as it is very penetrating and highly irritating and can actually lame a horse. The Venice Terpintine penetrates and stiffens, the beeswax adds a soft waterproof sheen and the olive oil simply facilitates application. The mixture is initially very tacky but dries to a beautiful finish with a nice natural feel. Obviously this mixture must be made with the beeswax in a melted condition.I'm mildly surprised no one has mentioned gunny paste yet: equal amounts of beeswax, turpentine and boiled linseed oil, lovingly hand-rubbed in over time. I have somewhere north of two dozen bolt-action milsurps of one sort or another, plus miscellaneous other long guns, and that's the treatment they all get - over linseed oil if I'm refinishing them, or as a protective layer over the original finish. It gives a deep soft glow instead of a plastic shininess, it isn't slippery to the grip, it's easy to touch up or renew - and I may be weird, but I actually like the smell.
I'm sure linseed oil by itself, or as part of gunny paste, isn't as watertight as more modern finishes. But I hang out in the desert. On the rare occasions when there's water falling out of the sky, I stay the heck inside.
When it comes to sealing inletting and barrel channels, Jim Kibler recommends a single application of whatever you're using as a finish coat.
Add: I have an old Winchester 'thutty-thutty' a guy found behind a bush off a hiking trail, when he answered a call of nature. It was completely buried in sand and dirt, except for most of the buttstock. The side of the buttstock exposed to the weather looked like a piece of driftwood: grey, feathery and covered with cracks both deep and shallow.
I sanded off the fluff, and started laying coats of gunny paste into the wood. After a few months the cracks had closed up, and the color of the walnut matches the side that had been facing down. People who shoot it don't even notice anything about the stock... The receiver will never look brand new again, but the barrel looks decent and the bore is fine. I have to tell you, though: disassembling a Winchester '94 down to every pin and screw, to make sure you got every last grain of sand out of it, isn't a task for the faint-hearted.
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