Browning - oilin' afterword

[Spot Shooter]

I finally stopped sanding on my GPR and pulled the metal work and brown'ed all but the barrel which I am soaking so I can clean and brown it Monday night.

A few of the pieces turned real dark right away, others need another hit with the browning.

When and how and with what do you stop the browning process with. I haven't seen RollingB stomping around lately. I'm gonna half to give him a shout.

Other then that, brown'n chemicals are wierd, they seem to get wet when you reheat the piece.
Spot

 

[Zonie]

Spot: I can't say you have mentioned exactly which Browning method/Product you are using but in general, if you like what you see, and you are absolutly positive you won't want to apply more to even out the appearance then wash the part with soap and water, throughly dry it and apply a coat of linseed oil.
Let it sit overnight and apply another coat followed by wipeing off the excess.
By the way, Plum Brown gets a little darker after oiling it and letting is sit overnite.
After several coats, you may want to apply a good paste wax to the surface.
That's about it.

 

Spot,.... When use'n "chemical brown" simply wash the parts in warm soapy water, then rinse with clear water, and dry to stop the chemical action.
Instead of wipe'n the browned parts with oil afterwards,... I prefer to "warm" the metal slightly, and rub on a few drops of "tru-oil. This prevents finger-print rust from form'n due to the "salts" in yore skin.

Others may prefer to "finish" with a different method.

 

[Spot Shooter]

RollingB, Zonie,

Goood deal, I like how these peice parts are takin' color.

two of them are makin' wierd lookin' patterns - the bottom steel for the butt plate, and the Trigger guard. I'll hit them again tonight and they should be ready to be oil'd.

Thanks, again,

I'll put my first coat of linseed on the stock to night. How long do you fellers let it dry between coats?
Spot

 

[musketman]

I'll put my first coat of linseed on the stock to night. How long do you fellers let it dry between coats?

About 15 minutes, you can put your stock in the dryer and tumble dry on high heat, take your wool socks out first and clean the lint trap... :haha:

Now for the real answer:

I hang the stocks I refinished up by the ceiling (heat rises) this would dry in about a half a day in damp Ohio weather...

Additional Note: I would test the dryness with the hair on the back of my hand, if the finish was still tacky, you can feel it grab the hairs as you pass your hand by...

This keeps the finger-prints off the finish product...

 

[Birddog6]

"I'll put my first coat of linseed on the stock to night. How long do you fellers let it dry between coats?"
Spot


Spot: I can't tell ya cause I never use Linseed Oil. It is not waterproof, sometimes taked days to dry, & and there is no end to finishing it. To me having to reapply finish once a week for a month & then once a month for a year if just plain waste of good time to me, with the available finishes we have today.
I prefer Tung Oil or Tru-Oil & sometimes use both. No it may not be PC but it is a heck of a lot better finish than linseeld oil. The Tru-Oil is waterproof & will seal the wood, I put it in the barrel channel, in the lock inlets, trigger inlets, under the buttplate, any place the edn grain f the wood is cut int to, I put it there.
Sometimes I will rub in 10-15 coats of Tung oil & work it down between 3-4 coats, then the last 3-5 coats rubbed in Tru-Oil to seal a lil better, working that down every 2 coats with some 1500-2000 paper.

Also if it is humid out you may want to add a lil turpentine or Japan Dryer to the Tung Oil to make it dry a lil faster. Normally you can do 2 coats a day with it. I always buy a new fresh can when I do a stock.


Custom Muzzleloaders & Custom Knives

 

[Zonie]

Just a thought on Tung Oil.
There was a time the military tried it on rifle stocks and found that some people are very allergic to it.
If you use it and don't react, you are not one of the allergic ones.
If you develop rashes and itches when your around it, your allergy is the reason.

 

[Randy]

" how long do I let it dry between coats"

Any new stock will absorb the oil quickly at first allowing you to put on several coats the first day. AS the first coats start to dry and the finish "builds up" you need to allow more time between coats. The object is to fill in the tiny pores in the wood with successive applications. you never want to just wipe it on and let dry because you will get an uneven finish. what you should do is wipe on the oil let it soak and then wipe most of it off. with each application you build up a very thin coat and fill in the wood pores. when the pores are all filled the finish will take on a smooth appearance with the grain appearing to have depth to it. As mentioned before to do this with oils is not hard but just takes a lot of time and many applications, and a lot of hand rubbing. The last few applications may need a week to dry in between coats.

you may be able to get acceptable results much faster with modern urethane finishes, but you still need to use the wipe on and wipe off method to make it look good. Also since they dry quickly you have to work fast. Some good results can be had mixing urethane with linseed or tru-oil to get a little more working time.

 

[Spot Shooter]

Feller's,

I'm usin' true-oil and hitt'n the second coat tonight. Figure I'll do one a day fer a week, then see how it looks next week fer each new coat. I'll be doing the rest of the brown'n on the smaller peice parts tonight, then the barrel on Thursday.

Spot

 

[Spot Shooter]

RB, Zonie, Musket,

I brown'd the rest of the parts and the barrel tongiht. Still got that funky smell in my nose. I'll let them sit overnight and hit them one more time before washin' and oil'n.

I got the second coat of true-oil on the stock. Now I usually, don't speak like this but.

"I'll be thet's perty!" WOW.... If the stock is done I'll be shoot'n by Sunday. I'll most likely wait another week and shot her on the first of the month.

Spot

 

Spot,.... Jest be sure'n post some pitchers "of'er"!! ::

BTW,.... Yore haversack is headed yore way!! It'll work as a temperary "shoot'n bag/pouch"! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Spot Shooter]

RB,

Somethin' wrong with this stock, it start'd shinn'n after the second coat. This is a newly applied thrid coat. I jest might be shoot'n her this weekend the way it's ago'n.

hey I got the barrel done - I like the darn brown she come out bee'in. I did the rest of the metal that'away. I like it when a riflegun looks like a dark olt branch jest stick'n up point'n to it's target.

That funny look'n thang the barrel's rest'n on is a bullet trap made out of 1/4 inch plate steel. It'll stop a .22 LR easy. I'm think'n about see'n if old old riflegun here will spin it around.
hehehe

Spot

 

Spot,.... If she "shines" to much fer yore taste, jest hit'er with some "fine" steel-wool,.... thet'll bring'er back to a "satin finish"!!

 

[Spot Shooter]

RollingB,

How many coats of True oil ya think this job's gonna take?

And does it matter then I got a bit of brown'n inside the barrel or should I steel wool that off?

Spot

 

[Zonie]

Lookin good.
True oil, as I've mentioned is a linseed oil with driers added. Because it has the driers added, it doesn't soak in as deeply as pure linseed. In other words, it will build up on the surface faster than linseed and be quite shiny.

This is the place where you don't need to ask questions of us, but if you have any at all about methods to use to get some "special look" feel free to ask.

Some people like the dull flat finish pure linseed makes.
Some people like the grain of the wood being unfilled.
Some like the grain filled so the surface is glass smooth but it is a flat finish.
Some like the grain filled and the surface glass smooth with a mirror finish.

Only YOU know how you want the finished stock to look, so only you will know when to quit finishing the wood.


Have a good un!

 

Spot,.... I usualy do 4-8 coats of hand-rubbed Tru-Oil. (you'll know when yore satisfied!)

I'd also reccomend thet you mop yore bore out real good to git all tha factory "gunk" out'a it, then finish up with some fine steel wool pulled "thin" and 'bout a 1 1/2" in dia." (kind'a like an "oversized patch") and run it up and down the bore with yore ramrod'n jag to remove any burrs or sharp edges (this "lap'n" should also remove any brown'n thet might have got into the bore).

Thet "lube" I sent ya will work as a bore-lube fer storage, and you can also use it to wipe down the outside of yore riflegun after clean'n (kind's works like Birchwood Casey's Stock-Sheath)!!

P.S.,... Don't fergit to "pin" yore ramrod-end to the ramrod!!

 

[Spot Shooter]

RollingB,

Glad you mentioned pinn'n the rod, completely forgot.
The reason I asked the number of coats was fer guagin' how long it takes to fill the holes in the grain.


I scrub's the barrel once with wool after lett'n it soak and swab'n the junk out real good. Need to do it once more to make sure it's clean. I got some BP clean'n stuff with the kit thet I'll run down it, then after it's swab'd dry n' clean I'll slick it up with thet bear grease ya sent - thanks agian btw.

That new front site took brown real well also - I don't know if you like yer brown'n as brown as i went. It's gonna be interestin' the first time I shoot it. I'm gonna use the curved look'n rear sight.

One moe question 'bout the wedge pin's, they should fit snug into the barrel channels, but what if they don't want to make it through to the opposite side of the stock. It's real hard to get the front one to line up jest right. Anytips on that?

Spot

 

[roundball]

Lookin good.
True oil, as I've mentioned is a linseed oil with driers added. Because it has the driers added, it doesn't soak in as deeply as pure linseed. In other words, it will build up on the surface faster than linseed and be quite shiny.

This is the place where you don't need to ask questions of us, but if you have any at all about methods to use to get some "special look" feel free to ask.

Some people like the dull flat finish pure linseed makes.
Some people like the grain of the wood being unfilled.
Some like the grain filled so the surface is glass smooth but it is a flat finish.
Some like the grain filled and the surface glass smooth with a mirror finish.

Only YOU know how you want the finished stock to look, so only you will know when to quit finishing the wood.


Have a good un!

Glad to see another opinion on the various ways to leave the finish of a stock...I've refinished a few TC Hawken stocks, and came to realize I like the 'feel' of the wood...the 'feel' of a little texture left as opposed to a slick glassy surface like a modern rifle...it always nagged at me that I wasn't "finishing" a stock properly.
I use several coats of Tru-Oil...then after I use and clean a rifle, the entire stock is also wiped down with a generously oiled rag so the wood is always well taken care of, and I like the look and feel of them that way

 

[Zonie]

Spot: To improve the barrel wedges fit you first have to figure out where the barrel is trying to make the wedge go. This is usually "up", that is, as the wedge goes thru the barrel lug the bottom surface of the slot in the lug is "up" to high so it makes the wedge want to climb. By the time the wedge gets to the far side of the barrel channel it is trying to go above the stock slot. This can be caused by the barrel not sitting deep enough in the stock, or the factory cutting the slots to low, or the slot in the lug being to high. If this is the case IMO at this stage of the game the answer is to lower the bottom surface of the lug slot with a small file.
This takes a little time to do it right. File the bottom surface A LITTLE and try to assemble the gun. If it's still tight, file a little more and assemble the gun again. Note: if you remove .005 (a little more than a hair is thick) it will lower the wedge at the far side where it is trying to enter the stock slot .010 so go easy.
You want the wedge to end up so it can be pushed into place with a moderate amount of pressure with your thumb.
When you get it "right" you will know why your gun is built better than a factory gun ever could be.
As you are finding out, this "sneeking up" on things is important when your getting the "right fit".

How many coats to fill the grain? Depending on the wood it might take anywhere from 5 to 8 or even more.

If you just keep applying coats you will never really get there because as the grain gets filled up, the coating on either side will also have risen.
The answer is to keep the thickness on the surface sanded down smooth and let the grain pockets get filled until their filling rises to the same level as the rest of the surface.

Steel wool will try to gouge out some of the filling down in the grain pocket so it is not the best way to do this job.

This sanding should be done with the finest WET/DRY paper you can find. I use 600 grit black silicone carbide.
This sanding should be done WET.
Apply water to the paper and very lightly sand the surface until it is a smooth, uniform matt surface with lots of little shiny grain pockets looking at you. (Because this is wet sanding, the paper will not wear out very quickly. Rinse the paper and wipe the stock often during this process).
Don't attempt to remove the finish back down to the bare wood. You should be removing about half of the finish thickness.

When doing this job, I apply two coats of finish letting each coat dry before applying the next one. After the second coat is dry, I sand. I then repeat the 2 coat and sand until the grain pockets have vanished.
A finish coat rubbed out completes the job.

Come on, admit it! Your having fun and you know it.

 

Spot,.... The wedge-keys should require a good push with yore thumb to insert, and they should fit "snug". Sometimes I put a (very) slight "curve" or "bow" in a key, by open'n up my bench-vice enough to lay the "toe" of the key one one jaw and the "head" on the opposite jaw. I then give'er a "whack" in tha middle to git the curve.

Some keys may fit better with the "bow" down, some with the bow "up",... "NEVER" drive'em in with a hammer!!

Once the keys are "fitted" mark'em so's they go back in the same slot the same way. I always scratch an "R" on top the rear-wedge key, and an "F" on top the front-wedge key! (the keys should be inserted from the "right" (lock) side of the stock.