Easiest finish to apply

[Arrowhead124]

What do you guys recommend as a “user friendly” final finish on a stock? I’d like something that is somewhat durable. My goal is a warm satin finish.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Cavalry Joe]

I use Danish oil or boiled linseed oil. Follow the instructions on the can…do this a few times and then afterwards I often apply a paste beeswax and buff it up- bear in mind, that I am mostly working with walnut. You might need other methods depending upon the type of wood and the color or tone you are trying to achieve.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Tung oil (not tung oil finish) or BC Tru-Oil.
I have not found boiled linseed oil to be easy or durable.

 

[Cavalry Joe]

Tung oil (not tung oil finish) or BC Tru-Oil.
I have not found boiled linseed oil to be easy or durable.

I suppose “easy” is a relative term…

 

[Nav]

I agree that Tung oil has better properties, but it comes from a Chinese nut, so I think the people who want everything period correct prefer the linseed oil. Interestingly (at least to me), I've never had (100% pure) Tung oil heat up as it dries like the warning on the can says. I've even set an oily rag outside hoping to observe this effect and have it catch on fire, but it didn't happen. It didn't even get noticeably warm...?

 

[user 34300]

Maple?? Walnut and mystery wood will probably need the grain filled.

Sand to 400 grit level using oblique lighting to see any scratches that need to be addressed. Fill the grain if needed with a tinted paste filler or sanding dust that is darker than the wood. Finish, use anything you want other than BLO, water based finish, or shellac. I usually grab some spar varnish. Dilute it to a water consistency, 50/50? . Wipe it on the stock. Let it soak in a few minuets. Wipe off any excess with a dry cloth. Let it dry, apply several more coats the same way. If you get any nibs knock them off with scotchbrite. When you are happy wax it. There is no need to overcomplicate rustic stock finishing. : )

 

[Master Blaster]

 

[olskool]

chambers oil. mix 50/50 pure turpentine. apply 2 coats drying between each, then a thin coat of pure chambers and let dry,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[tnek13]

Tried and True oil varnish - wet stock with water to raise the grain, lightly sand with 400, first coat of finish cut finish 50/ 50 with turpentine, wait 24 hours - second coat straight Tried and True, wait 24 hours, third coat Tried and True. Tried and True oil varnish is linseed oil with pine resin, great finish.

 

[IanH]

chambers oil. mix 50/50 pure turpentine. apply 2 coats drying between each, then a thin coat of pure chambers and let dry,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Hmm. Must not be Waterlox after all, I recently did one with Waterlox original sealer/finish (tung oil, phenolic resins, 75% paint thinner, and some linseed oil) and it was the fussiest stuff I've ever used bar none. Too much thinner, it flashes off in 15 seconds and leaves an oil so thick it won't hand rub. Have to put it on in sections and wipe off with a rag, time it carefully or you have a mess. Don't use that stuff, it ends up basically like Tru-Oil but takes literally ten times as long to get the same results.

I hate Tru-Oil but it does a good job and makes a durable finish, I just don't like how it feels. Properly "boiled" linseed oil (which cannot be bought, must be made and the driers must be made from scratch, too) is my favorite stock finish and easy to apply with a couple of bare fingers.

Maybe a crash course in finishes is in order.

There are "drying" oils like BLO and pure Tung oil, those dry (or slowly polymerize) by reacting with oxygen in the air. Metallic trying agents are added to speed this up and heat also speeds it up. These oils penetrate because they dry slowly and really show the grain but never get hard, don't build up on the surface, and often take seemingly forever to dry (literally weeks between coats in some cases).

Next we have varnishes. These are drying oils plus resins like phenolic resin or pine resin. They appear to dry faster because the resins cure on the surface and let the oil soak beneath. That's oversimplified but basically the gist. Varnish can also be made with polyurethane and other "oils" combined with resins and these dry very quickly, as in overnight for a brushed on coat and hours for a rubbed-on coat.

Polyurethane. Does not penetrate well, dries fast, builds up on the surface fast, fills grain fast, chips easily, and is solvent-borne so it shrinks when it dries unlike drying oils which EXPAND as they dry. Not a lifetime or heirloom finish but the easiest to work with in my opinion. Spar varnishes are often poly/solvent based with UV blockers and hard resins added.

Shellac. Not weather resistant but is an effective moisture barrier, often used under a drying oil to seal the stock just like a vapor barrier installed under the siding on your house.

Lacquer. No place on guns.

Epoxy and catalyzed urethanes: No place on guns IMO.

Minwax makes a wipe-on polyurethane finish in gloss, satin, and matte and is probably the easiest thing to use, but is not anywhere near historically correct, does not feel good to the touch, and will eventually crack, yellow, peel, and doesn't show grain like BLO or Tung oil.

As much as I hate to recommend it, Birchwood-Casey Tru-Oil is probably what you're looking for if you're new and just want something foolproof that works. Don't follow the directions, though, dilute the first coat or two with paint thinner (real, mineral spirits, not that milky, water-based California foo-foo juice), drench the stock and wipe it all off before it gets sticky. Steel wool smooth between coats with 0000 or finer steel wool. Tack off with a rag and mineral spirits after steel wooling it and apply final coats a few drops at a time, rubbed in well with the fingers. Buff it with a lint free rag before it gets too sticky and let dry a day between coats. If it's too shiny for you in the end, rub it back with whiting, pumice, rottenstone, or 000000 steel wool until it has the sheen you like. If you dull it too much, hand-rub on another very light coat and do it again.

 

[denster]

Second vote for tried and true!!

 

[IanH]

Tried and True oil varnish - wet stock with water to raise the grain, lightly sand with 400, first coat of finish cut finish 50/ 50 with turpentine, wait 24 hours - second coat straight Tried and True, wait 24 hours, third coat Tried and True. Tried and True oil varnish is linseed oil with pine resin, great finish.

Ha.

So I did two stocks in it. Took about six months to cure three coats. three weeks ago I took them out to a shoot and decided when cleaning to strip them down and re-treat all the metal for rust and rub on a couple more coats of T&T. So I wiped the stocks down with 50% isopropyl alcohol to get the finger oil, cleaning oil, and grime off. That took off some oil and left the finish very dull. So on with the first coat, rubbed in hot and heavy, wiped off an hour later, hung in my HOT shop for a week. On about day six the oil finally started to lose its tack. Seventh day I rubbed on another coat, let sit for an hour, and buffed it dry with a soft cloth. Next day it was blotchy with wet, shiny spots. Buffed them dry again. Let sit seven days, still sticky. Put in my SUV and drove them to work with me for the whole last week, letting them get to 120+ inside in the hot sun. Thursday they were starting to get dry but if I wrapped my hand around the wrist to buff the forestock or butt, where I held it left a dull area with visible palm prints (just washed hands). Back in the hot SUV all weekend, last night I finally gave up and put them both together, rubbed all the fingerprints out of the finish and hung them on the wall. In a few months they may be dry enough to use. The rag I used to wipe off the first new coat three weeks ago that I hung on the dolly handle in my air-conditioned shop to dry safely is STILL damp.

T&T varnish oil makes a beautiful finish if you have a year to spare putting it on. I won't ever use it again straight from the can. It does, however, make an excellent base for a REAL finish once it is properly boiled and has both lead based and manganese based driers added to it in proper proportions.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

Seems like deja vu all over again.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Seems like deja vu all over again.

"The wheels on the bus go round and round..."

 

[1950DAVE]

Moon in the wrong quarter. Venus and Uranus not in alignment.
Seems most don’t mind taking months to build a firearm but want the final step, finishing the stock, done overnite. I have never had a problem with a finish that has been used for centuries, but it was not a "once and done" proposition.

 

[oldwood]

90% technique , and 10 % materials. Would never take more than a week to put a good finish on a rifle stock.

 

[IanH]

Moon in the wrong quarter. Venus and Uranus not in alignment.
Seems most don’t mind taking months to build a firearm but want the final step, finishing the stock, done overnite. I have never had a problem with a finish that has been used for centuries, but it was not a "once and done" proposition.

I don't usually mind, but T&T is ridiculous, about as good as raw linseed oil. Worth it though if you take the months necessary to do it right, nothing quite like it and the velvety soft sheen and feel is wonderful.

I can put on the same finish in two weeks with shellac and properly modified (and even historically correct!) boiled linseed oil. If I want to duplicate a varnish, I can topcoat with a resin-enhanced BLO. Do the research, you can do the same, it just takes some effort.

 

[IanH]

Here's a jewelry box I made for my daughter from thin strips of a very special cherry tree that had naturally dark wood near the ground and incredible curl. No stain or sunlight, just bare wood. Dewaxed shellac sealer, then three hand-rubbed coats of T&T varnish oil that I reboiled and added homemade dryers to, finish was rock-hard in three days at room temperature.

This finish will last 300 years and will maintain a fairly constant (or at least very slowly fluctuating) moisture level in the wood so it won't warp.

 

[Arrowhead124]

Thanks for all the input. It’s nice to have a place to be able to get feedback from guys that have done the stuff first hand

 

[sdilts]

Chamber's oil straight from the can.