overwelmed by finishes

[tannerbollum]

Hello all,
I am finishing up my first build, a Jacob Dickert from tow. My question is what sort of finish is the "best" to use. there just seems to be so many different types of products/methods/techniques out there. Sealer? Filler? Stain? Vanish? what brands and what quantities should I be looking for? I am looking for something that will be extremely dark and show as much of the figure as possible. It also should be weather and scratch resistant as this will be used in the deer woods. If any one would like to post a photo with their response that would be greatly appreciated too. Let's see those beauties! Thank you all in advance for your time and advice.

 

[oddball]

check out my photo In the finishing thread, I used dark walnut stain and tru oil . I got to the color I liked and buffed it back to the shine
that I liked. It's all personal preference.

 

[Stophel]

extremely dark and show as much of the figure as possible.

I find this to be a contradiction in terms.

:blah:

 

[chuck-ia]

I am beginning to really not like stains, the last few guns I have did, the stain seems to wear off in the wrist and forestock areas, leaving a light area. The last gun I finished I used aqua fortis, although not a dark stain, seemed to penetrate deeper, no wear in the wrist and forestock yet, I admit it was a bit scarey putting acid on a gun I had a lot of hours in though. flinch

 

[sean30ber]

Here is my Finish with Wahkon Bay Aqua-Fortis. One coat and let it dry, then another, Let it dry, then blush it. The knife scale I rubbed back with steel wool.

 

[fusil de chase]

Dam that is handsome, thanks for sharing those pics.

 

[Birddog6]

The stain wore off ? That tell me your finish was not any good, as stain doesn't wear off if the finish is protecting it. :idunno:

Stain it with Danglers stain, as many coats as it takes to get it as dark as you want it.

Use Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil for finish. Before I start I take a small paint brush & seal ALL of the barrel channel, lock inlet, Every inlet incluging the RR hole, seal it all & let it soak for ? 20 min or so, then take a cotton cloth & wipe up all the excess Tru-Oil. Important to take a small screw driver & rag & get into every nook & cranny to keep the finish from those places.

When applying the Tru-oil to the stock (After staining) , apply by barely wetting the very tip of your index finger with the oil, & rub til dry in about a 3" area. Note you do not want it thick as it will not dry well, you rub it Into the wood til it is dry........ Then move over & do another 3" area, repeat til you have the stock covered.
When dry, Very Light rub with 0000 steel wool, vacuum with brush attachment & then tack cloth & reapply Tru-Oil. Be Careful on rubbing the edges with the steel wool, or you will rub thru the finish & the stain..... So take your time, as all you want to do is take the gloss off the Tru-oil before applying another coat. 6-8 coats & you will have a very durable finish that will withstand the deer hunting elements.

Keith Lisle

PS: Normally the darker the stain, the less the wood grain will show. IMHO. If you use Aquafortis & don't get it neutralized well, eventually the stock will go almost black & you will see no grain at all.

 

[TinStar]

+1 about what Birddog6 said. I used Homer Dangler's stain and Tru Oil and love it.

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

 

[kaintuck]

I like the satin finish I get from sand/scrapping the wood till it's smooth, the wal-marts clear spar varnish, applied on hot day with OOOO steel wool, in very thin coats.....it fills and seals.
Two coats usually makes it right.

I have tried others, and oh, stain it first!

 

[Vaino]

I really can't say which stains and finishes are "best"....haven't done extensive tests on the many that are available....both on the market and "homade".

Presently use Dangler stains purchased from Jim Klein....the individual colored stains are applied consecutively and in combination after a thorough drying between coats. Have also used the LMF stains w/ good results. Aqua fortis and ferric nitrate also have given good color.

After the stain{s} has completely dried, a brisk rub down w/ 0000 steel wool removes any unabsorbed surface stain. ..at this time and if an alcohol based stain was used, the color can be "adjusted" and if "wear areas" are wanted, both can be achieved by rubbing w/ an alcohol saturated cloth or toweling. Both Dangler and LMF stains are alcohol based.

The final finish involves 2 diffeent products....first 3 wipe on/wipe off coats of LMF sealer are applied.... w/ a soaking time of 10-15 mins and a complete dry between coats. After the 3rd coat is dry, a hard rub w/ 0000 steel wool removes any surface sealer....in the wood in lieu of on the wood is preferred.


Three coats of Wahkon Bay Trucoat are applied sparingly w/ the fingers w/ a complete dry between coats. After the 3rd coat has dried, a very low sheen is the result and it looks like there isn't a finish on the wood. Below is a recent Lancaster build using the above finishing process.....Fred

 

[frogwalking]

Hmmmm. An Extremely dark finish showing lots of figure can be compared to a very tender and jucy well done steak. Back in the old days, very dark finishes were frequently employed on stocks with very little figure. All that asside, I very much like aquafortis for coloring maple. Jim Chambers finish is very good, but I have to rub the final coat back as I cannot get a real smooth finish, although others do seem to be able to do this. I am currently building an underhammer percussion rifle and care little for being period correct. I plan on using Laurel Mtn. Forge stain and Permalyn finish on the curley ash stock.

 

[Billnpatti]

Aqua Fortis is one of the traditional means of darkening the wood. The Aqua Fortis is not something you want to get on your skin so, if you use it, be sure to wear gloves and safety glasses. A way that has given me some excellent results is brown leather dye. It goes on very dark and then you use 4 ought steel wool to buff it back as light as you want it. The first time I used it, it scared me with how dark the wood was right after applying the dye. But then when I started buffing it back like the directions from TVM told me, it started looking beautiful and I was very happy with the results. I think the leather dye is what I would recommend to give you the dark finish that you are looking for.

The finish of choice for me is Birchwood-Casey's stock finish. Five to ten light coats applied with your finger tips and rubbed in will give an excellent durable finish. I have also found that Urethane varnish cut 50/50 with mineral spirits will do just as well as the Birchwood-Casey product. Actually, I think it is about the same thing as the commercial stock finish. If the final coat is too shiny for your tastes, you can buff it back with 4 ought steel wool after it has cured for about a month. If you try to buff it too soon, it will not buff out a nicely as it will after it has thoroughly cured. To keep your stock looking nice, use either Renaisssance Wax or if you don't have that, you can use a paste floor wax such as Johnson's paste floor wax. Do not use automobile wax because it is too hard and does not give with the wood.

 

[kaintuck]

one thought bill, that poly urathane stuff will let moisture thru, found out the hard way on outside wood furniture~so i use spar varnish....and, i might cut it this time 50/50....to see if my 'fill' coats do even better!
:hmm:

 

[chuck-ia]

Thanks, I will go back to the tru oil.

 

[Razor62]

Here's one that I finished with a homebrewed aquafortis and several coats of Birchwood Casey's Trueoil. I've been using Trueoil for decades and I can't see myself every needing to try anything else. This was the first time that I used aquafortis and I was certain that I had made a mistake due to the color before blushing it with a heat gun. After the first application I wanted a deeper color so I repeated the process. I really like the color and the control that can be had using this staining method.

 

[tannerbollum]

Thank you all for so many great responses and amazing photos of beautiful rifles. :bow: If some one could show me what the dangler's/ tru-oil looks like I would greatly appreciate it. And Billnpatti, could you please explain more on the leather dye? Also how much of these materials should I get and where should I get them and a what price and how long should I wait before coats and is their some sort of polishing compound for the brass?? I am so sorry to attack you with so many dumb rookie questions I just wanna learn from the best. Thank you all once again

 

[blackdog of vt]

Just to confuse you a bit more :grin:
I use real tung oil and ferric nitrate from the science company. Very safe, simple, repeatable, nothing to bleed or wear off and doesn't shine or look like plastic.

 

[MSW]

by way of my 'two cents:' if you want a finish which is darn near impervious to water, you may want to consider the permalyn stuff from Track of the Wolf. here's a link:
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/393/1/LMF-SEALER

and also:

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/393/1/LMF-FINISH

I have used these as finishes for shaving brushes and they've exhibited no signs of wear or water damage over years of daily use.

the shaving brush handles are Hawaiian koa, which is very porous, so it took a good bit of sealer to fill the pores, but once done, things worked out fine. the finish was very glossy- but you can work this back with a bit or OOOO steel wool.

good luck with your project!

 

[mikemeteor]

I'm stick in the following rut for basic finish:

1) 2 applications of aqua fortis made from ferric nitrate crystals mixed with denatured alcohol.
2) judicious overwash of diluted Feibing's leather dye (medium brown).
3) Permalyn sealer.
4) Chambers oil finish.
5) rottenstone in mineral oil polish.

sometimes the diluted overwash will get a drop of TransTint red mahogany.














Tried B-C TruOil, but for whatever reason that I can't put a finger on, I prefer Chamber's oil.

/mike

 

[Billnpatti]

Didn't know Urethane varnish would let moisture in. I did know that spar varnish is much more weather resistant and has a UV protectant in it but I have never tried it on my rifles. I would think that a 50/50 dilution of spar varnish would do an excellent job on a gun stock. That dilution is pretty thin but it goes on so nicely when you use your fingertips to apply it and rub it with the heel of you hand. Lightly wet sand with 600 grit wet or dry sandpaper between coats or use 4 ought steel wool. Be sure to remove all of the sanding dust using a tack cloth before applying the next coat. Apply a minimum of 5 coats. If the pores of the wood are not filled by 5 coats, keep going. I usually plan on applying about 10 coats to get a nice smooth finish. After it has cured for about a month, you can rub it out to get rid of the shiny finish. Start with 4 ought steel wool and then finish with Birchwood Casey's Stocksheen topped off with a light coat of paste wax. It'll make your eyes pop.