I just finished a Kibler Appalachian style rifle. Great experience and kit. I provided my own wood, a good quality AA grade walnut, but it had deep pores. I've done some wood work but am at the "moderate experience" level. Waiting on the kit, I thought about the walnut a lot. Reading the 2 main ML forums, I found lots of hints, tips, one sentence answers about finishing walnut....but few detailed instructions. I decided to pass along how "I" did it, and the results, to give a clearer picture. I like Chambers Oil a lot and will use it again. I believe it is a mix of Linseed and Tung oils, it's all natural. NO plastics was my goal too.
History. At first I was going to fill the grain totally, using only Alkanet root in Boiled Linseed Oil. I changed my mind mid stream. I've done another rifle in only BLO, but it takes 3-4 months to start looking good and totally fill the grain. Many frontier gunsmiths in the mountains would not have taken all that time. They likely used a wiping varnish conconction that would dry in 1-2 days and would deliver the rifle. While most of my antique southern rifles have very smooth, filled finishes, I think that is because of several things. Better quality walnut 200 years ago had smaller pores, and handling over generations filled the pores more, likely with added linseed oil at times.
I was trying to make a gun that didn't look 150 years old (I didn't brown the iron, or do any "aging" techniques), but instead looks like an 1830s one that has been used about 5-10 years. So I blued the iron, and wanted partially filled pores, and a pretty shiney finish. I didn't want to stain or darken the walnut, it's fine as is. But a red color was desirable. I sanded with 220, then 330 sandpaper, wiskered a couple times, then burnished with gray scotchbrite. That's all the prep.
20 Nov, started
• 1st coat - Boiled Linseed Oil Alkanet Root (red oil) wiped on heavy, wiped off, dry 24 hrs.
• 2nd – 5th coat - Every day for 5 days, Chambers Oil finish. After 5 coats wiping on heavy with finger tip, then wiping off against the grain with blue shop paper towels. Grain about half filled. Finish very smooth. Darkness getting better, but still uneven in spots.
• 6th coat – Changed to using 1500 grit sandpaper, wet with chambers oil. Sanded it lightly until getting tacky. Wiped it off across grain with blue shop towels. 24 hrs drying between all coats. Grain about ¾ filled.
• 7th coat – 1500 wet sand again, wiped off.
• 8th coat – apply with grey scotchbrite.
• 9th coat – same. Looking at the grain with a loup, I decided this is about as far as I will go filling the grain. It's still about 3/4 filled, some pores were almost totally even with the surface - filled.
• 10th coat – hand rubbed 1 drop on each side of butt stock, then 1 drop each side of foreend.
• 11th - 13th coat – hand rubbed 1 drop again, but allowing it to dry 36 hours between them now. Now it's looking good, and better the last 1-2 coats. I know Chambers and others say you don't need this many coats, but I was trying an experiment to fill the grain totally at first. Again, I changed my mind after seeing some of the unfilled grain on original rifles.
Lessons learned?
1. For filling the grain, just using the oil and wipe off method is too slow. Slurry sanding with 1000 or 1500 grit faster.
2. I see no reason to sequence through finer grits of sandpaper to sand the wood, before or during finishing (other than going from 220 to 320). This is not necessary for a rifle that will show some grain pores. Maybe for a fine shotgun finish.
3. I don't think walnut needs stains. While it's not quite dark enough for me, as I add more oil over the years (and I will), it will be dark enough.
Here is a video of how it looks now. Colors and contrast are pretty close to real life.
History. At first I was going to fill the grain totally, using only Alkanet root in Boiled Linseed Oil. I changed my mind mid stream. I've done another rifle in only BLO, but it takes 3-4 months to start looking good and totally fill the grain. Many frontier gunsmiths in the mountains would not have taken all that time. They likely used a wiping varnish conconction that would dry in 1-2 days and would deliver the rifle. While most of my antique southern rifles have very smooth, filled finishes, I think that is because of several things. Better quality walnut 200 years ago had smaller pores, and handling over generations filled the pores more, likely with added linseed oil at times.
I was trying to make a gun that didn't look 150 years old (I didn't brown the iron, or do any "aging" techniques), but instead looks like an 1830s one that has been used about 5-10 years. So I blued the iron, and wanted partially filled pores, and a pretty shiney finish. I didn't want to stain or darken the walnut, it's fine as is. But a red color was desirable. I sanded with 220, then 330 sandpaper, wiskered a couple times, then burnished with gray scotchbrite. That's all the prep.
20 Nov, started
• 1st coat - Boiled Linseed Oil Alkanet Root (red oil) wiped on heavy, wiped off, dry 24 hrs.
• 2nd – 5th coat - Every day for 5 days, Chambers Oil finish. After 5 coats wiping on heavy with finger tip, then wiping off against the grain with blue shop paper towels. Grain about half filled. Finish very smooth. Darkness getting better, but still uneven in spots.
• 6th coat – Changed to using 1500 grit sandpaper, wet with chambers oil. Sanded it lightly until getting tacky. Wiped it off across grain with blue shop towels. 24 hrs drying between all coats. Grain about ¾ filled.
• 7th coat – 1500 wet sand again, wiped off.
• 8th coat – apply with grey scotchbrite.
• 9th coat – same. Looking at the grain with a loup, I decided this is about as far as I will go filling the grain. It's still about 3/4 filled, some pores were almost totally even with the surface - filled.
• 10th coat – hand rubbed 1 drop on each side of butt stock, then 1 drop each side of foreend.
• 11th - 13th coat – hand rubbed 1 drop again, but allowing it to dry 36 hours between them now. Now it's looking good, and better the last 1-2 coats. I know Chambers and others say you don't need this many coats, but I was trying an experiment to fill the grain totally at first. Again, I changed my mind after seeing some of the unfilled grain on original rifles.
Lessons learned?
1. For filling the grain, just using the oil and wipe off method is too slow. Slurry sanding with 1000 or 1500 grit faster.
2. I see no reason to sequence through finer grits of sandpaper to sand the wood, before or during finishing (other than going from 220 to 320). This is not necessary for a rifle that will show some grain pores. Maybe for a fine shotgun finish.
3. I don't think walnut needs stains. While it's not quite dark enough for me, as I add more oil over the years (and I will), it will be dark enough.
Here is a video of how it looks now. Colors and contrast are pretty close to real life.
