• Wood Finishing Technique

    Ask 100 people how they finish a wood gun stock and you will likely get 120 different answers. The following is my process for finishing stocks to ensure excellent penetration into the wood.

    First, sand the stock to at least 400 grit. I step up to 600 grit paper for the stock to recoil pad joint making sure the plastic part of the recoil pad is nice and smooth.

    Remove the recoil pad and apply the initial sealer coat of 1 part tung oil to 5 parts mineral spirits. I do not apply any finish to areas I will be glass bedding. Approximately 2 tablespoons of the tung/mineral spirits mixture is all you should need.

    Reattach recoil pad and begin sanding with 400 grit wet sand paper and 1 part tung oil to 3 part mineral spirits mixture. (one tablespoon of mixture) Repeat this process with 400 grit until the stock is completely filled (laminates 2-3 times and depending on wood as many as 20), then begin sanding with 600 grit until it is as smooth as glass.(laminates 5-8 times and wood can take up to 20 times) Wait two full days between coats. Tape the recoil pad during this phase leaving the plastic spacer exposed.

    Bed the action at this point. This prevents bedding material from filling the pores. Even when I have tried tape at an earlier phase I would always get bedding material in a few pores and if done at this phase of the finishing process its easy to wipe of the bedding material with white vinegar.

    With 600 grit sand paper soaked in mineral spirits lightly sand all build up from the recoil pad area. This is where the sludge will collect during the wet sanding.

    The topcoat Mix is 1 part Danish oil with 2 parts mineral spirits or use straight truoil. (teaspoon of mixture). Dip your fingers in to mixture and apply to stock and rub in with the palm of your hand working small sections at a time. When completed use a lint free cloth and wipe of the stock. Let dry out of the sun for two days and repeat. Do this until you are satisfied with the depth of the shine. Yes it will be looking like glass after 10 or so coats and even if you want a satin non-gloss finish keep going until you are satisfied. (I am never satisfied so I will go up to 20 coats on some stocks) Yes you want to do this even if you want a non-glare finish it will give depth to the wood.

    Wait at least a week before top coating.

    For a non-gloss or semi-gloss finish I soak a felt pad with boiled linseed oil. Using a saltshaker I will apply pumice stone to the pad and rub the stock down using the felt pad. The more you rub the duller the shine will get. After you are finished wipe down the stock using a cloth dampened with mineral spirits to wipe off the residue and linseed oil. I do it lightly the first time to see how the wood reacts and then depending on the shine repeat until satisfied. Once done I let it dry for 2 weeks and apply stock wax and install the action into the stock. (The same results can be achieved using a baby diaper and Brownell's Triple F Stock Rubbing Compound - wipe of the excessive compound in the same matter as the pumice stone)

    For a high gloss finish soak a felt pad with boiled linseed oil and using a salt shaker apply rhotten stone to the pad and rub down the entire stock until it is smooth. Wipe off te excess oil and rhotten stone with a cloth dampened with mineral spirits. Then apply by hand 1 part danish oil to 1 part mineral spirits wiping down with a clean soft cloth. Once done wait two weeks and apply stock wax and install the action. (The rhotten stone and felt pad can be substituted with Brownell's 5F Stock Rubbing Compound)

    Safety Warning: Wear a dust mask when working with Pumice or Rhotten Stone. This is a fine dust like abrasive material and will tear up your lungs and the inhalation of large quantities of dust can be fatal.

    The Tung oil I use is
    Old Masters and can be purchased from Brownell's. It must be a 100% pure tung oil. Most tung oil sold at hardware stores are not 100% pure and will not fill the pores appropriately.

    The
    Danish Oil is from Lauer Custom Weapons - yes, the makers of Duracoat.

    The felt pads are from Brownell's or Midway depending who has them on sale.

    The stock wax I use is Gale Lock.

    Boil linseed oil and mineral spirit can be bought at Lowe's or Home Depot and is in the lacquer and stripper area of the paint section. Baby diapers are from Babys-R-Us.

    Brownell's stock rubbing compound is from you guess.

    I know this is a long process, but it is well worth it. So why do I do it this way?
    1. The finish is in the wood not on it and the wood becomes virtually waterproof and protected from the harshest elements. Many of wooden ship has been soaked in tung oil and it is not uncommon to find solid wood on ships that have been sunk for 100's of years.

    2. Does not show scratches, gouges and scuffs as bad as polyurethane. In most cases a scratch can be rubbed out with stock rubbing compound or at worst case by wet sanding the area with a tung oil and mineral spirits. This mixture will remove a scratch or fill a gouge easily. Poly usually means having to re-sand the entire stock.

    3. Poly is just too hard on my checkering tools. It dulls them faster because of the fillers within the poly, and if you mess up checkering a poly stock it is much harder to hide or fix the flaw without re-sanding the stock.

    Other Recommendation:
    Annually strip the wax used through out the year with mineral spirits and hand rub a 1 part danish oil to 1 part mineral spirits mixture in the stock to keep it nice and shiny. Reapply stock wax after the oil dries for a week. For non-gloss use tung oil instead of danish oil.



    This article was originally published in forum thread: Wood Finishing techniques started by Charleslv View original post