hand rubbed polyuthrane

[nekshot]

I stumbled on this totally by accident. A couple years ago a run was on a stock and it was "gelling" and I tried to touch the run and blend it in. For some reason I started rubbing it and I ended up rubbing the whole stock. Here is what I now do. I dip my finger in the poly and rub it into the wood , and as it only will cover a small area I rub till it is almost dry(as dry as it will get). I do the whole stock and then later when I want to give another coat use a fine wool or wet dry sand paper and lightly sand the stock. You can stop after you feel the wood is sealed or keep going until it is like glass. After done I take fine steel wool and lightly buff and then rub Butchers wax or even a gun oil on a rag real hard until I get the dull "english" hand rubbed look. Hey its cheap and works and touches up easily!

[sparky45]

Great tip. I've used a similar tech and really like the "English' hand rubbed look.

[Spector]

Bare hands or a cloth? That's the way I've done straight tung oil before. I thought I'd read something about hand rubbing polyurethane. That subtle English hand rubbed finish is beautiful with figured wood. It just has a warmth that is most satisfying.

Mike

[bangerjim]

Very similar to the very old time-proven "French Polishing" technique I use with shellac and other alcohol-based finishes when refinishing antique furniture.

It is where the term "hand rubbed" finish comes from!

banger

[Blackwater]

That's been my experience as well. Best way to use poly for a good finish I know of. The final rubout is the real determinant of how it finally looks.

[nekshot]

it all is done with bare skin except for final polish and maybe using finger would work doing that also, I must try that.

[bangerjim]

I use cheese cloth for any and all rubbed finishes. Skin absorption is a big concern using just your bare fingers. I wear nitrile gloves. But I do a lot of surface areas with antiques.

The age-old method is to make a pad out of folded cheese cloth, sort of saturate the pad with the finish you are using ( not dripping, almost dry to the touch) and wipe back and forth with even firm strokes until the finish is built up to where you want it. Takes practice!

banger

[johnson1942]

saw a guy do that to a maple custom stock 40 years ago and it looked great. i do that for my under coat and then i finish with a very high quality spray on clear top coat car enamel. then i rub down the whole thing with huts plastic polish. may take a week or more to rub down but the results are perfect.

[gnoahhh]

Yup, or you can brush on a few coats, sanding with 320 between coats of varnish or polyurethane, until the pores are filled. Then rub out and wax. Not as labor intensive and you'll end up with the same effect.

[fecmech]

I've done a number of stocks with the finish Brownells sells which is a mix of tung oil and polyurethane. I apply the finish liberally with a small brush and then hand rub with nitrile gloves till the finish starts to drag on the glove. I then let it dry and sand between coats. The finish can either be high gloss or soft matt depending on number of coats and final finish.

[Huffmanite]

FWIW, have used Minwaxs wiping polyurethane on a number of my rifle stocks for a few years now with decent results. Prefer the satin one for my stocks. On a hot Texas day, can apply a thin coat of it with old tee shirt cloth about every 40 minutes. Generally like at least four coats of it.