Stock finishing

[Gunslinger1911]

Hello all,

I have a nice light piece of maple I'm using for a stock on a 36 cal Kentucky long rifle.

What would be a good finish that would stay light colored ?

Thanks,
Ross

[waksupi]

Just a clear oil finish.

[Snow ninja]

I've had good results in maple using Formbys tung oil. Boiled linseed works well to, but I stick with the Formbys. Doesn't seem to blotch or yellow, or darken.

[Wayne Smith]

Unless it has changed Formby's is NOT tung oil. Go to a WoodCraft store, or online, and get pure tung oil. Cut it 50% with the real thinner, not the white stuff, and sand that in with 320 or finer paper - Maple does not really have pores to fill. Let it soak in, 15min or so, and wipe the excess. The next day rub in another coat. Do this for about a week, or as many coats as you want. Each day it will get thicker as the thinner gasses off. By the time you are done you will likely be close to 75% tung oil.

Tung oil completely polmerizes - it is the only wood finish oil other than Walnut oil that does.

[22cf45]

I use a lot of tung oil to finish stocks and love it. It will be clear and won't yellow like Truoil. However, in the case of the pure tung oil I have (Hope's), you have to live a long time waiting for it to dry. Instead, I use polymerized tung oil from Sutherlands which dries fairly quickly. I dislike BLO and refuse to use it.
Phil

[mazo kid]

I mix Tung Oil and Mineral Spirits half and half and sand it in for the first few coats.

[targetfreak]

Unless it has changed Formby's is NOT tung oil. Go to a WoodCraft store, or online, and get pure tung oil. Cut it 50% with the real thinner, not the white stuff, and sand that in with 320 or finer paper - Maple does not really have pores to fill. Let it soak in, 15min or so, and wipe the excess. The next day rub in another coat. Do this for about a week, or as many coats as you want. Each day it will get thicker as the thinner gasses off. By the time you are done you will likely be close to 75% tung oil.

Tung oil completely polmerizes - it is the only wood finish oil other than Walnut oil that does.

Mostly true. Tung oil is not the most durable or moisture-resistant, though. MinWax Wipe-On Poly is one of the most durable, and WILL completely polymerize. Also easier to get, and 'way cheaper. I used it for 15 years as a professional furniture maker, and never a complaint.

[22cf45]

I have always thought and read that tung oil was the most water resistant of any of the curing oils. Probably isn't as durable as poly but I have never been happy with poly on gunstocks.
Phil

[244]

I use and like "Finnish Mix", a homebrew mix of 1/3 Beeswax, 1/3 REAL Turpentine, and 1/3 Boiled Linseed Oil. Use a double boiler to melt and mix the components. (I use a $1 garage sale stick mixer.)

It will build up after several coats, but I like the natural feel of the "tack" it gives when not fully buffed out. If you want it to soak in more, use a little heat and let it cool and dry before buffing. YMMV

[targetfreak]

I have always thought and read that tung oil was the most water resistant of any of the curing oils. Probably isn't as durable as poly but I have never been happy with poly on gunstocks.
Phil

Perhaps you haven't tried the satin version of the Wipe-On Poly? It never cures glossy or slick. And frustratingly, tung oil is one of the poorest in resisting moisture.

[22cf45]

Here are some of reasons I have thought tung oil to be a good barrier against moisture/water (and I know its true because I read it on the internet):
From Woodwork Details: "Tung oil provides a relatively hard surface finish that, as long as the surface integrity is intact, provides a waterproof finish..."
From Rocklers: "Tung oil is one of the most water resistant of cuing oils and has a centuries-long history of use as a final finish"
From Ross Laird on use of tung oil in marine applications: "Tung oil (especially if polymerized) is the most resilient of the oil finishes, and if applied in several coats – enough to build a thin film"

Now with all that said, I have no doubt Wipe-On Poly is even more water resistant and more durable, however, I think if one were to need to make any repairs to the stock, tung oil will be considerably more friendly.
FWIW
Phil

[targetfreak]

About ten or twelve years ago Fine Woodworking magazine tested all the finishes then available to the general public. That did not include the pre-catalyzed finishes which industry uses and which have a 14-day shelf life (!) after they leave the supplier. It was a double-blind test. They found that the Minwax Wipe-On Poly (and one other poly formulation) was the most durable, both in moisture resistance and scratch resistance, of finishes which could be practically used. The petroleum-based wax coating (like used in canning) was the most moisture-resistant, but impractical for general use. Those results agreed with U.S. government tests conducted some years previous, but before the Minwax had appeared. Tung oil certainly has the reputation of durability, but it was disproved by those tests. And that was before everyone agreed that everything on the internet was true. One other point is that a tung oil finish is not easier to repair than the poly I mention, which I can verify in my own business. Old habits certainly die hard.

[HangFireW8]

My gunsmith repaired my Tung Oil finished stock; I know where, but no one else can find the repair.

-HF

[Wayne Smith]

Polyurethane and other urethane finishes are always gonna beat an oil finish in water proofness and in wear, it is a given with the differences in chemical makeup. If it is a question of tung oil or BLO I'll take the tung oil any day. Depends on the look you want.

[Gunslinger1911]

Thanks guys, I have some info to work with now.