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Thread: Boiled linseed oil vs raw linseed oil for finishing a rifle stock

  1. #21
    Boolit Master 444ttd's Avatar
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    i use minwax antique oil and johnson's paste wax.

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  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by rfd View Post
    Any manner of linseed oil and tung oil for wood finishing is just a pain for me to process and the results are never stellar let alone "good".

    As of years ago I'll only use Tru-Oil and have done many stocks to my perfection.



    Very nice rifle!

  3. #23
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    Both will be tacky if not done properly. The trick is to warm the oil first either by itself or cut with real turpintine and warmed. Then apply it to the stock by hand / fingers working it into the grain with a rubbing motion. After the finish has been applied vigorusly buff of the excess oil with a rough cloth let set at least overnight but 24 hours is better. Repeat over at least 3 to 4 times and you will have a good finish.

  4. #24
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    I use low gloss tung oil, I don't care for really shiny stocks. Many coats, gently rubbed with 4-0 steel wool in between coatings. Let dry at least 24 hours between coats. I will caution anyone who uses raw linseed oil to be VERY, VERY careful with the used rags. They WILL spontaneously combust. In a past life I was a painter, and had a 5 gallon bucket with some oily linseed rags in the back of my truck catch fire. Luckily, I was able to catch it and put it out before my truck turned into a melted heap of scrap metal.

  5. #25
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    I have both raw linseed oil, and BLO. I really can't tell much difference in the consistency, both are a lighter oil, and of a kind of yellow/amber color. The main difference is the smell. BLO is ok, but you can tell it has chemicals. Raw linseed oil smells fantastic, kind of a lemony scent to it.

    I've never been a fan of Tung oil, or true oil. There's also a bunch of tung oils, and they are all different. Overall they are more or less a varnish that dries over the wood, and results in what I consider a less than stellar appearance. Take RDF's rifle. A beautiful rifle, with great wood, but it looks like he dipped it in plastic. It's all personal preference, but I don't want my rifles to look like that.

    I've had good luck with BLO, although I have yet to totally strip and refinish a rifle with it. Mostly I've used it on tools and such. Sure it takes a little time to dry, but it isn't that bad. The big thing for me is it is repairable. When I get a scratch, and every thing I own will be scratched, I just rub a little more BLO on it, and you can't hardly tell what happened. My only real experience with raw linseed oil was on a surplus M14 stock. I used it just like I used BLO, and it really brought the life back into the stock. I never noticed any problems with it being wet. It's not like it was running off or anything, and I didn't get any on me when I was shooting. Both seem to hold up as well as they need to in the rain and snow, at least as well as anything else I've seen.

    I'm kind of torn on my own build at the moment, although I have a lot of time to think about it yet. I'd naturally use BLO, but wood craft sells something called "tried and true", which is kind of a more traditional BLO, vs the stuff we buy now which is a bunch of chemicals. The only reason I shy away from raw linseed oil is because of its reputation for taking months to dry.

  6. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by ShooterAZ View Post
    I use low gloss tung oil, I don't care for really shiny stocks. Many coats, gently rubbed with 4-0 steel wool in between coatings. Let dry at least 24 hours between coats. I will caution anyone who uses raw linseed oil to be VERY, VERY careful with the used rags. They WILL spontaneously combust. In a past life I was a painter, and had a 5 gallon bucket with some oily linseed rags in the back of my truck catch fire. Luckily, I was able to catch it and put it out before my truck turned into a melted heap of scrap metal.
    I was a painter too...my dad was a painter all of his life. He would go ballistic if we let linseed oil (or oil based stain rags) piled up. His dad had a Nash dealership burn down in 1930 because of oil rags piled up. NEVER PILE OIL RAGS.

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sixgun Symphony View Post
    I was told that the military used raw linseed oil to finish their service rifles like the 1903 Springfield and M1 Garand. I like the idea of a hard wearing, dull finish for a hunting rifle. Can anyone here confirm if they did use raw linseed oil? Are there reasons why boiled linseed oil might be a better option?

    Also, I been watching YouTube videos. I don't see anyone using stain or finish on the wood where it is inletted for the lock and barrel. That seems wrong, rainwater would get in there and cause the wood to swell, affecting accuracy I am sure. So does one do alot of sanding to keep the metal to wood fit in those areas when applying the finish?
    This is a long read but should answer your questions: https://thecmp.org/wood-cleaning-article/

  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by ogre View Post
    This is a long read but should answer your questions: https://thecmp.org/wood-cleaning-article/
    Thanks much!

  9. #29
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    Sompthing I haven’t seen used is lemon oil or orange oil. I did a 3o3 Brit 4#2 with lemon . Rubbed let sit . Steel whoop it and apply more rubbing it in till hot. This turned out great .

  10. #30
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    Some great folk lore here.....

  11. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by freakonaleash View Post
    Some great folk lore here.....
    I can attest a pile of oily rags can most certainly get scary hot. I've never let any combust, but I have no doubts at all they could. It's happened to too many people. Not just rags, plenty of barns have burned down from wet hay and such.

  12. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by 444ttd View Post
    i use minwax antique oil and johnson's paste wax.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdAh...VideosJoeWRhea
    I've used this method on stocks before and had great results, albeit I used furniture wax instead of paste wax.

  13. #33
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    a beauty!

  14. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jniedbalski View Post
    Sompthing I haven’t seen used is lemon oil or orange oil. I did a 3o3 Brit 4#2 with lemon . Rubbed let sit . Steel whoop it and apply more rubbing it in till hot. This turned out great .
    Not particularly concerning rifle stocks, but at several gun shows there has been a feller who sold nothing but pistol grips, and had several tables at each show. . His wood grips looked great. I asked him what he used, and he swore by lemon oil. He said you could get it a Walmart for @ $4 . I got a pint of it and since then have been using it exclusively on my revolver grips. I really perks them and is not sticky at all after it dries.
    Britons shall never be slaves.

  15. #35
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  16. #36
    Boolit Master almar's Avatar
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    Raw will dry but it takes months. The trick is to heat it just below flash point preferably in a vaccume so you can go higher in tempearature without fire. Some purist do this because they put additives in boiled linseed oil now to speed up the drying. Some have alot of trouble with boiled because they lay in on too thick so it never dries.

    This old guy is a pro, explains why boild linseed is best and how to apply it

    https://youtu.be/eEBBc7O8nYQ

    https://youtu.be/mzVdsln29o8
    Last edited by almar; 11-23-2021 at 03:34 PM.
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  17. #37
    Boolit Master brassrat's Avatar
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    I mostly just freshen up my finished long guns and used Danish and never was impressed. I ended up with a 69A in poor condition that got a repair on the smashed handgrip and the rest of the stock. I used a random orbital and refinished in about two minutes. After a finer finish and a few coats of Danish and wax, it never kept any sheen, and I wasnt happy. I tried some Tung oil and it looks great now and even has a Winchester color. All my guns now look fantastic with some standing out even more.

  18. #38
    Boolit Bub
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    I been trying to replicate the look of the walnut in a new M1 or M 14 stockI remember my 66 Marlin had a similar look to it( this was before Marshield) it has little or no gloss ,but a beauty all it’s own ( of course I spent 16 years growing up in the Army) four years later I went in the Marines,in time to have a M14 issued to me,and did I mention the smell of military canvas and supply depots makes me all warm inside!? Excuse me…I’m getting teary..but anyways I want that finish ,Tru oil is great but does not look like military issue walnut,I have a can of Minnesota pure oil ( with hardeners) it’s a leftover ,I’m sure very old,but still good,I also have a can of Hopes pure ,real 100% tung oil,

  19. #39
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    I believe BLO has driers added to speed cure time. If time is not critical plain linseed oil is fine.
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  20. #40
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    I personally don't use or like linseed oil in any form. There are much better finishing products out there that are much more durable and less of a hassle. My own preferences are polyurethane or acrylic based finishes. Gasp, did I really say that? Use what floats your boat.

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