Finishing up a stock repair

[AAAOA]

Hey all,

I'm in the process of repairing the stock of a rifle I dropped. The ebony tip popped off, the fore end cracked, and the stock got some solid dents in it. I've repaired the crack and steamed out the dents, I'm pretty sure if I'm careful I can put the ebony tip back on. I just need to figure out how to make the stock look good now that I'm wrapping up.

In steaming the stock dents I've naturally removed much of the oil/finish that was previously in the area. Using some boiled linseed oil I've got the color back in just 2 or 3 coats, but it has a matte rough finish compared to the rest of the glossy smooth finish on the stock. I'd rather not have to sand to stock as the area is comparatively small.

What is a good way to get that glossy finish I'm looking for? I've heard about using 0000 steel wool to finish it up, is that accurate? I'm terribly sorry if these are simple questions, I've never refinished a stock before and finding replacement wood for this rifle wood would be nearly impossible and the last thing I want is to screw this up. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, hope you all are staying safe and healthy out there.

 

[Paul Hilgedick]

I would sand lightly with 220 paper and apply 2 or 3 coats of Tru-Oil. You may want to spot finish the dented areas first before you apply finish to the entire stock.

 

[AAAOA]

I would sand lightly with 220 paper and apply 2 or 3 coats of Tru-Oil. You may want to spot finish the dented areas first before you apply finish to the entire stock.

Should I sand the entire stock or just to rough areas? Outside of the two patches I steamed I am very happy with the finish. Also, what exactly is the difference between regular linseed oil and a dedicated stock finish like Tru-oil?

 

[pdhntr]

Should I sand the entire stock or just to rough areas? Outside of the two patches I steamed I am very happy with the finish. Also, what exactly is the difference between regular linseed oil and a dedicated stock finish like Tru-oil?

There is raw linseed oil and boiled linseed oil. The two are different. The raw is oil as it comes from the seed. The boiled has dryers in it that speed the drying time.

Tru-oil has a little linseed in it, but there are other ingredients that make it, in my opinion, a better stock finish option than raw or boiled linseed oil. Raw linseed can be especially problematic at times.

Jim

 

[SSL]

I agree with the Tru-oil application. Very thin coats rubbed out by hand. I have had good luck finishing off with a very vigorous session of rubbing (often with a 'shoe-shine' motion) the dried results with flannel. Unless your original finish is a very high gloss, this method will match the finish pretty closely.

 

[243winxb]

Tru-oil application on the repair spots only. Try to blend it in.

 

[Drop Port]

It all depends on what finish you are trying to repair? True Oil can be used to blend / match very effectively if you are using it to repair a compatible finish. On high end English oil, Dem Barts.

 

[fyrewall]

Occasionally, I need to repair extensively damaged wood stocks. Tru-Oil has always been sort of a disappointment to me. My suggestion would be repair damages with epoxy, epoxy smeared machine screws threaded down into holes to reinforce & connect busted off parts, strip down the entire works using paint remover, or 100 grit sand paper being cautious to preserve edges. An orbital sander works great for this using 220 or so grit - it really blasts the old finish off but cannot access many curved areas and needs caution to preserve edges, scrub out checkering with paint remover & tooth brush, steam out dents, hand sand with 150 then 320 grit. Essentially, refinish the entire stock vs. attempting to match finishes. This would be a good time to install a nice recoil pad or adjust stock pitch. I like MINWAX WIPE-ON POLY, either gloss or satin. For hard maple or plywood stocks (1/16 laminates, dyed & glued) 3-4 coats sanded with 320 or 400 works. For more porous Claro walnut up to 8-10 coats to fill pores. A nice Bastogne or English walnut might take somewhat fewer coats because of smaller pores - higher density.

The Minwax stuff is real easy to work with and the first coat usually sets up over night; subsequent coats may be applied in 4 hour intervals - placing the stock in direct sunlight helps speed things up. The Minwax stuff costs $12-$14 per pint and could refinish probably 10 stocks. I also use the Minwax Poly Rub for refinishing bar tops that get wine, beer, bourbon, and other good sticky stuff spilled then cleaned up with strong cleaning agents - this shows that it is a tough, easy finish.

I also have used the Minwax after minor stock modifications, it is easy for finish touch ups.