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Loving Arrow Wood Finish

CharlieNC

Gold $$ Contributor
Thanks to Preacher and others I began using this a couple of months ago, and it is all it is advertised to be. I love the hand rubbed oil finish look, where the texture of the grain is present yet the grain is filled and glossy. So far I have finished four stocks over the existing finish, only using 4O steel wool and alcohol to clean. This after trying many, many applications of linseed oil without achieving filling and gloss.

Arrow provides the exact finish I have wanted with minimal effort. Apply lightly and rub in thoroughly, HINT then buff with paper!
 
Preacher is a fountain of good information! Well, not that he actually “spews large amounts” but when he does “squirt” something, I listen. He told me to try it. I did and it’s a great product. Glad you tried it and are happy!
 
I thought I'd chime in here with a question regarding this type of finish. I'm in the process of refinishing a Ruger stock that I stripped the factory clear coat/varnish off of and ironed out a few small dents. I've been going at it every night with Arrow and wet/dry paper starting at 400 grit. I've got about 8 coats in so far. The last two have been with 800 grit. The instructions say to use sparingly, lightly sand until it gets tacky, and then rub in by hand. My stock seems to drink this stuff up pretty quick if I use only 2-3 drops and work on an approximately 8-10 square inch area. Do I keep going like I am, or do I need to change up my procedure?
 
Adam in WI said:
I thought I'd chime in here with a question regarding this type of finish. I'm in the process of refinishing a Ruger stock that I stripped the factory clear coat/varnish off of and ironed out a few small dents. I've been going at it every night with Arrow and wet/dry paper starting at 400 grit. I've got about 8 coats in so far. The last two have been with 800 grit. The instructions say to use sparingly, lightly sand until it gets tacky, and then rub in by hand. My stock seems to drink this stuff up pretty quick if I use only 2-3 drops and work on an approximately 8-10 square inch area. Do I keep going like I am, or do I need to change up my procedure?
Click to expand...
Keep at what your doing, it will get good...
 
Wet sanding with it is a slow process. It congeles quickly. I do this: Sand your wood to 600 before you apply anything. Apply Famowood filler, carefully filling the whole stock. Sand again with 600. Inspect and fill any missed areas and sand. Then sand to 800. Take it to 1000 if you want a really high gloss.
For the first coat of oil, I soak it heavily. Let it sit for 10 minutes and soak it again. Let it sit for 10 then hand rub the whole stock. Put it in a warm corner and let it dry for three or four days before you start applying more finish coats.
 
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The following is not a comment on any procedure that you guys are using, just adding what I have found works for me after doing a lot of stocks for many years with various hand rubbed finishes.

I found many years ago that giving the stock a sufficient amount of time to dry, somewhere in the process, was necessary for a finish that would not "shrink in" at a later date.

I found this out the hard way after seeing a stock of mine a couple years after I had finished it and delivered it to the customer. You could see in places the finish had soaked into the pores and they were showing just slightly.

So my procedure now is to heavily soak the stock with what ever I am using. Let it drink in as much as it wants, rub off the excess and then set it aside to dry. After a couple weeks, I do a sniff test of the stock. If it is still "bleeding" off fumes, I give it another week. Often I don't start on a true rubbed finish for a month after the initial soak. In other words, I found I needed a dry finish to base the rest of the finish on. Subsequent coats of finish dried much faster also, when I let the initial coat dry well.

There are ways to shorten the drying period by using different base finishes or a drying box, but patience is a very big part of a true hand rubbed finish that will last for years without changing.

Jim
 
I'm nearly finished with my first Arrow job which started with bare wood, and along the way tried a few thick coat too which were very effective in adding depth to the appearance. Towards the completion, I shot the rifle to determine alterations to facilitate my shooting style, and at those point buffed the finish with paper to achieve smoothness and gloss. Upon finishing, is there a particular type of wax that is good to help preserve the gloss?
 
CharlieNC said:
I'm nearly finished with my first Arrow job which started with bare wood, and along the way tried a few thick coat too which were very effective in adding depth to the appearance. Towards the completion, I shot the rifle to determine alterations to facilitate my shooting style, and at those point buffed the finish with paper to achieve smoothness and gloss. Upon finishing, is there a particular type of wax that is good to help preserve the gloss?
Click to expand...
Just use the oil! Don’t wax it! Wax is a Devil! Maybe OK on a scritched up Eurethaned or painted stock. I wouldn’t use it on oil!
 
After nearly 40 coats, I'm at the finishing point. Besides final buffing, which I do with paper, is there a recommended procedure to achieve maximum gloss? I really like the wet look when the oil is applied, but don't expect that is permanantly possible.
 
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