Oil finished stock maintenance questions

[Dan877]

I have a rifle with a beautiful high grade, oil finished black walnut stock that was made sometime in the late 70's. I'm planning to attempt to finish another stock with an oil finish, and in researching oil finishing I read a couple of articles that mentioned the need to occasionally "refresh" the oil finish with something like Pilkington's Rubbing Oil. Should I be occasionally applying some oil to the stock's finish to keep it beautiful or is it only necessary if the finish looks like it's in need of refreshing? If it should be done on a regular basis, then how often?

Also, despite always being as careful as I can be, I've managed to put a couple of very small dings in the stock. I've read about "steaming" a ding to raise it, but should that only be done prior to a complete refinish, or can a ding be steamed out any time? Will steaming out a small ding raise the grain around the ding too?

 

[Preacher]

Seeing as you don't know what the original oil finish was, I won't be much help there.
If by chance it was boiled Linseed oil it's easy enough to add to if needed..
The steaming out part will surely mess with the finish unless your really steady with a small tipped iron a bit smaller than the dent, and tons of patience.
If the grain is broken it will not work very well...
Wherever the water and heat are, is where the grain will raise.....