Stock finish thoughts

[brokeasajoke]

Well all these stock threads got me thinking on how I could finish this stock. What would you do? What would you use? Not sure I want extreme gloss but maybe. Almost like it has some stain on it and nothing else.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Just as a rule...nothing more. Gloss reflects light, hiding the beauty and accentuating flaws. Matte does the opposite. So, a beautiful piece of work and workmanship will show itself under a satin or matte finish while a high gloss will catch the eye, detracting from both but making finish flaws appear even worse. Nothing magic here. Just the way it is. There are satin clears as well as flattening agents for various automotive clear coats. Sometimes you just have to try it both ways and stand back and look. We all ooh and ahhh over shiny stuff but that actually takes away from what's underneath, for better or for worse.

 

[Ggmac]

I’d use a tru-oil type . Try somewhere hidden first . You can limit its sheen easy . It’s not as water resistant as more modern poly type , that sit on top of the surface, where tru -oil goes into the wood .

 

[brokeasajoke]

I've used minwax tung oil but it's pretty glossy. This was a ithaca super single 66 20ga my son rescued out of the corner of a guys garage.

 

[pdhntr]

I've used minwax tung oil but it's pretty glossy. This was a ithaca super single 66 20ga my son rescued out of the corner of a guys garage.
View attachment 1499438View attachment 1499439

The stippling and the narrow areas between the panels, plus the border lines are going to be a problem with almost anything you use. Most finishes will tend to fill the stippling and border lines. Masking the stippling is an option but those border lines don't look very deep and the finish will likely creep underneath. Dealing with the narrow panel between the stippling panels is not going to be fun either.

There is one thing you can try. I have been using Minwax Wipe On Poly on a few stocks and have put them through some testing to see what would happen. I did some water testing in the shop on a scrap piece of walnut and used it on one of my pd rifles that is subjected to sweaty hands for hours at a time. So far I am surprised at how well it is holding up. The stuff is very thin and might work to give your stock a little more finish and still not fill the stippling.

The stuff I am using is clear satin. I have not tried any other wipe on poly so the method I am using works for the Minwax Clear Satin. DO NOT follow their sanding directions. They instruct you to sand between coats with 220. Don't do that. Do not use the water based stuff either.

If you can find a place on the stock to experiment first, maybe under the tank, I would do that first. Rub a very little into the stock to see what happens. You may want to try rubbing a little into the stippling to see if that comes out the way you want. Have a nice cotton rag handy to rub it off it it doesn't go well.

The only issue I have found with this stuff is it sometimes dries too quickly. At times I could see a "dry line" between an area where I just applied the finish and an area that was done a couple minutes earlier. Rubbing the finish in helps to keep this from happening. I have developed a way to avoid this when I am building coats on the stock but I don't think you need to go there with this project.

I have built up 4 coats on a stock in 4 days without sanding in between and haven't seen any problems with adhesion, so I wouldn't worry about sanding at all.

Jim

 

[Bc'z]

Just as a rule...nothing more. Gloss reflects light, hiding the beauty and accentuating flaws. Matte does the opposite. So, a beautiful piece of work and workmanship will show itself under a satin or matte finish while a high gloss will catch the eye, detracting from both but making finish flaws appear even worse. Nothing magic here. Just the way it is. There are satin clears as well as flattening agents for various automotive clear coats. Sometimes you just have to try it both ways and stand back and look. We all ooh and ahhh over shiny stuff but that actually takes away from what's underneath, for better or for worse.

Love and respect given, but I must disagree.
I'd make the finish so deep you would feel like you could dive into a pool of glass, all while soaking in the beauty of all the grain that God created that I accentuate with dye.
I will add in agreement, there's been a few after finish sanding in 3000, I was blown away at the appearance of a matted out wood stock

 

[STOMP442]

I would use the Pro Custom gun oil in the aerosol that Brownells sells. It gives a wonderful Satin finish and really brings out the color and figure. I love that stuff.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I would use the Pro Custom gun oil in the aerosol that Brownells sells. It gives a wonderful Satin finish and really brings out the color and figure. I love that stuff.

Good stuff and easy to use.

 

[brokeasajoke]

Good stuff and easy to use.

I'm all about easy.

 

[Sniperhandle]

The stippling and the narrow areas between the panels, plus the border lines are going to be a problem with almost anything you use. Most finishes will tend to fill the stippling and border lines. Masking the stippling is an option but those border lines don't look very deep and the finish will likely creep underneath. Dealing with the narrow panel between the stippling panels is not going to be fun either.

There is one thing you can try. I have been using Minwax Wipe On Poly on a few stocks and have put them through some testing to see what would happen. I did some water testing in the shop on a scrap piece of walnut and used it on one of my pd rifles that is subjected to sweaty hands for hours at a time. So far I am surprised at how well it is holding up. The stuff is very thin and might work to give your stock a little more finish and still not fill the stippling.

The stuff I am using is clear satin. I have not tried any other wipe on poly so the method I am using works for the Minwax Clear Satin. DO NOT follow their sanding directions. They instruct you to sand between coats with 220. Don't do that. Do not use the water based stuff either.

If you can find a place on the stock to experiment first, maybe under the tank, I would do that first. Rub a very little into the stock to see what happens. You may want to try rubbing a little into the stippling to see if that comes out the way you want. Have a nice cotton rag handy to rub it off it it doesn't go well.

The only issue I have found with this stuff is it sometimes dries too quickly. At times I could see a "dry line" between an area where I just applied the finish and an area that was done a couple minutes earlier. Rubbing the finish in helps to keep this from happening. I have developed a way to avoid this when I am building coats on the stock but I don't think you need to go there with this project.

I have built up 4 coats on a stock in 4 days without sanding in between and haven't seen any problems with adhesion, so I wouldn't worry about sanding at all.

Jim
View attachment 1499820

This is what I use because I'm not into gloss finishes.

 

[jdh47]

I too use Tru oil for my stocks but thats mostly hunting stocks. Bc'z work is beyond me. Whatever you do the pores will have to be filled. A hand rubbed oil finish looks good.