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Stock oil

Gene248Gene248 Member Posts: 358
edited March 2013 in Ask the Experts

Comments

  • Gene248Gene248 Member Posts: 358
    edited November -1
    What type of oil do the manufactures use on their stocks to finish them? Is it really an oil or something else?
  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,572 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I like Lin-Speed for my hand rubbed stock oil.

    http://www.lin-speed.com/
  • MIKE WISKEYMIKE WISKEY Member Posts: 10,042 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    "What type of oil do the manufactures use"........most use a spray on laquer or poly finish. the colosest I've been able to find commercily is 'CHEM-PACK' spray. check with brownell's.
  • stegsteg Member Posts: 871 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    One of the best things to use on a gunstock is Grumbacher brand Pale Drying Oil. This is a highly refined Artists Linseed Oil with a Manganese drier added to it. Applied to a gunstock in the usual way, it will be dry to the touch overnight. It has an advantage over boiled linseed oil and other "gunstock oils" in that it will darken much less with age.
    Grumbacher's Pale Drying Oil is available at most Artists Supply Stores and many Hobby Stores such as Hobby Lobby.
  • slumlord44slumlord44 Member Posts: 3,702 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Factory oil finished stocks usualy used some form of boiled lindseed oil. I use Tru Oil to touch up most oil finishes and it usually matches prety well if not perfect.
  • Gene248Gene248 Member Posts: 358
    edited November -1
    As per usual you gentlemen have given me plenty of answers to check out and make an informed decision.

    Thanks for the assistance,
    Gene
  • MichibayMichibay Member Posts: 816 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    For touching up...and bringing out the grain...I use Mineral Oil. It has no color or smell...In fact I use it on wood anywhere!
  • stegsteg Member Posts: 871 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The problem with using mineral oil on wood is that it sinks in, but never dries. Chemically,it is a non-drying oil.
    Linseed and other, what they call vegetable drying oils, dry by a chemical process in which the oil absorbs oxygen from the air and forms chemically with it to make a substance called linoxyn, which is what makes the dry film of oil paints and varnishes. This drying process can be accellerated by the addition of chemical dryers, or the simple exposure to direct sunlight in the presence of air. Exposure to direct sunlight will also bleach oil soaked wood that has gotten too dark. However, if you live in Florida or the Southwest, you have to be careful when exposing a wooden object to dry in the sun, that the wooden object does not get too hot and "cooks" the oil.
  • CapnMidnightCapnMidnight Member Posts: 8,038 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    An old blend I got from an old school gun smith years ago, I use it to tough up old Winchester stocks.
    "Half & half boiled Linseed Oil and Turpintine, for a hand rubbed finish, apply once a day for a week, once a week for a year, once a year from then on."
    The Turpintine lets it soak in and helps it dry. Put in on and rub it in, the more you rub it, the more shine you can get.
    W.D.
  • MichibayMichibay Member Posts: 816 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hello "Steg"...you seem to KNOW a lot about oils! I have a 36 year old house framed with natural REDWOOD. I have been thinking of giving it a coating of Mineral Oil...which I can purchase in 5 gallon cans for not too much money. I know it will darken...but that is OK. The house is in the woods gets limited sunlight...Your thoughts??? THANKS!!!
  • stegsteg Member Posts: 871 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    For Michibay:
    Please do not use mineral oil on your redwood. You will have a disaster because mineral oil never dries. It will seem so because it will sink into the wood and the wood will weather anyway. Then, any coating that you attempt to put on the wood after that will not adhere properly. It will soon flake and peel off in an unsightly manner.
    The only thing appropriate to put on your Redwood is Boiled Linseed Oil. Boiled, now Raw. Raw linseed oil takes :"forever and a year" to dry and darkens considerably with age. Boiled darkens somewhat, but nowhere near that of Raw Linseed oil.
    For the best application, start by mixing the oil 1:1 with gum spirits of turpentine, and apply with a roller. Yes, turpentine stinks like hell, but it accellerates the drying of the oil.
    If your wife bitches about the smell, you can substitute mineral spirits for the turps, but your drying time of the oil will be a bit longer.
    I further suggest that you find the paint store in your area where the professional house painters buy their stuff. There, you will be able to buy everything you need in 5 gallon cans, and the price will be less than what you would pay at your neighborhood hardware store. One last thing: depending on how weathered your wood is now, you might consider adding a wood stain of appropriate color to your oil. To find out how much to use, buy a piece of redwood plank and test out various mixtures of stain and oil on it until you have something you like. Remember, something that appears too dark in a small sample will appear light when in a large area.
    As for my qualifications, I worked as a paint chemist in a paint laboratory for over 20 years. Good luck with your project.
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