Good Points Taken (Long & Windy)
This excellent discussion is one reason why I keep coming back to this forum. I offer the following 1) When the man says it's polyurethane I assumed it is polyurethane; 2) I have had excellent results with Formby's Furniture Restorer (stripper) on just about everything, with only slight danger of explosion; 3) I have come over from the dark side of BLO to the RLO 'force' as a result of recommendations presented in this forum.
But, I am wondering if 'over time the repeated applications of raw linseed oil built up resulting in a hard, glossy finish' (I paraphrase some unnamed sage) then why would it not be acceptable to use BLO, maybe over RLO, to accelerate the 'aging' process on a stripped stock? Do the driers in BLO not evaprate leaving the same base LO compound in/on the wood? If we strip a stock, do we want a flat replacement finish that is close to a brand new factory original finish, or one with a little semi-gloss that better matches the normal bumps and bruises that also appear to have been around awhile (without being around a long while)? I don't know but I think maybe the best answer might be somewhere in between. Any thoughts?
Finally, since we're on the topic of stockwork, I just re-finished a stock with black (not dark - black) blotchy stains at the butt end and the nose, which I assumed was from oil penetration. This poor stock was Bubba-cut for M2 and I had to strip, degrease, lay in wood and cut/sand to original shape before refinishing. I used Formby's Restorer, laquer thinner, mineral spirits, TSP, steam heat and absorbent materials REPEATEDLY on this stock to remove the stain and thought I had most of it out. Then I applied the RLO and it came back just as black as ever. Is there a secret here I don't know about or are some wood staiins unfixable? What say, Frank? This appears to be a stain (not a paint), but I am beginning to believe it may be a chemical burn or somethong of that sort. It does not appear to be heat charred but who knows? Anyway, the stock is done and turned darker overall after I stripped and oiled it, so the stains are not so apparent. I would still welcome advice for the next time. Thanks. ChipS