Raw Lineseed Oil

I want to freshen the stock on my Winchester. I normally clean and treat with BLO and 50/50 mix of Mineral Spirits. I have never used just RLO before. This stock, however, is not grungy and does not have a sheen from prior use BLO or Tung Oil. I think it just needs a fresh coat of original oil. It is so original, that I don't think it has anything has ever been used on it except the RLO when it was made.

With one carbine, I can't see buying an expensive quart of RLO at Home Depot. I also know that Raw Linseed Oil is basically the same (IIRC) as "flax seed oil". Anyone know where I can a small jar/can of RLO cheap? Is it something a craft shop would have? Would flax seed oil from the health food store work.

I want to give it a tune-up before the next range day where i show it off. (I had to cancel the watermelon destruction derby in So-Cal with my son). I plan of stripping the carbine down, cleaning old oil off with mineral spirits and a tooth brush, freshening the stock, then putting it together with fresh CLP and grease on the bolt lugs.

PS: I thought of doing a first pass 50/50 mineral spirits and RLO and a green scratch pad to get any surface grime and oil off of it, and then one or two thin coats of RLO to finish it. It does not need a deep cleaning like some stocks I have had....

I buy the flax seed oil from Whole Foods. Much cheaper than the arts variety and tastes the same.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...tuff0202-1.jpg
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What I've been using:
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https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...uff00321-2.jpg

Walgreens has it in my area - 8 oz. bottles. You won't be able to call it "unmessed with" anymore! :lol:- Bob

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Originally Posted by USGI

Walgreens has it in my area - 8 oz. bottles. You won't be able to call it "unmessed with" anymore! :lol:- Bob

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Hahaha! Bill, that's why I want to just freshen up the original raw linseed oil! I usually use BLO, but this is the first one I have had that I know was just raw linseed oil. I suppose oiling it, could be construed as messing with it too!

It definitely leaves less shine. And it's good for both your stock and you.

But first you have to 'open' the wood so the RLO can penetrate. And you don't refer to it as 'coats', since you apply it in small amounts to soak in over time. Definitely cut it with Turp. or min. sp. 1:1 to aid penetration.
Pre-cleaning is another story. Don't use soap and water or a strong solvent like lacquer thinner unless you're prepared to stain. Since there is no surviving arsenal stain to buy, you are then venturing into deep water. Actually the RLO:Turp mix should be adequate to clean the stock as you apply it with a piece of terry cloth or cheesecloth. Let it stand overnight and wipe off any excess that did not penetrate. On today's carbine that basically is not used, once or twice a year is adequate for this treatment.
I would not normally use a Scotch Brite pad or any other abrasive on the stock. The wood is too precious.

I use cold pressed natural linseed oil, applied with a soft cloth, polishing it well in until I get a shine. And then polishing it over again next morning. This cleans off any dirt and ends up exhibition grade.

In our small town, I couldn't find any other source of raw linseed oil when I was needing to finish a No. 4 Mark 2 stock so I purchased a bottle of flax seed oil gel-caps from the health food rack at the local dollar store. Used no stain. The capsules were actually quite handy. One just split the end of a capsule and applied a measured amount with less muss and fuss. One capsule goes a long way, even with a dry stock surface, completely void of any oil. The raw linseed oil gives more satisfactory results for me than the boiled linseed oil commonly found. Here's the before and after of rehab'ing a formerly sporterized, yet non-import-marked No. 4 Mark 2 rifle.



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Seems dark compared with all the blonde No. 4 Mark 2 rifles typically seen but internet research indicated that the rifles' stocks were originally finished using raw linseed oil and a good friend who is English, lives and breaths British militaria in Yorkshire, also validated the use of raw linseed oil. At any rate, the finished stock looks better than the nasty orange-colored refinish of the original cut-down stock. The tops of the hand guards stand a little too proud where they meet the bands but I haven't decided whether to try to mimic the appearance of of original No. 4 Mark 2 rifles I see at gun shows or in internet photos and re-contour the hand guards.

It's now been a couple of years since the rehab and the stock now has a bit less sheen and is a nice dark reddish hue, similar to a U. S. Krag Jorgensen or a pre-World War I 1903 Springfield.

Thanks. The only cleaning I was going to do is with a 50/50 of mineral spirits and RLO. I figure soak over night, wipe off the next day, then a light coat of 100% RLO. The stock is not terribly dirty, just trying to clean and freshen stock, and clean and oil the metal with acetone and fresh Breakfree CLP and grease. Acetone is really good at getting old, dried oil and grease out ofd the pores of the metal.

I buy it this way, in one gallon cans. About twenty bucks a gallon. I don't think it is expensive at all.


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Not really expensive, but way more than I would ever use with just one mil-surp (a carbine).

The "original" treatment method involved dipping in a vat of oil, so to be true to the "original" ...

I us it on all stocks that need oil. You can use RLO time and time again, to clean and coat. But once you use BLO, that is all you can use after that. You can put BLO over RLO but you can not but RLO over BLO. My opinion, once BLO has been put on a carbine stock, the stock is done, toast, finished, chop-chop.
I have given it away. A gallon will do a hundred stocks or make fifty new friends. That is a cheap use of twenty bucks.

If you need to get rid of very slight marks within the grain and smooth the surface, polishing with a small amount of fine pumice dust mixed in with the linseed oil achieves good results (but takes quite a lot of time and effort.

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Originally Posted by Bubba-7

I buy it this way, in one gallon cans. About twenty bucks a gallon. I don't think it is expensive at all.


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Haven't found any in several years. Last paint store I went into the fellow didn't even know of the product! Weird and/or sad.

Bubba,
I spent most of my youth using that Crown RLO on the wood beds of the ole trucks my Father collected.
We'd warm it up in a pot then mix 1part RLO to 1 part Turp, stir well apply heavy. Rag/mop off excess the next day.
Start on the side rails, then the top of the bed, then climb under. Man I hated that, but it held up very well.
Scratched the bed? Grab a rag full and buff more in/on.
And Mom was left wondering where her towels had gone :confused:

Memories.........

CH-P777

I wouldn't use Acetone, lacquer thinner, MEK, brake or carb cleaner on the metal - it will strip any brown patina (old oil, etc.) out of the finish and 'bleach' the gun. Any kind of mild solvent, like Clenzoil, mineral spirits or Naptha will get it as clean as it needs to be. Breakfree CLP contains Teflon which I also wouldn't put on a Parkerized vintage gun because it tends to fill the textured Parkerizing and polishes when touched. Actually Clenzoil is a pretty good CLP for this use. If I hadn't 'bleached' a carbine with brake cleaner I wouldn't know. :(

I'm in agreement with Inland44 on his post #18. I found out the same way he did. When you're done, it looks more "refurbished" than original. - Bob

Also agree with I-44 and USGI,
This is a case where less is more.
The 'Aggressive Solvents' are to hot on original patina. They are better used after stripping metal finishes in preparation to Re-park. I can't speak for all of the above mentioned, but MEK or Lacquer Thinner work very well for final De-greasing before dropping parts in the park tank.
For just cleaning original metal finishes, I just wipe clean with light gun oil until the rags or patches are clean of grime.
Then leave a light coat on the metal both inside and out.
Same treatment to my every season hunting rifles/shotguns and muzzle loaders.
For long term storage I add a light film of light weight grease and pack away.

Don't use BLO for stock cleaning, if you do you are 1: getting some grime off but 2: you are applying a partial hard finish.

A good friend swears by Murphy's Oil Soap, I tried it a couple times and liked it but.........
My favorite for removing surface crud on a lightly grubby stock is GOJO Original hand cleaner , the original (Not the "perfumed" or abrasive type). Applied and buffed off with a soft cotton rag. Fine soft toothbrush on tight areas. Have used this for years on old stocks and antiques without harming the underlying finish.

FWIW,
Charlie-Painter777

I agree with previous contributors, that basically raw linseed oil is what you need. The snag is, it dries extremely slowly, which is why trade painters use boiled linseed oil, and a lot of the art material has added siccatives to promote drying. As jmoore pointed out, comestible linseed/flax oil is ideal, and a little goes a very long way.
The only point in which I would differ from the gist of what has already been posted, is that I would NOT use mineral spirits to thin real linseed oil. Get some natural turpentine and it will provide a better finish. The proof (or at least what I hope is a convincing demonstration) is here:

Treacle rifle before:
Attachment 48246

Treacle rifle after:

Attachment 48247

When you have acquired an adequate amount of the flax/linseed oil, put some in a glass bottle and leave in in a dark place for a decade or so. As the years go by, the oil develops the consistency of runny honey, and can be applied drop by drop with a linen rag dampened with natural turpentine. Then you can achieve a finish as shown above without using anything else - apart from a quantity of elbow grease!

Here are a couple of other stocks treated with the same matured natural linseed oil + natural turpentine method.
Attachment 48248


Attachment 48249


Attachment 48250

Attachment 48252

I think this finish is thoroughly in "the spirit of the original" , and looks good as well!

Of course, if your butt looks like this, then you have a problem!

Attachment 48253

For contrast, all three are finished with BLO and all stripping/refinishing took one week.
Attachment 48266Attachment 48267
Stock Remington 870 finish
Attachment 48268
After I was doneAttachment 48269Attachment 48270
And another one,,Attachment 48271Attachment 48272

Bubba; you can take a stock that has been treated with BLO or an old 'black' one that has soaked up decades of who-knows-what and strip it fast with lacquer thinner and it does not raise the grain or leave any residue. At that point a red/brown stain with a little black in it can be lightly wiped on before the RLO/Turp treatment.

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Originally Posted by INLAND44

Bubba; you can take a stock that has been treated with BLO or an old 'black' one that has soaked up decades of who-knows-what and strip it fast with lacquer thinner and it does not raise the grain or leave any residue. At that point a red/brown stain with a little black in it can be lightly wiped on before the RLO/Turp treatment.

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Agreed, I would just add it is vitally important when staining any hardwood to use spirit based stain, NOT oil based. Minwax is out, Chestnut Ridge or Plinkertons is in...

I just built my own M1 carbine with a Fulton Armory barrel and receiver. I did a lot of searching and came across this web site:

http://www.garandgear.com/new-finish-for-your-m1-garand

I was real happy with the results:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../12/kd2h-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../12/ia34-1.jpg

sure looks purty, where'd you find the stock?

I also got that from Fulton Armory. It was a brand new unfinished walnut Boyd stock.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../12/a3bu-1.jpg

Got a quart of raw linseed oil at a local hardware store today for $11 and change, and some more mineral spirits (since I found mine was evaporated when I got it out) for $7 and change. The local craft store wanted $17 for 8 ozs of RLO and didn't even have mineral spirits. Guess I will get started on the stock tonight.... PICTURES TO FOLLOW

Well, first coat of 50/50 mineral spirits/raw linseed oil applied and worked gently in with a soft, worn out, old dish rag. Liberally applied and allowing to soak for about an hour. After 15 minutes, I used a clean white rag, and saw the surface grime already coming off. I was actually surprised because the stock looks very clean. After the hour, I will wipe it down, let it dry some, then tomorrow rub some 100% raw linseed oil in a little at a time.

I do not say BLO will do a good job. It is fine to use on any and everything but a M1 carbine. And Inland 44, I would consider stripping off BLO and re-applying stain, ok but not for collector stocks. I know it will still look good, I am not a good enough wood worker to try it. My goal is to stop as many people from using BLO on carbines as possible in the first place. I know it is an up hill battle.
A stock saved from BLO is a stock saved.
I have used both mineral sprits and Turpentine and turpentine just stinks longer. But it does replace minerals in the wood.

Well, wiped it down after an hour. Holy Smokes! My white dish rag is grey to black! I rubbed in a medium coat of 100% RLO and will let it set over night. I'll try a another clean rag tomorrow and see what comes off. Tomorrow I will detail strip the metal, and scrub with some Break-Free CLP and a tooth brush. I was going to use some acetone, but don't want to get rid of the green-grey look of the metal.

UPDATE: I just wiped wiped it down this morning with with a couple of clean white shotgun patches. Other than the yellow of the RLO, there was only the slightest hint of grimes on the patch after finishing. I suspect that was from the channel in the stock, as it was clean before that. Wiped it down with a very light coat of 100% RLO and will let is dry. It is out in the 65 degree sun with a gentle breeze. That may not sound unusual, except for the fact it is December 28th in the high Sierra at 2500 ft! I'll post some pictures using my wife's good camera later today before I go to work.

You really don't have to let it dry. And it does not "dry" at all like BLO, it soaks in. Well after a few months what touches the air will get hard. Just rub in down to get any excess off what has not soaked in. I have put RLO on, wait an hour, wiped it off with a hard rub and I put the metal back on and assemble the carbine. No more than two hours from first coat of 50-50 to reassembly after the second coat of 100% RLO.

Yeah, I guess let it dry was a mis-statement. I just took a clean cloth and wiped of any excess about an hour ago. Going to take some pictures.

Well, here are some pictures. The light is really terrible, as this time of year in the mountains, it barely goes over the tops of the trees, and because it is so indirect, the shadows are dark. It has original bolt, etc. mounted.

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Looks good!

I've put BLO on some, and RLO on others. Most of them "ooze" out some oil when you take them out to shoot on a hot day - especially if they are in direct sunlight. Is that because most have had BLO on them at sometime, and that won't let the oil penetrate, or is it they just have too much oil soaked into the wood? The IBM from Israel oozes the most, and it smells a lot like fish oil. Oil never seems to stop coming out of it.

My older brother was in the NG in the late 50's and said they all used RLO on their rifles once, just a day before marching in the 4th of July parade. He said oil was almost dripping off the rifles after they got them out into the hot sun. Same problem I have with the IBM. What's the explanation of this, both types linseed oil used at some point?

I have an Inland that I stripped a shiny finish off of, restained, and probably put 3 or 4 coats of BLO on. The BLO seems to soak in as fast as you put more on. There's not really any shine to it - what's up with that? Of course, I didn't really want it to shine, but expected it with the BLO. :surrender: - Bob

I think BLO is a tougher finish, and I generally prefer it to RLO. That is what I had on my Standard Products mix-master (which already had a BLO or Tung oil finish on it when I got it). This is the first carbine that I am sure has only had the original finish, since it original and un-messed with, and was somewhat "dry" when I got it. That's why I decided to use RLO on this one.