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I have gotten an original 1903A3 scant stock that I think is birch (light weight compared to my Garand stock) with walnut stain. I am going to use pure tung oil as a finish. I got loads of info here on search, but did not see if the inside of the stock should get a coat or two. At first I thought yes, but perhaps the wood needs a place open to some air.
Thank you.
Inside and out is the way to go. You need to nourish the wood to kept it from drying out and shrinking or absorbing moisture and warping.
I think when the factory applied oil, it was done as a dip.
Thanks guys. I thought I might be over thinking the project. First time jitters.
I would go with raw linseed oil, get plenty of oil inside and out and wipe off the excess after a couple of days, then buff up to a luster to finish.
Both linseed and tung oil were used on original Springfield stocks. Like mrclark303, I prefer raw linseed oil but either is really right as rain.
I've been told that during WWII stocks were dunked in tounge oil then treated with BLO?
Steve
No they were not. There was no tung oil available during WW2 as access to it was cut off by the Japanese. Besides the US used raw linseed oil on all of it's stocks. Sometimes like with carbine stocks the oil was heated then the stocks were dunked into the oil, pulled out and left to drip dry. If you can't find linseed oil then look for flax oil then at pharmacy. It's the same thing.
We sure go round and round about this. We had a whole thread on this a short time ago too. Exact same results...in the LE forum too...Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce McAskill
Tung oil was not used as they could not get it and it became to shiny over a short amount of time just with hands on the stock. Not a good thing to have light reflect off ones stock on patrol.
Actually a large and thriving Tung oil industry was well established along the US gulf coast at the time, the USDA having encouraged planting large plantations of Vernicia fordii, usually known as the tung tree, starting in 1905.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce McAskill
On my competition 03's I brush some clear poly urethane on the inside.
Ed