What did ROF (F) finish the furniture on their No.4 Mk.2 Lee Enfields with ??

[bouletbill]

I remember from my schooldays being told of the two types of linseed oil , one for gunstocks and the other for cricket bats . I do recall being told not to get them the wrong way round , but I can't remember which oil was for what . I suspect it is the cricket bat that has problems with the wrong oil .
How can you tell the difference ? ( presuming there is no label ).

[Claven2]

In a practical sense, either will work fine. I usually use BLO on most guns simply because it dries in a reasonable amount of time.

[Peter Laidler]

BLO can and does leave a sticky skin which might be OK on your cricket bat but not on your rifle - or have I got it the wrong way round!

[bigduke6]

As Peter said BLO will leave a sticky coat, so you need to wipe of excess when applying, the main difference between the two, is the drying time, Boiled will dry a lot quicker but in the manufacture process it was never boiled like we would boil water, hot air was forced through it, changing the structure .......

How true it is I dont know, but was told many years ago (and it does make sense), the reason for the Warm to hot vats in the production of the the woodwork for the rifles was to change the density of the oil, and to speed up the process, the seaoned wood would soak up the hot oil like a sponge (plus hot oil drips a lot quicker than cold).

While looking for info on tung oil, fould this link.

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/finish2.html

[peregrinvs]

As Peter said BLO will leave a sticky coat, so you need to wipe of excess when applying, the main difference between the two, is the drying time, Boiled will dry a lot quicker but in the manufacture process it was never boiled like we would boil water, hot air was forced through it, changing the structure

So what is the secret of getting a glossy but non-sticky BLO finish? I'm currently cleaning up my Enfield P1914 and would be very interested to know.

Cheers,

Mark

[tbonesmith]

When I did mine, by soaking it in warm linseed oil (boiled) for 3 hours, and the wiping it off and letting it drip dry. The parts that looked PERFECTLY like factory originals, were the guards, where I didn't wipe much of the bulk off. They got that glossy, waxy look that all those new old stock ones have, the rest looked fine too, but the surface looks more dry than the look I'm sure your referring to. So all I can suggest, is do as the man says and don't wipe components off much (or at all???) and let them drip dry by themselves. Mine took at least a couple of days to dry out, and even then any runs that had skinned over needed to be wiped off and allowed more time. But the result is on the money.

[bigduke6]

So what is the secret of getting a glossy but non-sticky BLO finish? I'm currently cleaning up my Enfield P1914 and would be very interested to know.

Cheers,

Mark

Time and patience is the key, If you have the time use normal linseed, if your pushed then use BLO, apply leave to soak in, and wipe off excess , let it dry room temp, repeat process until you gain the required finish. After a few coats I rub over with wire wool, and repeat the process, I find with the wire wool it gives some of the satin/glossy finish I think your after.
I,ve left it by mistake and a few days later returned to a sticky mess, If this does happen then thin down some BLO with white spirit, and use this with fine wire wool and rub untill the sticky layer comes off.

BLO and white spirit is good for cleaning up old stocks, after initial clean use just BLO, rub it in hard and fast to generate some heat, then wipe off with kitchen towel. (if you havent sanded the P14 I would sugest this method).