BLO or oiled wood

[Rowdy]

To answer the original question - Ed is right, they were originally treated with raw linseed oil.
An absolutly mint unused rifle will have a raw matt unfinised surface to the woodwork - but depending on the amount of use and the age of the rifle the surface becomes smoother and filled with subsequent applications of oil and finger grease etc. which can give the appearance of a thin BLO oil finish.
A good approximation of an aged finish can be made with some fine steel wool and wiped off applications of BLO over the RLO.
A varnished finish (apart from commercial rifles) means someone has tarted it up afterwards.

[RJW NZ]

This is all great guys, many thanks for the peace of mind, now I actually understand the difference between BLO and an rlo finished rifle, cheers R

[45B20]

Edward Horton
I have always wondered, how and what finish was applied to the No.4’s wood (furniture) during its production life (at time of manufacture or FTR). Can you tell me what is the source of your information is on dipping the No.4’s furniture in hot (temp??) raw linseed oil??? Was BLO used post war?? Do you know what was applied to the No.1, raw or boiled, I have conflicting answers to this one and nobody has given a source.

Speaking of sources, thank you for posting A.C.I. 1148, 25/9/40, now do you have a copy of A.C.I. 88 or any other A.C.I.s that refer to wood finishing.

I have a copy of “Instructions For Armourers” , 1931 (from you I think) and the only thing I can find on finish for furniture is on page 6, Sec.2, Par.3 and it only states “it should be well rubber with oil”, but it does not state what kind of oil.

I can not find anything in Skennerton, Stratton or Reynolds, (but I could have missed somthing).

Thank you very much for any information you can give.

45B20

[Edward Horton]

45B20

The best current source on confirming the hot dipping the stocks in raw linseed oil came in this forum from Peter Laidler the British Armourer and author. Mr. Laidler stated during the yearly teardown inspections the stocks were left soaking in a hot tank of raw linseed oil overnight.

Hot dipping in raw linseed oil was used during the manufacture of the furniture or stocks and later by the Armourers themselves during maintenance. Real actual boiled linseed oil “may or might” have been issued and applied prior to WWII (ACI 88??) or sometime after the war by the troops as a surface treatment but this is unconfirmed.

Raw linseed oil was used on American stocks up until 1943 when a switch to Tung oil was made because of better protection against water.

As Parashooter stated also raw linseed oil was used so it would penetrate deeply into the wood to protect and stabilize the wood, boiled linseed oil does NOT penetrate as deeply as raw linseed oil does and real BLO is a surface treatment.

Real actual boiled linseed oil is heated in a sealed vat which polymerizes the oil causing it to form long interlocking molecular chains (plasticisizes the oil like locking your fingers together on both hands) this makes the oil more waterproof.

Modern (fake) BLO is not boiled and just has resins add to thicken the oil and dryers added to make it dry more quickly, modern BLO is NOT polymerized or plasticisized and does not protect as well as old fashioned real boiled linseed oil.

I have an unissued No.1 that was FTR in 1953 that has raw linseed oil applied to it and nothing else, I’m not sure of the dates when boiled linseed may or might have been used or applied.

The triple mix of “raw” linseed oil, beeswax and turpentine was used during the American civil war as cosmoline for storage, as protection during use and as furniture polish by the soldiers wives.

[Edward Horton]

Please NOTE the A.C.I proceeding or just prior to A.C.I. No.1148 dated 29/9/40 Preservation of woodwork of Rifles was the painting of all metal areas below the wood line with the fore stocks no longer being packed with red mineral jelly (Vaseline).

The Enfield Rifles that were painted with green primer were not required to be torn completely down at the yearly inspections during overseas war time use (if it ain’t broke don’t fix it) and the troops were required to oil their own stocks with the raw linseed oil.

This explains the “why” of A.C.I. No.1148 dated 29/9/40 Preservation of woodwork of Rifles because the armourers no longer stripped the rifles yearly and applied or hot dipped the stocks in raw linseed oil.

[smle-man]

I have a Remington 03A3 with very dry wood - and a splatter of white paint flecks where someone's room painting spotted onto the woodwork of the rifle. I need to get the dots of paint off but the wood is dry enough that I'm concerned that any solvent will spot darken the wood where the paint is removed. It was suggested to use a 50/50 mix of turpentine and BLO to get the paint off and treat the dry wood. What thinks all here?

[Edward Horton]

I have a Remington 03A3 with very dry wood - and a splatter of white paint flecks where someone's room painting spotted onto the woodwork of the rifle. I need to get the dots of paint off but the wood is dry enough that I'm concerned that any solvent will spot darken the wood where the paint is removed. It was suggested to use a 50/50 mix of turpentine and BLO to get the paint off and treat the dry wood. What thinks all here?

Depending on the date of your 03-A3 RLO or raw linseed oil or Tung oil could have been applied when it was made, the U.S. started using Tung oil in 1943.

There is only one place I know of that sells real pure Tung oil and that is at this link......Environmentally Friendly Paint - Real Milk Paint ® everything else on the market presently in nothing more than a wiping varnish no matter what the label tells you (read the msds sheet on each product)

A conservator in a museum to clean an antique firearm stock would use a 50/50 mix of raw linseed oil and turpentine, a soft cotton cloth and a heat lamp to help sweat any impurities to the surface. The metal parts of the gun would be cleaned with pure raw olive oil and a soft cloth and possibly a soft bristled tooth brush to lightly scrub some areas.

At the far end of the Bubba extreme spectrum some people would put the stock in the dish washer.

What lies in the middle is to determine what type of paint is on your stock and how badly you want to remove it. At repair level shops and at overhaul your stock if needed would be scraped or sanded as needed to return it to serviceable condition.

NOTE: Your rifle would not pass military inspection at any level with paint on it and something would have been done to it to remove the paint. Scraping seals the pores and surface of the wood and sanding opens the pores of the wood (What type surface do you need to match?)

[Sunray]

"...the classic BLO finish..." BLO doesn't give a shiney finish. The classic BLO finish is flat. If it's shiney, something else has been put on over it. Could well be a varnish. It doesn't remove paint spots either. Use any paint remover. Try some fine steel wool first. Depends on the size of the paint flecks though.
"...'oiled chambers'..." No such thing. Chambers are never left oiled when shooting any firearm with any ammo. Causes excessive pressure. Oil doesn't compress.

[Parashooter]

BLO doesn't give a shiney finish. The classic BLO finish is flat. If it's shiney, something else has been put on over it.

"...'oiled chambers'..." No such thing. Chambers are never left oiled when shooting any firearm with any ammo.

The classic "BLO" finish is flat because it was applied by people who knew how to do it and when to stop. As applied by most amateurs today, it's distressingly shiny - without the addition of anything other than too much "BLO" allowed to dry on the surface.

Chambers (and bores) are frequently left oiled by shooters who neglect to remove the oil before firing - and combatants who don't have the leisure to do so. A few small arms require oiled chambers and/or cartridges.



(If spelling counts, you might want to look up shiny.)

[ireload2]

>>>When it comes to oiling or greasing cartridge cases <<<

Sure you are wrong, you grease cartridge cases all the time.