Stock finishing

[WillSarchet]

Brian,

Well... a little column A a little column B. The area where the draws are is completely open on the new stocks. It's my one main issue with them, and I really just need to message him before I buy another set because I'm sure he'll fix it. I don't feel like my woodworking is up to grafting in blocks to fill the space neatly before fitting, so I went with what I know instead of risking that beautiful piece of walnut. The last small bits come in next week and then I'll shoot it before doing anything on the next one. I'd love to come get some hands on learning at some point though! I've got six No1s and another No4 to do, so I'm not short of projects.

[RASelkirk]

...Armourers cleaned used wood in boiling tanks of Triclorethane, then judged just how long to soak the wood afterwards in the warm dip tank according to the condition of the wood.

That is some nasty stuff! We used it as a catalyst at (refinery) work. I think it was outlawed as a dry-cleaning agent back in the 60's.


Russ

[NVGuy]

Thank you for the replies everyone. The stocks i have looks great. They seem straight and do not appear to need a lot of fitting. Mostly just finishing i think. Just for clarification, the peak, or ridge, is very slight and noticeable by hand more so than by eye. It runs down the center from the rear to the front of the hand guard. I guess what i need to know is if this is how the hand guard is supposed to be or if i need to sand it a bit and give the top hand guard a more rounded profile. I picked up the Sunnyside raw linseed oil for it based on other posts I came across.

As far as turpentine use goes i am getting the impression i may not need to use it? It is only used to help speed up the drying time?

Thanks!

[NVGuy]

Also i meant to ask, will the oil make the stock darker with each added coat? I am curious if this is the method that will allow me to match the forend.

[WillSarchet]

Yes, it will get a lot darker quickly and then darken slowly after the first few coats. Check out the link I posted, it has the new forend and old stock bare, after two coats, eight coats, and after a few days (12-13ish coats?). You can see the color change. As long as it's the same type of wood it should end up matching pretty closely.

[mrclark303]

Everyone will give you a different approach to this, do a quick Milsurps search and you will find dozens of variations and individual approaches.

The closest I have had to do to finishing a new stock was a NOS M2 Carbine example.

That required fine finishing with P400 grade sanding on a very soft pad and finishing with red scotchbrite.

I cut the first coat of RLO with turps by 50%,this creates depth of finish as the thin viscosity oil sinks in.

I followed up with neat RLO applications for one week, with the stock in a plastic bin liner.

Finally clean off the excess and buff up with a cloth to a semi Matt finish. Finished results attached.

If you haven't worked with wood before, great caution needs to be taken with edges and angles, easy to damage and difficult to put right!

[Bruce_in_Oz]

A point that most seem to be missing is that except for "presentation" rifles, precious few No1 or No4 / 5 rifles /carbines left the factory with a hand-rubbed gloss finish.

These thing were meant for battle. If you are slogging through a tropical downpour in a leech-infested rain forest, among the last things you would want is a shiny, SLIPPERY rifle,

Even the post-WW2 No4s that came out of the green waxed wrappers have "texture" on the woodwork. As does the similarly-wrapped replacement wood-work.The old No1 's that I shot in competition on the 1970's were almost BLACK from the amount of oil and "hand-grime" that had been laid upon them, and were in no way "smooth, despite all the handling and shooting.

ALL original wood is made nominally oversized. In the "good-old-days", the wood was STORED in barrels of linseed oil, often for months, before it was fitted. Prime Italian walnut requires a different "regime' from beech, birch, coachwood, etc.

The wood should ALWAYS "overhang" the butt-plate on a properly fitted butt. This allowed for "tidying-up" by armourers if required. For US collectors, take a close look at the fit of the butt-plate on an unmolested M-1 rifle. The butt timber overhangs the steel butt-plate. Same reasoning. See also; your basic "original" K-98.

As for butts, in particular: the originals were made such that the forward end of the wrist that mates with the "ferrule" (socket) on the body, is tapered, as is the matching metal bit. In the factories, there were special presses that drove the linseed oil loaded butt into the ferrule with some force, and held it firmly in place while the bog stock bolt was wound in and torqued up. Note also that once fully seated, there MUST be a small (15-20 thou) gap between the rear of the ferrule and the wrist proper. This is to prevent chipping of the wrist over time.

And a thoughtful, socially distant ANZAC Day to one and all, (Also Kapyong Day for yesterday).

[Bindi2]

A point that most seem to be missing is that except for "presentation" rifles, precious few No1 or No4 / 5 rifles /carbines left the factory with a hand-rubbed gloss finish.

These thing were meant for battle. If you are slogging through a tropical downpour in a leech-infested rain forest, among the last things you would want is a shiny, SLIPPERY rifle,

Even the post-WW2 No4s that came out of the green waxed wrappers have "texture" on the woodwork. As does the similarly-wrapped replacement wood-work.The old No1 's that I shot in competition on the 1970's were almost BLACK from the amount of oil and "hand-grime" that had been laid upon them, and were in no way "smooth, despite all the handling and shooting.

ALL original wood is made nominally oversized. In the "good-old-days", the wood was STORED in barrels of linseed oil, often for months, before it was fitted. Prime Italian walnut requires a different "regime' from beech, birch, coachwood, etc.

The wood should ALWAYS "overhang" the butt-plate on a properly fitted butt. This allowed for "tidying-up" by armourers if required. For US collectors, take a close look at the fit of the butt-plate on an unmolested M-1 rifle. The butt timber overhangs the steel butt-plate. Same reasoning. See also; your basic "original" K-98.

As for butts, in particular: the originals were made such that the forward end of the wrist that mates with the "ferrule" (socket) on the body, is tapered, as is the matching metal bit. In the factories, there were special presses that drove the linseed oil loaded butt into the ferrule with some force, and held it firmly in place while the bog stock bolt was wound in and torqued up. Note also that once fully seated, there MUST be a small (15-20 thou) gap between the rear of the ferrule and the wrist proper. This is to prevent chipping of the wrist over time.

And a thoughtful, socially distant ANZAC Day to one and all, (Also Kapyong Day for yesterday).

Well said Bruce. Battle rifles not parade ground princesses (bubba jobs) from the factory.

[mrclark303]

Nothing worse than a gloss finish on a military rifle, it looks bloody awful....

[Singer B]

The RLO makes them shiny until you wipe off the excess and give it a few days to finish soaking in. Plus, it makes my old guns smell like my Grandma's house.