A Beautifully Figured Stock But What Finish?

[TheAlpineWolf]

Hi All,
I have just received a custom made SMLE stock cut from a piece of furniture grade walnut I selected and I can say for certain that Jesse and his crew over a Prestigious Wood Stocks did a wonderful job! Its to go on a smle Aldis sniper that I'm building up. Now therein lies the question, how to finish the stock? I have done one in the past but had very mixed results with sanding to a too fine grit and using poor quality linseed oil. My main concern is what grit is the best to sand a smle stock to and what is the best BLO to finish it with (and should I use something else like tung oil). Im open to any suggestions and would love to hear what you think!
Best Regards,
Sam.

Information

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[CINDERS]

That tiger striping will look awesome I use a 70/30 mix RLO/Mineral Turps rubbed in 24 hours drying between coats until it cannot take anymore then buff with a clean cotton rag I was also at one stage rubbing in bee's wax on top of the finished product but have since stopped that.
Do not scrunch up your rags and leave them as linseed oil is known to spontaneously combust.

Your asking has prompted me now is the time to redo my all 303's and spare stocks I have no excuses now I am retired.

[TheAlpineWolf]

Hi Cinders,
Im hoping it will really pop when I finish it!
Thanks for the helpful info, is there any specific raw linseed oil you recommend and what's the benefit of using raw over boiled?
Best Regards,
Sam.

---------- Post added at 11:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:09 PM ----------

Thanks for the replies browningautorifle, Singer B, Patrick Chadwick and tatou!
I will definitely look into the boning, it would be nice to get that semi shiny finish you see on an old millsurp (I know it can never be truly replicated but hey, can always make it look close enough!)
Im going for a military sort of look, don't want it to look presentation rifle finished. Was their any recommendation on what is a good grit to sand to?
As always, love this forum and thank you all for sharing the knowledge that as a younger collector im yet to acquire!
Best Regards,
Sam.

[Alan de Enfield]

Thanks for the helpful info, is there any specific raw linseed oil you recommend

Look very closely at the data sheet for the brand of linseed oil you are planning to buy.
In some countries (USA being one) carcinogenic chemicals are added and health warnings about skin contact are issued.
To be sure that you are getting PURE Linseed oil go to an artist/paint supply shop, they do small jars for 'watering down' oil based paints. this is 100% Linseed oil.

You only need a small bottle as it 'goes along way'.

When you are finished do not screw up your linseed oil soaked clothes and throw them in the garbage - Linseed oil impregnated cloths can spontaneously combust and have led to folks having their house burn down.
Open up the cloth, put it outside and let 'dry-out' in the air, then put it back in your cleaning kit.



https://abcnews.go.com/US/officials-...ry?id=40788665

To demonstrate how easily this can happen, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue in Maryland teamed up with “GMA” on the Lookout to conduct an experiment. We put linseed oil on some rags and put them into a box and we waited.

Donnie Boyd, a Montgomery County fire inspector, explained just how combustion occurs when linseed oil is left on a cotton rag.

“It actually heats up as it dries. It's a chemical reaction,” he said. “So it spontaneously combusts once it reaches its ignition temperature.”

Two hours into the experiment, a probe recorded a temperature of 204 degrees inside the box, and after four and a half hours, smoke appeared. Nearly six hours into the experiment, the box was burning.

[tatou]

what is a good grit to sand to?

A lot of people will tell you never to sand a stock... while i find this to be true for original wood my view on reproduction wood is completely the opposite.
Having seen NOS stocks i can tell you that scratches and sanding marks are visible and only fade with decades of handling and use.
So when i work on a new piece of wood i leave a bit of scratches on it.
Unless they are heavy or very unsightly, most of the time i don't go finer than 180 grit.
I also remove some of the scratches with a very fine file. I find it is less destructive than a block with sandpaper.
But that takes me back to my earlier comment about techniques and personal taste... i've done a few and this is what works for ME.
I'm sure others use different techniques that are just as good with great results.
I can take days or even weeks to finish a stock, going back to it each day until i am satisfied enough with it.
Another step i do, is when i think i am done with the sanding/filing i clean the whole stock under the tap, in the bathtub.
This raises the wood grain one last time and open ups the wood pores.
If the grain isn't too rough i do not sand it...if it is i might go over it quickly with fine sand paper.
Multiple pass of oil will knock down a lot of those raised wood fibers and the ''boning'' will take care of the rest.
For the oiling part i just hang the pieces up and drench them in oil with a rag and let the excess run off... after 30 mins i wipe the oil off with regular kitchen paper towels.
Taking care not to leave any puddles of oil in all the nooks and holes.
Sometimes i do one coat a day...sometimes two and let dry between coats.
I repeat as many times as i feel it needs to. Most of the times it's 6-7 coats at least.
I don't baby it the whole, if by any chances i knock it on something then that becomes parts of the rifle... imho it's how they were produced anyway.
Nothing fancy and nothing hard.
Now this gives me a battle rifle finish, like i like them.
Obviously it is not a ''fine'' finish like many love but like they say...to each their own.

[browningautorifle]

I would do a very fine finish on those. Then an oil as suggested.

[Singer B]

I would stay with the tried and true RLO. Some of those other finishes may hide or dilute that beautiful tiger strip grain. Doesn'took like it needs any real sanding. If you want a super-smooth and super shiny finish that is somewhat "hardened," then you will need to go with a varnish or shellac.

[Patrick Chadwick]

Do not use varnish. Do not use shellac. Do not use anything except first-class linseed oil with, for the first coats, a touch of pure, natural turpentine. And polish the surface with the method known as "boning" (effectively using a scraper with a trailing action to smooth down the wood fibers).

I described how to do this in detail in a multi-part thread on restoring an Argentino Rolling Block. Which seems to have gone AWOL. As it took me weeks* the first time, I do not feel inclined to do it all again. Please search for "boning" or "treacle rifle", and you should find a couple of before/after photos

Patrick


*correction: months!

[Patrick Chadwick]

THE SOLUTION HAS BEEN FOUND

- I had forgotten how to use the search function.

IT'S ALL STILL THERE

- And I am relieved that it was just my personal incompetence!

Actually, this link to a contribution on the Victorian Rifleman forum should give you a better idea of what boning can do:

India Pattern Brown Bess - Advice needed! - Page 2 - British Militaria Forums

- The wood ends up looking polished before you have applied any oil at all.

[Singer B]

THE SOLUTION HAS BEEN FOUND

- I had forgotten how to use the search function.

IT'S ALL STILL THERE

- And I am relieved that it was just my personal incompetence!

Actually, this link to a contribution on the Victorian Rifleman forum should give you a better idea of what boning can do:

India Pattern Brown Bess - Advice needed! - Page 2 - British Militaria Forums

- The wood ends up looking polished before you have applied any oil at all.

Thanks!