Curious if a BLO regimen will darken a handguard on its own or if I will need do do something else. I have a 1942 L.B. that I aquired in excellent condition for an early rifle. However, it had English handguards although everything else is LB stamped (except forend was replaced at some point with a Canadian Arsenals unit, serial matched; likely by a unit armorer)
I found a LB rear handguard that is a perfect match both grain and finish/color, but the only good front handguard I could find is a couple/few shades too light unfortunately.
Thanks in advance!
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Issue rifles in Canadian service did not necessarily have matching coloured wood. Not unusual to see rifles with a mix of walnut and birch furniture, let alone different shades of the same species. If you want this handguard to match, you could experiment with stains. But that isn't something that would have been done when the rifle was in service.
Boiled linseed oil is more like varnish with chemical driers. Get some raw linseed oil that will oxidize with age and color the wood a bit in the process. A reasonable color match was all that was required. I've seen rifles with three different types of wood installed so it's difficult to get them all colored perfectly unless you clean and stain all of the pieces to match which is cosmetically nice but not original.
Get some raw linseed oil that will oxidize with age and color the wood a bit in the process.
The original instructions :
Mine are not the best, but they are not too bad. I can think of lots of Enfields I'd rather have but instead of constantly striving for more, sometimes it's good to be satisfied with what one has...
I am restoring a long Branch No4 Mk1* and used raw linseed oil on the repro forend and handguards. I bought a butt used that pretty closely matches so I'm a fan of RLO.
This is the right time of the year to finish wood in the South. I get three times the work done in half the time using good old Mother Nature.
I think I'm repeating myself again but here goes. The British and Commonwealth Armourer's workshops had a powder they added to the warmed tanks of raw linseed oil to color it a bit. No one really knows the exact composition of the powder but I'm guessing it's ground alkanet root. A good friend and mentor in Winchester, NH gave me some pieces he acquired in the UK many years ago as it's a staple in the high-grade British gun making community. I have a pint jar of RLO I work from that I top off frequently from a gallon can. I put the roots in the pint jar and sure as God made little green apples, the RLO turns red. If you use this "red" RLO, it'll oxidize into the brilliant reddish tinted finish we've seen and love without buying fancy and expensive spirit-based stains. It just takes time for the finish to oxidize. I used to have Chestnut Ridge military stock stain but I've run out and the company unfortunately went out of business during the Covid nonsense.
This is the right time of the year to finish wood in the South. I get three times the work done in half the time using good old Mother Nature.
I think I'm repeating myself again but here goes. The British and Commonwealth Armourer's workshops had a powder they added to the warmed tanks of raw linseed oil to color it a bit. No one really knows the exact composition of the powder but I'm guessing it's ground alkanet root. A good friend and mentor in Winchester, NH gave me some pieces he acquired in the UK many years ago as it's a staple in the high-grade British gun making community. I have a pint jar of RLO I work from that I top off frequently from a gallon can. I put the roots in the pint jar and sure as God made little green apples, the RLO turns red. If you use this "red" RLO, it'll oxidize into the brilliant reddish tinted finish we've seen and love without buying fancy and expensive spirit-based stains. It just takes time for the finish to oxidize. I used to have Chestnut Ridge military stock stain but I've run out and the company unfortunately went out of business during the Covid nonsense.
It's Liberon spirit based stain for me on NOS wood Brian, that an BLO treatments until it stops going in.
It's Liberon spirit based stain for me on NOS wood Brian, that an BLO treatments until it stops going in.
BLO is better than 'suck' but RLO is the correct stuff to use ! :
Mine are not the best, but they are not too bad. I can think of lots of Enfields I'd rather have but instead of constantly striving for more, sometimes it's good to be satisfied with what one has...
BLO is better than 'suck' but RLO is the correct stuff to use ! :
First real good belly laugh of the day Alan!!
My typo, I meant to say RLO!
My system after wood prep and colour, is a few coats of warmed and Terps 50/50 thinned RLO, that really gives the initial penetration and depth of finish into the wood and sets it up for the following neat coats of oil ... Then keep on trucking until it stops going in....
Two of mine using this system, my A4 build I fitted NOS Keystone stock to and my Maltby No4 build, also fitted with new NOS woodwork.
.303, helping Englishmen express their feelings since 1889
regimen will darken a handguard on its own or if I will need do do something else. I have a 1942 L.B. that I aquired in excellent condition for an early rifle. However, it had English handguards although everything else is LB stamped (except forend was replaced at some point with a Canadian
PM
Originally Posted by 
