gloss finish ?

I am new to finishing rifles with one Kibler kit and one refinish on an old rifle I have owned for 30 years. I did both of them with chambers oil and then wax. They are both pretty but I would like my next one to end up with a high gloss finish like they used to have on a remington BDL.

I have a Kibler coming with a cherry stock. Could I stain it with EZ Off and then coat it with Polycrylic or something similar to get a gloss finish instead of the stain finish that I get with the chambers oil?

I wouldn't put straight poly on that beautiful wood Kibler will be sending you. You'll get your gloss sheen all right, but it won't have the depth and lustre of oil. I'd suggest looking into Birchwood-Casey "Tru Oil" which is a gun stock finish product that's a kind of a crossover between the two so you get most of the benefit of oil plus a high gloss, depending on how it's applied, and it's self-leveling. I have used it, but usually don't, because I prefer a satin sheen, and B-C Tru Oil is too shiny for me.

Though certainly not traditional (not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with that), I have used Satin finish Wipe-On Poly on a few of my guns and achieved very nice results. (You can get it as “ glossy” as you like). The trick is to do it correctly and use very light applications. With an over finish of paste wax, the finish is warm and very durable.

"next one to end up with a high gloss finish like they used to have on a remington BDL."

Yikes, no.......

The material used to achieve that is catalyzed urea formaldehyde or poly. Fullerplast is an example. It is very nasty stuff. IT requires quality spray equipment, a hot box, a gas mask, and experience. IT is not suitable for hobby use. You probably can not get it anyway. IT was banned in California. I have done about 50 stocks in those finishes. It is hazardous to work with, like Imron. IT stinks for about a week. And, it is completely inappropriate for a muzzle loader. I think it looks bad on any gun. The customers wanted it and I could finish a stock in about 30 minuets, including clean up time.

Here's a Tru-Oil finish on a bow. Is this glossy enough? Applied very thin, let dry and wet sanded with 1200 grit wet/dry sandpaper between many coats.

I've used wipe on poly and antique oil finish after a couple of coats of linseed oil. The linseed gives the wood the depth and warmth mentioned. The oil needs to cure for a couple of weeks before the poly is applied. Anything from pretty flat to high gloss can be had with the poly depending on the technique. The walnut stock I'm working on now has two coats of red oil (linseed and alkanet) followed by 4 coats of true oil rubbed off with grey scotch bright to fill the pores almost full. I'll put the top coats on in a few days and post some pictures when it's all done. That's a maybe on second thought. My Macbook pro just died and I haven't figured out how to do photos on this Google Chromebook.

I don’t do gloss finishes as a rule, but here’s some photos of a Clay Smith trade gun I built. Iron nitrate on maple, 4 coats of Permalyn sealer and 2 or 3 coats of Permalyn finish. The gloss has mellowed a bit from age and use from what the photos show.

that bow is exactly what I am looking to end up with

Buff1958 said:

that bow is exactly what I am looking to end up with

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Apply tru oil with a magic eraser can provide a high gloss finish

If you have a high gloss finish and want it dulled down. Use a piece of heavy denim or I usually use and brown paper grocery sack crumpled up. Just lightly rub on your finish till you achieve the gloss you are looking for, then a coat or two of Johnson’s Paste Wax to seal and protect the finish. My 2 cents worth.

The finish on the bow was easy to do but took a lot of time. I'd put a very thin coat of Tru-Oil on it, let dry, and wet sand with 1200 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Many coats

Alice1885 said:

... brown paper grocery sack...

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Ya, my favorite buffing tool, too. Coffee filter works pretty also.

The polish on that bow is amazing.

This is what five coats of Miniwax Antique Oil Finish looks like. The more coats added the deeper and glossier the finish will be.

TDM said:

I don’t do gloss finishes as a rule, but here’s some photos of a Clay Smith trade gun I built. Iron nitrate on maple, 4 coats of Permalyn sealer and 2 or 3 coats of Permalyn finish. The gloss has mellowed a bit from age and use from what the photos show.

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Wow, TDM that looks great. Nice job

Just a note, BDL's are back in production with the same high gloss finish, so there's no more "used to have".

Not my thing on any traditional muzzleloader but I second the use of Tru-Oil and tons of patience.

Hi,
The secret to a high gloss finish is the wood needs to be very smooth and any edges or carving very crisp and clean. Gloss will show up any defect, ripple, depression, scratch, chip, etc to a much greater degree than a low sheen finish. Usually a high quality gloss requires rubbing out the finish with a fine abrasive to level it and eliminate any "orange peel". Here is a rifle with a fine glossy finish done in the English fashion.





dave

A rather plain jane sap wood factory walnut stock with figure turned into a pretty thing with the products shown. Yes, it is very shiny.

dave_person said:

Hi,
The secret to a high gloss finish is the wood needs to be very smooth and any edges or carving very crisp and clean. Gloss will show up any defect, ripple, depression, scratch, chip, etc to a much greater degree than a low sheen finish. Usually a high quality gloss requires rubbing out the finish with a fine abrasive to level it and eliminate any "orange peel". Here is a rifle with a fine glossy finish done in the English fashion.

dave

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That takes skill to do that on checkered stocks!

Checker it after finishing.

Scota@4570 said:

Checker it after finishing.

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The same technique is needed either way. A soft bristled tooth brush, thinned finish, and judicious care to avoid filling the grooves with finish.

But, you need the checkering finished also, and a well done checkering job is never "glossy" in the checkering pattern, and absolutely never filled up with finish.