Pete G
76 Cal.
Not really. I am talking about sanding a cured finish, you're talking about sanding wood. Perhaps I wasn't too clear about that. Sorry for any confusion
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Refinish a T/C Hawken stock
- Thread starter N.Y. Yankee
- Start date
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What brand Tung Oil did you use ? Is there any need to apply a paste wax over that for appearance ?
I use Tung Oil from Real Milk Paint.
https://www.realmilkpaint.com/shop/oils/pure-tung-chinawood/
I cut the Tung Oil 50%-75% with mineral spirts (I use Stoddard solvent, not the odorless stuff WallyWorld sells) to help it penetrate the wood. The process I use takes 4-6 weeks to fully cure. I do not apply any wax. Maybe once a year or so I wipe down the wood with the Tung Oil mineral spirts mix if the gun has been exposed to harsh elements or the wood is scratched up. While outside what we discuss here, I have Milsurp stocks, some 100 years old plus, finished this way that are really abused in competitive shoots (rain, snow, mud, lubricants, very hot barrels, etc), whose finishes hold up extremely well, at least in my opinion.
Here is a photograph of TC stock finished with Tung Oil 10-15 years ago. It has seen a lot of time in the woods and on the range.
https://www.realmilkpaint.com/shop/oils/pure-tung-chinawood/
I cut the Tung Oil 50%-75% with mineral spirts (I use Stoddard solvent, not the odorless stuff WallyWorld sells) to help it penetrate the wood. The process I use takes 4-6 weeks to fully cure. I do not apply any wax. Maybe once a year or so I wipe down the wood with the Tung Oil mineral spirts mix if the gun has been exposed to harsh elements or the wood is scratched up. While outside what we discuss here, I have Milsurp stocks, some 100 years old plus, finished this way that are really abused in competitive shoots (rain, snow, mud, lubricants, very hot barrels, etc), whose finishes hold up extremely well, at least in my opinion.
Here is a photograph of TC stock finished with Tung Oil 10-15 years ago. It has seen a lot of time in the woods and on the range.
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Just a note about Tung oil. Some people are highly allergic to it.
There was a time, the US Military decided to change the oil coatings used on their rifles to Tung oil.
When the guns were issued, suddenly a lot of soldiers ended up at the medics with reactions that took them off duty. The problem was traced to the Tung oil that was used on the gun stocks.
I am not trying to be an alarmist but I think people who are considering using it as a finish on their guns should be aware of the possible problem.
There was a time, the US Military decided to change the oil coatings used on their rifles to Tung oil.
When the guns were issued, suddenly a lot of soldiers ended up at the medics with reactions that took them off duty. The problem was traced to the Tung oil that was used on the gun stocks.
I am not trying to be an alarmist but I think people who are considering using it as a finish on their guns should be aware of the possible problem.
Glad I found this thread! I'm in the middle of refinishing two T/C Hawken stocks. One is the rifle that killed my first deer, and while she's a fantastic rifle, I never really liked the finish- it looked so... I don't know, kind of murky. I could see decent wood on the butt, and when I accidentally chipped a tiny piece of the finish off the wrist, I decided to refinish it. Well, years later I still hadn't. And then the Coronavirus lockdown gave me some free time...
Once I finish them, I'll post a thread. But thanks for the information y'all have presented here!
Jay
Once I finish them, I'll post a thread. But thanks for the information y'all have presented here!
Jay
I forgot to mention; all of my walnut stocked guns shown above got multiple coats of Birchwood Casey walnut sanding sealer before I applied the Tru Oil. I would apply the sealer, let it dry and sand it back over and over until the pores were filled.
Walnut is porous and will need the sealer if you are after a smooth finish. My Harper's Ferry being more of a military rifle used very plain walnut and no sealer before I applied the orange stain and finish.
ohio ramrod
75 Cal.
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2008
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The stock is walnut. I like to use a mixture of 80%walnut oil, 20% beeswax.
