Traditional gun stock finish

John Spartan said:

“Sanding slurry”??

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The very fine sawdust from sanding mixed with a few drops of the Oil combo and rubbed into the stock to fill the pores.

Nice! Currently refinishing two stocks (both walnut - one in BLO stage and the other prepped for stain) and already cleaned up all the saw dust.
And thanks Scota for the nylon tip. I was just complaining this morning about the lint from rags/towels on my finish. Got to hit up the wife! Hopefully I don’t gotta go buy some myself.

John Spartan said:

Nice! Currently refinishing two stocks (both walnut - one in BLO stage and the other prepped for stain) and already cleaned up all the saw dust.
And thanks Scota for the nylon tip. I was just complaining this morning about the lint from rags/towels on my finish. Got to hit up the wife!

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I am thinking of using a BLO combo, what do you use and do you use a separate stain of just let the BLO combo do its thing?

John Spartan said:

“Sanding slurry”??

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Wet the wood surface with mineral spirits, turpentine, volatile stuff. Sand the wet wood. The sanding dust will mix with the liquid and work into the pores, filling them.

I normally let the BLO (which I mix with a different % of Mineral Spirits depending on how its looking) darken the wood. I have seen VERY dramatic darkening of wood previously with just the BLO but, for whatever wood reason, it didn’t happen on one which is actually a refinish (just got done taking the BLO off) and the other currently being BLO’ed - both light colored Pedersoli walnut - I just stained right at the start.
Since in my experience wood darkens with BLO far differently to be sure I would test on the butt plate area.

In regards to the staining itself I put it on first thing all by itself as I find this gives me “the most control” on color. Once it is “dry” or very slightly tacky (however many coats - normally one is good) I wipe it down with pure Mineral Spirts (seems to smooth out the color AND the wood) and then begin the BLO/Mineral Spirt mix.
Whew. Sorry to be all long winded. Like my muskets though!

Snake Pleskin said:

By thinning the BLO with turp it helps it dry!

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The main reason for the turpentine in the 1:1:1 ratio recipe is as a solvent to more thoroughly mix the oil and beeswax, though of course any solvent that thins BLO will make it cure faster.

Gus

Artificer said:

The main reason for the turpentine in the 1:1:1 ratio recipe is as a solvent to more thoroughly mix the oil and beeswax, though of course any solvent that thins BLO will make it cure faster.

Gus

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would it help to add something like Japan Dryer to the mix too?

BLO is raw linseed oil with Japan dryer added. It's not really boiled. You can add more, of course.

Scott and others
When you add dryers, either boiled, or stirred, YOU HAVE VARNISH,
All of those you have mentioned, while linseed oil based, have been turned into varnish by those additions. They WILL dry, because they have been pre-polymerized, with added dryers.
Finish a gun with linseed oil only, wait a week, and add another coat. It will still be sticky.
Get it wet and see what it does.

Slide,
Not true. BLO is just that boiled linseed oil. Japan dryer is a hardener.
Read EK’s post, and see what violin varnish means.

Flintandsteel said:

Not sure what you’re calling traditional. Certainly not colonial period.
Early gunsmiths used varnish. Proven over and over.
Linseed oil is NOT a finish. It is an oil. No beeswax, or turpentine is going to make it dry into a finish.

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And what was that varnish. True varnish is boiled bugs, do you know what they used as ‘varnish’
I’m thinking they didn’t do a one year oil finish

Lacquer is boiled bugs. Varnish is a base oil,(tung oil, linseed oil), etc., with added dryers.
BLO IS a year long finish. One coat a week for a month, one coat a month for a year, one coat a year after that.
Does anyone believe that a period gunsmith would EVER use a finish that took that long?
I can do a multiple coat finish in under a week. With varnish!

Artificer said:

The main reason for the turpentine in the 1:1:1 ratio recipe is as a solvent to more thoroughly mix the oil and beeswax, though of course any solvent that thins BLO will make it cure faster.

Gus

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Snake Pleskin: would it help to add something like Japan Dryer to the mix too?

It's not needed, nor even desired when one uses the Lin-speed Oil BLO I mentioned earlier.

I don't use the common BLO found in Hardware stores in my mix, so it might be OK to good if you use that stuff.

Gus

Shellac is the bug extract. Shellac - Wikipedia

Lacquer is nitrocellulose dissolved in solvent. "Any of various clear or colored synthetic coatings made by dissolving nitrocellulose or other cellulose derivatives together with plasticizers and..."

One other thing to watch out for with hardware store BLO is that it never fully dries. Your stock will ooze oil on hot days. I do not like working on stocks saturated with BLO, or any other oil, Once they need to repaired and the repair involves glue, you are SOL.

My research indicates that various varnishes, like copal, were popular with ML gunsmiths. They scraped the stock and brushed on a couple of coats, done... Then as now, there are no hard an fast rules.

ike said:

I was given a traditional gun finish by a gentleman at Brownells. My supply is running out and I cannot find the original recipe. I believe it was 1:1:1 equal parts beeswax. gum spirits turpentine, boiled linseed oil. I am looking for someone who can verify this formula or give me the correct recipe. Thanks for the help. Ike

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Beeswax has a melting point of 135 degrees Fahrenheit, which can cause problems on a hot day with the gun left out in the sun. Better to use Carnuba Wax (185 degrees). The old formula similar to what Holland & Holland & Purdey used back in the day was called Slacum Oil. IT'S PERCENTAGE OF INGREDIAENTS CAN VARY , but a good place to start is:
16 oz BLO
2 oz Gum Spirits of Turpentine
200 Grains Carnuba Wax
2 Tsp Venice/Venetian Turpentine
Simmer in a double boiler pan for about 15 minutes, let cool in pan, bottle. Reduce portions for smaller quantity.
I've used this formula on over 100 stocks & it's the real deal. Wonderful to work with, no petroleum products & beautiful results.

Flintandsteel said:

Slide,
Not true. BLO is just that boiled linseed oil. Japan dryer is a hardener.
Read EK’s post, and see what violin varnish means.

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I'm afraid in this and in your earlier post below, you are a bit confused.

Flintandsteel said:

Scott and others
When you add dryers, either boiled, or stirred, YOU HAVE VARNISH,
All of those you have mentioned, while linseed oil based, have been turned into varnish by those additions. They WILL dry, because they have been pre-polymerized, with added dryers.
Finish a gun with linseed oil only, wait a week, and add another coat. It will still be sticky.
Get it wet and see what it does.

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In the 18th century (as EK shows in his post) they turned plain linseed oil into BLO by heating it and mixing in White Lead, which is a chemical dryer. The White Lead just causes it to dry faster, but not harder. Same thing when they added manganese, which is also only a drier. It is NOT Varnish UNTIL one adds the resin, which EK lists different kinds in the sections on making varnish and at the end of his article.

In the nineteenth century, Japan driers often were made with lead and manganese in a base of linseed oil, turpentine and natural resin. The resins used were copal, dammar, rosin and shellac. The resin is what turned the oil into varnish.

Today, most Japan driers consist of manganese in a base of linseed oil and mineral spirits. Notice the fact the resin is left out? That means it won't make varnish. Now if the brand of Japan Dryer DOES have resin in it, then yes one is making a type of varnish with it, depending on how much resin is in it.
Gus

Old Hawkeye said:

Beeswax has a melting point of 135 degrees Fahrenheit, which can cause problems on a hot day with the gun left out in the sun. Better to use Carnuba Wax (185 degrees). The old formula similar to what Holland & Holland & Purdey used back in the day was called Slacum Oil. IT'S PERCENTAGE OF INGREDIAENTS CAN VARY , but a good place to start is:
16 oz BLO
2 oz Gun Spirits of Turpentine
200 Grains Carnuba Wax
2 Tsp Venice/Venetian Turpentine
Simmer in a double boiler pan for about 15 minutes, let cool in pan, bottle. Reduce portions for smaller quantity.
I've used this formula on over 100 stocks & it's the real deal. Wonderful to work with, no petroleum products & beautiful results.

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Slacum Oil is a traditional Oil finish that goes back to the 19th century and is still being used today. British Gunsmiths also call this a "Soft Oil" finish.

Gus

Flintandsteel said:

Lacquer is boiled bugs. Varnish is a base oil,(tung oil, linseed oil), etc., with added dryers.
BLO IS a year long finish. One coat a week for a month, one coat a month for a year, one coat a year after that.
Does anyone believe that a period gunsmith would EVER use a finish that took that long?
I can do a multiple coat finish in under a week. With varnish!

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i would venture that many guns were ordered one season and picked up the next. it would be very conceivable that a stock finish could take a year.
reading some of these post's, I have been made aware that what i have been using and doing for 60+ years is all wrong. maybe time to hang it up.

deerstalkert said:

i would venture that many guns were ordered one season and picked up the next. it would be very conceivable that a stock finish could take a year.
reading some of these post's, I have been made aware that what i have been using and doing for 60+ years is all wrong. maybe time to hang it up.

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That’s a good point. I do like a slow Lindseed oil, but it does take a year, Gus is shootable after a month.

i could see an apprentice whose sole job was applying finish.