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I believe tride&true varnish oil will be my choice of finish. I inderstand it can take a while between coats? Do I need to thin it with something? Would applying heat to the stock with a hair dryer for instance speed up the drying time? Also will it need to completely cure in between coats or can you apply new coats once it has "dried"?
Also read that uv light is helpful maybe even necessary?
 
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Well at 11:00 am she arrived at my distribution center!!!!
I hope it'll be delivered by Wednesday!
But with past experiences it'll probably be friday.......😆
Otherwise I am very impressed and happy with the shipping time so far!
Good ol USPS. So much for my maybe this weekend prediction. Here's hoping for next weekend. Fingers crossed for ya.
 
I believe tride&true varnish oil will be my choice of finish. I inderstand it can take a while between coats? Do I need to thin it with something? Would applying heat to the stock with a hair dryer for instance speed up the drying time? Also will it need to completely cure in between coats or can you apply new coats once it has "dried"?
Also read that uv light is helpful maybe even necessary?
I used T&T varnish on mine, I'm pleased with it. I thinned the first two coats 50/50 with turpentine gum spirits to assist it with penetration. Follow the directions when they say thin they mean thin coats. As thin as you can make them.

I wouldn't recommend the hair dryer, you'd spend a significant portion of your day doing it. A mixture of warm flowing air and lower humidity will speed drying time. Still, wait 24 hours between coats otherwise the next coat just re-wets the previous and you're spinning your wheels. If it feels tacky give it more time.

I had an aquarium sanitization UV light hanging near mine. Can't say wether it helped anything or not. Straight sunshine is your best bet from what I've read of Jim's writing.

Below was my "Drying Room" and finished product. Make sure you clean up as much dust as possible. Had the dehumidifier running with the exhaust blowing over the small fan, in theory this kept warmer dry air continuously flowing across the entirety of the finished surface.

PXL_20240110_034416038.jpg
1000008463.jpg
 
I used T&T varnish on mine, I'm pleased with it. I thinned the first two coats 50/50 with turpentine gum spirits to assist it with penetration. Follow the directions when they say thin they mean thin coats. As thin as you can make them.

I wouldn't recommend the hair dryer, you'd spend a significant portion of your day doing it. A mixture of warm flowing air and lower humidity will speed drying time. Still, wait 24 hours between coats otherwise the next coat just re-wets the previous and you're spinning your wheels. If it feels tacky give it more time.

I had an aquarium sanitization UV light hanging near mine. Can't say wether it helped anything or not. Straight sunshine is your best bet from what I've read of Jim's writing.

Below was my "Drying Room" and finished product. Make sure you clean up as much dust as possible. Had the dehumidifier running with the exhaust blowing over the small fan, in theory this kept warmer dry air continuously flowing across the entirety of the finished surface.

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It looks great!
 
I'm sure most of you know but in case there is another new owner that pops into this thread. Clean your bore before the first use!!!!! The machining looks great! But all those metal flakes are still In There
 

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Take your time with her and don't blindly follow the build videos. The kits have been updated since those were made and there are steps that either don't need done anymore or have changed from how he did them in the videos. Look at what's in front of you and think it through.
Will do, good sir!
 
What do you boys do for the mill marks? Do you run through the normal course of sandpaper with a solid backer or do you go light with a fine file?
Edit: Just to clarify I'm referring to the stock
 
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Draw file with a fine mill file. Depending on the final finish you're wanting maybe emery cloth firmly attached or wrapped around a hard block after. Be careful to maintain the sharp edges and profile.

If you haven't yet check out Kiblers build vids. Thorough and a good walk through on the build.
 
The milling marks on my recent WR were almost invisible, all it took was a light draw filing.

Tried & True varnish oil is good stuff. It takes so long to cure that I wouldn't bother thinning the first coat or two, it will stay wet on the surface for days and soak soak soak into the wood very deeply, you'll be surprised how far it can go even on maple. I have yet to have a coat dry in less than two weeks, and I'm talking finishing coats so thin that four drops were put on the entire stock and rubbed in. 4-6 coats do it, put the first one on heavy and let it sit for at least an hour and then rub it hard and wipe off excess. Heat and UV light is your friend for helping it cure.

A tip when using any kind of drying oil is take a piece of clear plate glass or that hard plastic packaging we all hate and put a smear of finish on there, lay it flat next to the stock and observe how it cures. If the oil on the smooth surface is still wet, the stock is still wet. When the finish wrinkles up and turns to a firm rubbery consistency, proceed with your next coat of finish.
 
What do you boys do for the mill marks? Do you run through the normal course of sandpaper with a solid backer or do you go light with a fine file?
Edit: Just to clarify I'm referring to the stock
You edited that. Hard back sanding. Don't take it down too fine though. and don't sand very much without fitting everything on the rifle. One drawback to the Kiblers is they don't leave much wood to play with if things go south.
 

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