Original wood finish of military muskets.

[Ironoxide]

I would've definitely test tru-oil if I could get it without paying extra $60~90 for shipping. Birchwood Casey products sometimes show up with local sellers, but is currently out of stock.

So far I prepared 3 pine boards.

I prepared my varnishes by dissolving them in the appropriate solvent so they are not thicker than water. Then put lots of that solution on the boards and I kept adding it as it was absorbed. Once it couldn't absorb any more I wiped off everything from the surface.

Two varnishes I have most hope for are a marine spar varnish and a good quality floorboard varnish. Both are supposedly oil compatible. This layer is supposed to seal the wood. The third is one I already know I'll not use, but I'm curious how it'll act with BLO.

 

[Artificer]

James Turpin mixes Danish oil with Boiled Linseed oil, I’ve never tried this but is on his DVD.

Straight Danish oil on naked furniture requires 3-5 coats and for the most part I’d call it water resistant.

The most waterproof you can get is with some kind of varnish to fill the grain and then oiling over it for the finish. Of all the Varinishes Spar is thickest (other than an epoxy).

Gus’s recommendation to use tru-oil is the most commonly used and provides a very decent amount of water and grease protection. The best part about using birch wood Casey productions is they can be reapplied to maintain the finish. The fact that it doesn’t take weeks or months to cure too is a benefit.

In my opinion, I’m don’t think there were very many waterproof formulas in the 18th century, at least none that we would consider waterproof today. Even 18th century varnishes that were available were still pretty mild.

The Springfield armory during the civil war did a nice job of finishing rifled musket stocks with linseed oil, these were mass produced and many today are still in pretty decent shape.

THE most water resistant/proof finish they had in the 18th century was the Oil Varnish finish mentioned earlier and then rubbing and buffing a coat of beeswax over the top. The Beeswax was what made it the most water resistant. (I'm taking this off a National Forestry Service article originally published about 10 years ago, though I'm not sure it is still available on the Internet.)

However, beeswax will can/will run in the heat of the sun and especially in summer. That's not too bad, but with beeswax over the oil vanish finish made it extremely difficult to downright impossible to repair the finish unless/until the wax was stripped off the stock.

Gus

 

[Artificer]

I would've definitely test tru-oil if I could get it without paying extra $60~90 for shipping. Birchwood Casey products sometimes show up with local sellers, but is currently out of stock.

So far I prepared 3 pine boards.

I prepared my varnishes by dissolving them in the appropriate solvent so they are not thicker than water. Then put lots of that solution on the boards and I kept adding it as it was absorbed. Once it couldn't absorb any more I wiped off everything from the surface.

Two varnishes I have most hope for are a marine spar varnish and a good quality floorboard varnish. Both are supposedly oil compatible. This layer is supposed to seal the wood. The third is one I already know I'll not use, but I'm curious how it'll act with BLO.

FWIW, I experimented with using Clear Marine Spar Varnish on walnut gun stocks back in the mid 1990's. It looked horribly diseased because of what looked like whitish spots from the Varnish filling the pores of the wood under the otherwise clear top coat. Somewhat in desperation, I tried abrading the surface and then laying a couple of coats of Tru Oil over it. That covered the "spots" so they no longer could be seen and to my happy surprise, the Tru Oil did indeed stick to abraded Spar Varnish below it.

Personally, I would go for the Marine Spar Varnish instead of the indoor floor board varnish.

Gus

 

[Rudall]

Carnauba wax is vastly superior to beeswax as a final finish. It’s the hardest known wax.

 

[FlinterNick]

FWIW, I experimented with using Clear Marine Spar Varnish on walnut gun stocks back in the mid 1990's. It looked horribly diseased because of what looked like whitish spots from the Varnish filling the pores of the wood under the otherwise clear top coat. Somewhat in desperation, I tried abrading the surface and then laying a couple of coats of Tru Oil over it. That covered the "spots" so they no longer could be seen and to my happy surprise, the Tru Oil did indeed stick to abraded Spar Varnish below it.

Personally, I would go for the Marine Spar Varnish instead of the indoor floor board varnish.

Gus

I never really felt the need to use the most water proof finish on any of my guns. Mostly because I‘m ok with any type of reapplication.

I’ve always been a big fan of organic methods such as Pure Tung oil or Pure Linseed Oil, the trick I’ve learned is to start oiling at around 180 to 220 to get that initial soaking to fill the pores, With carbona wax its a pleasant finish. Not water proof for standing in the rain, but perfectly water resistant.