What can I use to increase moisture resistance of my stock?

[josie wales]

A small piece of linen, saturated with wood wax and carried in a spare flint wallet can be used to refresh the water shedding effect of your gunstock and metal, as during a woods walk. The smell might be a problem when hunting...

Yep been using Johnson or Butchers for years even on metal parts if I can expect a rainy day.

 

[J. Paul]

I've had very good luck with BLO over the last 50 years and have used it on every stock refinish I have done

 

[DUNKS]

I think if you guys care to look that REN wax was/is formulated to protect museum artifacts from airborne pollutants. Without damaging any finish. It has no water repellents in it at all.

 

[1950DAVE]

There is a lot of opinion on this subject, and it has been hashed out on this site ever since I have lurked here. My experience has been favorable toward BLO. I don't hunt in downpours so can't vouch for that, but have been in drizzle and bushes with plenty of dew. No problem. Some time ago I posted a test I did on a GPR stock with a drop of water maintained for quite a period of time. BLO finish, more than 5 yrs old, no swelling or discoloration. A couple of months ago I freshened the finish with BLO. I have never used wax. Here is a 36 hour test.
Water drop maintained in place, 36 hours, temp, 72* F.

# 2 some discoloration. May be minerals from drying?

# 3 rubbed with palm, no magic incantations, no potions, no special orders to some supply house , no waiting weeks, months for an order to be filled.


Do as you like , be happy with what you do. Just my experience.
Dave

 

[DUNKS]

Hi I just watched the Larry Potterfield video and fell out with his advice when he says he likes to use a wax specifically designed for guns such as REN wax. "It's not" you can of course use it on guns as they do in museums but it was not designed for guns. it is not a good rust proofer either. Yep it makes your guns shine and does keep the finger marks away. But not a good waterproofer their are lots of better options.

 

[Scota@4570]

If you want something to put on the stock and provide some protection, while being historically plausible, try "slackum". 1/3 each of bee's wax, BLO and mineral spirits (or turpentine). Melt the wax, add the oil, stir in the solvent. When cool you will have something that looks like peanut butter. Rub it in the wood. Buff off with a clean rag. It will look really nice, not modern, and will give some protection.

 

[DUNKS]

If you add a drop of Terebine driers to this mix you have as you have said the old English gunstock finish. Good for leather too.

 

[Flintandsteel]

All,this speculation, some good, some bad. Linseed oil by itself is water permeable. Water will go right through it. You need a varnish, which is an oil base, (linseed, tung oil, etc) with some hardeners. That is the only thing that will make the wood water resistant.
linseed by itself never dries, wax rubs off, shellac melts, varnish stays.

 

[springfield art]

The British 19th C. gun mfgrs. used linseed oil, as did the US arsenals, soaked the stocks in it. Anything but the horrific modern polyurethane the spray on the repros! Eck! But I see you've gotten a couple dozen pet suggestions by the time I've seen and typed this! Good luck!

 

[Jim Nasium]

linseed by itself never dries

Linseed oil by itself is water permeable. Water will go right through it.

Though I truly dislike linseed oil with all the other superior options out there for most purposes today, this is incorrect. Linseed oil is a drying oil and will polymerize. How quickly it dries depends on how it was processed, and how water resistant it is, depends on how it was applied. Some people prefer maintaining these oil finishes when it becomes necessary rather than dealing with the labor of refinishing a varnished piece of work. I think a lot of folks just can't stand that varnish sheen on a gun stock. It's all a matter of preference.
There are pros and cons to every wood finish.

 

[Flintandsteel]

Jim,
It takes years for raw, untreated Linseed to dry. Polymerising Takes time and UV rays. Even what is called boiled linseed today, is not what boiled used to be. I agree that shiny finishes are not attractive. I like a nice sheen, but not glossy. That’s why I primarily use Chambers oil. It can be easily touched up, dries quickly. If I want added protection for field use, I add a couple of coats of Spar varnish, then knock back the gloss with a couple more coats of Chambers. Can be done in 3 or 4 days, not weeks or months.
Original guns were glossy, varnished. They added driers, because they didn’t have time to wait on finish to dry.
Hers one done this way.

 

[Darkhorse]

GaHunter I saw the photos of your rifle on the Ga. forum. A hunting rifle shouldn't be bright and shiney but rather finished with some shine, then that shine can be knocked back a little with a scuff pad.
Frankly that rifle could use a little shine to really set her off.
I use Chambers original oil finish on my rifles. Buy this off flintlocks.com, Mr. Chambers website. I find it easy to use and it gives my stocks the moisture protection and finish I'm after. As for using it over your existing finish I see it this way...If your stock will allow the finish to soak in then your good to go. If not then I would consider stripping and sanding off the present finish. I built my .54 over 20 years ago and it has been handled and hunted a lot. The finish is as good now as when I first applied it.
On top of this I use regular Johnson's paste wax on both the wood and metal. The combo works really well.
I built my .40 to be my main turkey hunting weapon. It has 8 hand rubbed coats of Chambers finish. Then this finish was rubbed back to reduce some of the shine. I have killed several gobblers and have been close to many other turkeys over the years, and not one has ever spooked at the rifles finish.
Chambers finish will add depth to the wood and allow it to look it's best.

 

[troy2000]

I've used a boiled linseed oil finish on outdoor furniture, plus a regular coat of Johnson's paste wax, for years on outdoor furniture. If outdoor furniture can survive under it 24/7, I'd think a rifle stock finished that way should survive the occasional jaunt into wet weather.

All my gun stocks are finished with either shellac or linseed oil and kept religiously waxed, and and I've never had a problem. Of course I hang out in the dry and sunny southwest, so your mileage may vary...