My k98 rifle stock - a question about refinishing

[Ironers]

This is a 1942 CE stock I purchased off of a awesome fellow CGN'er. It had the finish already removed when I got it so after a lot of research I decided to go with BLO for the finish. My question is how much time between applying coats is needed? I have read everything from 4 hours to a few days so I'm a bit confused at this point.

I used synthetic steel wool on the wood before applying the first coat. I used a little bit of BLO on a micro-fibre cloth, and rubbed down the stock until the cloth felt dry. And then washed the rag clean and hung it to dry. I'm using the hottest room in our house. And I found that I love the smell of BLO lol!

 

[jbmauser]

BLO isn't an original type finish if that matters to you.

Typically I go 24hrs between coats of BLO.

 

[Ironers]

BLO isn't an original type finish if that matters to you.

Typically I go 24hrs between coats of BLO.

Yeah, I know raw linseed oil is what was originally used but I'm wanted to try BLO.

And thank you for the info. I plan to put on a coat every day this week.

 

[collector67]

I love the BLO fragrance as well. Someone should make a cologne combining BLO and Cosmoline.....

 

[gyates93]

Isn't it 'every hour for a day, every day for a week, every week for a month, every month for a year, every year for life'? I know nothing about refinishing stocks but this stands out in my head.

 

[liamcza]

Isn't it 'every hour for a day, every day for a week, every week for a month, every month for a year, every year for life'? I know nothing about refinishing stocks but this stands out in my head.

to my knowledge that is how they were originally finished according to German doctrine. but as you can guess, most soldiers that were issued the guns with stocks in the white just put on one thick coat and called it a day.

 

[Quiet]

I've refinished several stocks with BLO and you need to apply thin coats and wait till it is dry before applying the next coat or it will become a gummy mess that never seems to dry. Sometimes it's 2 days, sometimes its a week or more between coats. Depends on the age & formulation the particular brand/batch of "boiled linseed oil" type product you have, temperature, humidity, airflow and how well you managed to clean the old grease and oils out of the stock.

 

[gunsdora]

Delete

 

[philhut]

Do not rush your coats....I would buff btw each coat and then apply another layer generally it took between 6 to 18 hours to fully dry depending on temperature and humidity....to control dust my trick was to place them hanging in the garage with a industrial fan aimed at the drying stock which both sped the drying process and prevented the small potting that occurs from dust accumulation on the new application.

 

[Ironers]

In response to Quiet & philhut:

I pretty much just put a little blo on the heal of my palm and rubbed it in until the wood heated up from the friction. Then when the whole stock was done I let it sit in the hottest room in our house for 24 hours, then rubbed it down with a paper towel and repeated the process. It always seemed dry the next day. I did this each day for a week, then let it sit fir another week before reassembling. I have to take pictures of the finished stock to post up. Does not feel tacky at all but very smooth.

 

[Ironers]

And here is the final product, my own mix n' match K98k. Free barreled action & matching bolt Israeli K98k, 1942 laminate stock with matching hand guard, repo sight hood, cleaning rod & sling, and front barrel band from Liberty Tree I had to re-blue because it had no original finish left.

So five rifles down, three more to go, a M1 Garand, a Type 99 or Type 38 and a pre-surrender MAS 36.

 

[philhut]

And here is the final product, my own mix n' match K98k. Free barreled action & matching bolt Israeli K98k, 1942 laminate stock with matching hand guard, repo sight hood, cleaning rod & sling, and front barrel band from Liberty Tree I had to re-blue because it had no original finish left.

So five rifles down, three more to go, a M1 Garand, a Type 99 or Type 38 and a pre-surrender MAS 36.

Looks really good, nicely done... I find when refinished they look just as good as the new models offered last year from Tactical imports for about $1950.... why spend that much when you can get a nicely finished product cleaning up an older rifle just like this.

careful your wife will get jealous if you keep bringing the rifle to bed with you and take photo's too often.