Caring for your oil finished wood stock

1899

1899

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I really liked oil finished wood stocks. I've never had the pleasure to own a high end English rifle or shotgun with the many, many coats of hand rubbed oil finish over red oil (alkanet root), but I have had, and do have German and Austrian rifles with oil finished stocks. I also found the Weatherby Mk5 Euromark quite appealing, although I have only owned Mk5's with the shiny finish.

I have used boiled linseed oil to finish a blank for a Santa Barbara Mauser (I was practicing!)

For maintenance I often used a piece of walnut on my Steyr Mannlicher Luxus. At some point in the past I discovered Scherell's Schaftol, and have been quite happy with it. It comes in Hell or Dunkel, which is light and dark respectively. What do you use to maintain your oil finished stock? Do you ever rub in some wax?

Here is a before and after from just one application of Schaftol on a Steyr Mannlicher Luxus I purchased from a fellow CGNer the other day. It really brings out the grain quite nicely.

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How does one apply beeswax on checkering. Not so much how it goes on but how does one buff it out without damaging the checkering? Soft toothbrush?
 
I’ve never heard of this Howard’s product, but it seems to be a popular choice. How does it affect the look of the stock? Does it enhance grain? Does it leave a shiny finish?

Also, for those using beeswax- how does you apply it?
 
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jamesharrison said:
I use the Red & Extra Dark Schaftol.

To make Red Root Oil, I use Alkanet root powder & dissolve it in BLO. I've had a jar I made over a decade ago & still have lots left.

I've also make Henna Oil the same way. I use it to "cheat" & bring out the dark grain streaks on lesser wood.
Click to expand...

Do you prefer the powdered Alkanet root to chunks? I assume you have to strain it quite carefully to remove any solids from the end product. How long to you leave the root in BLO before it is ready for use. I recall reading somewhere that it should sit for at least 6 months.

Do you have any before and after pictures to share?
 
I use powdered alkanet root. Think it was ~$20.00 for a 1 litre jar of powder. I've also used the powder as a rubbed-in grain filler using Varsol &/or alcohol as the carrier.
I do not strain it. When I made up a batch, I did it in a 1 quart glass sealer. I remember shaking it every time I went into the workshop, 2 or 3 times a day for a whole lot of days. It took a couple of months before the liquid really started getting dark. I don't shake it any more, as it is dark purpley-black in colour & all of the sediment is at the bottom. I've been tempted to dig deep & use it as grain filler. I just dip in a cleaning patch & go to work. I long ago quit dipping my finger in. Remember, what's left is now over 10 years old. I use duct tape on the bottom of the glass sealer, just in case. It is important to ensure the jar is sealed well, or the liquid will eventually evaporate.

If you mean of the stocks, then no. If you mean of the powder or the concoction, then also no, but suppose I could go down & snap a photo, but not sure what benefit that would be.
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Tung oil for the win, the US military during WW2 switched from using boiled linseed oil for about a century to tung oil for their wood stocked small arms. Tung oil drys hard while boiled linseed oil gets tacky again with heat. Both sink into the wood fibres to provide a deep long lasting protection unlike most other surface only treatments that scuff or wear off with use.

Tung oil is a suitable finish for military and other wood rifle stocks because it was historically used by the military as a superior alternative to linseed oil, offering better water resistance. It penetrates the wood, providing a durable, low-sheen, in-the-wood finish that is easily repaired. For maintenance, it is applied in thin coats and rubbed in to avoid a gummy, built-up surface.

You can either reapply a light coat to patch up wear or for further protection apply a wax finish or wood furniture polish over the top.
 
One of the best and easiest to apply products I've used to maintain oil finished stocks for almost 50 years is cheap and available anywhere in Canada, and at all the big box stores.

Kiwi Shoe Polish

It's easily applied at room temperature for a quick touchup, and if you need it to penetrate deeper, a hair dryer with different heat settings will increase its viscosity. If you want even more penetration, heat the stock as well.

If you want it shiny, buff it up with a soft cloth after it hardens for a couple of hours.
 
jamesharrison said:
I use powdered alkanet root. Think it was ~$20.00 for a 1 litre jar of powder. I've also used the powder as a rubbed-in grain filler using Varsol &/or alcohol as the carrier.
I do not strain it. When I made up a batch, I did it in a 1 quart glass sealer. I remember shaking it every time I went into the workshop, 2 or 3 times a day for a whole lot of days. It took a couple of months before the liquid really started getting dark. I don't shake it any more, as it is dark purpley-black in colour & all of the sediment is at the bottom. I've been tempted to dig deep & use it as grain filler. I just dip in a cleaning patch & go to work. I long ago quit dipping my finger in. Remember, what's left is now over 10 years old. I use duct tape on the bottom of the glass sealer, just in case. It is important to ensure the jar is sealed well, or the liquid will eventually evaporate.

If you mean of the stocks, then no. If you mean of the powder or the concoction, then also no, but suppose I could go down & snap a photo, but not sure what benefit that would be.
.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I was curious about a before/after of a stock you finished to see how well your red oil enhanced the grain.
 
Odie’s oil and Odie’s wax are two great products that I use on my woodworking pieces, it seems to be pretty tough and last quite bit.
 
If it’s just to keep it pretty, Howard’s whenever you feel like rubbing it on. Lovely stuff

Yours looks dry a bit. I’d do some coats of
Shaftol let sit for a bit then howards
 
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The two products I use on my finer wood stocks are Schaftol clear and Scott’s liquid gold furniture polish. I chose the Scaftol clear because I like the wet glossy look but don’t want to darken the wood. They both really make the wood pop, I would say the Scott’s product slightly has the edge here. But unfortunately the treatment doesn’t last very long with either product. I like the glossy wet look on my nice wood stocks, but after a week or two it basically just dries up and disappears. About the only option IMO would be to refinish with something like Tru-oil. I have redone a few stocks with Tru-oil but find it hard to work with if trying to get the glossy finish because gets tacky very quickly.
 
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