Applying Tru-oil over the current finish ??

FPSAirgun

FPSAirgun

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Hi, I have a new Remington 870 express, it has cheap looking laminate stock and fore stock with a matte/ non-glossy finish. I've read that it's prone to drying out and cracking. I want to protect it, would I be ok to rub some tru oil right into it the way it is? Do I really need to sand it or remove the current finish first or can I just apply a few coats? I'm not looking for a project I just want to weatherproof the thing. What's the worst that could happen?

pS I have the 20 gauge and can't find replacement stocks anywhere in Canada so whatever I do I'll probably have to live with forever.
 
I think that your idea would work. I would however, scuff the stock with about O steel wool first. The worst scenario - strip and start over,
FWIW --- John
 
sand the old finish off lightly, don't get carried away and start sanding into the original wood. Use a Water base stain the same color of your wood. Oil base stain Hides the natural look of the wood, & Water base Enhances it. Guitars are all done this way. It really makes the grain Stand out.
If you just True-oil over an aged or dull finish ,..your end result will be Blurred.
Be smart when sanding...Follow THE Grain. Never kriss-cross or you'll have a checker board finish.
Apply the True oil 1 coat at a time. Once in the morning and 1 at night.
After you get 6 coats on..wet sand the stock with 1000 grit WET sand paper till all the little nibs are flush.
Apply 4 more coats then wet sand with 1500 Wet sand paper.
Then use Automotive Cutting & polishing compound. Then rub down with car wax. It will look like GLASS !!
Here is a few stocks I colored and oiled using this method

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FPSAirgun said:
Do I really need to sand it or remove the current finish first or can I just apply a few coats? I'm not looking for a project I just want to weatherproof the thing. What's the worst that could happen?
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If you just put on the Tru Oil on without proper prep, i'm sure you won't be happy with the results. Use Circa 1850 Furniture stripper or a similar product to remove the old finish and follow the Tru Oil instructions. Best bet is to buy the Tru Oil kit with the 3 containers and read and then re-read their instructions. It is really easy and your results can be the same as what lone ranger did to his.
 
tru oil is a great product, but can be a bit glossy especially if you apply more than one coat. Give the area a light sand with extra fine steel wool, then use your finger to apply it and you are done.
 
I've done a few stocks, I will have to concur that depending on what finish is on the stock, you will have to do something to it prep wise. Shellec is going to have to be stripped, while something like linseed oil I remove with wet sanding and sometimes steam (or the power of the sun).

I also concur with the stain...I use oil based if I want to "age" the stock, like around the trigger, on the foregrip etc. Water based I use in very thin coats, and it definitely is more transparent. I do tru oil in thin coats with a rub down of 0000 steel wool in between, then a wipe with cheese cloth, but habitually I go for a very satin finish, I wouldn't do the steel wool steps if I wanted shine. 6-8 coats.

Not the best pic, but a 305 I just did. Looks new without looking "too new".
 
A complete refinish would look the best.

However if you just want to make it a bit more weather proof then I would scuff up the stock with some fine sandpaper and then begin rubbing it in.

Several years ago I modified a factory laminate stock and was able to blend it all together nicely.

From this..........


to this...


..... and the final product.


The finish on the stock blended perfectly once I was done.
 
Thanks for the feedback, here's a few pictures. The more I look at the stock the uglier it gets maybe I should think about doing a full refinish. I bought this planning to get a second synthetic stock for it, turns out they are hard to come by for the 20 gauge. The intended purpose for this gun is to be the designated beater for when I don't want to take my nicer guns out-it will see plenty of marshes, heavy brush, and foul weather. Basically I intend to beat the $#!+ out of it. Lone Ranger - your guns are beautiful but I'm not sure I need anything that shiny.

Here's a couple things to consider - I live in an apartment (a rather nice one) and I'm not set up for woodworking really, I don't want to be messing with/ breathing in too much shellac, varnish, stain, etc. I don't know anything about stripping wood or removing the current finish.

-I'm not partial to tru-oil, it kept coming up when I googled it. I'm open to other solutions.
-a used express synthetic would only cost probably 300$ so the supplies and time needed for this should be proportionate to that.

Surfcloud the second picture you posted, did you just sand that area down and then coat it with tru-oil several times? I like the look of it and I could probably handle that. Somerset I like your finish job too in fact I think I almost prefer the "duller look" as long as it is weatherproof. Did you just sand down and then follow the instructions you provided or did you use a chemical to remove the old finish. Would I sand the checkered areas as well? I could probably handle sanding the whole thing, doing a water based stain, and then 8-10 coats of tru oil with some wet sanding in between.

I might as well do it right. Can I start sanding or do I need to "strip" the current finish off somehow first? I'm going to the hardware store, ill buy the steel wool, the 1000 and 1500 sandpaper , some water based stain, and the tru oil. Anything else I need?

I'll post some pics as I go..inb4 I ruin this gun.










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I didn't use any chemical stripper, I used just hot steam/towels and very low grit sandpaper foam sheets I get from lee valley. Honestly the thing that smells the most is the oil-based stain, everything else (including tru-oil) doesn't have much smell at all, and what it does have fades quickly as it dries.

My finish ends up satin, but oh-so-smooth to the touch. I've done a few for other people as well in exactly the same way, and the only reason I use tru-oil over the linseed oil I used to swear by (and still like a lot), is it seems to never get tacky on a hot day or over a hot barrel. In fact, I cranked 50 rounds though a mosin, and the top wood that was on the barrel didn't get tacky, it got the lightest "oil sweat" that wiped off easliy and cleanly (linseed oil also can take months to get a thick finish).

Here's three more I did the same way. I didn't touch the K98 in the rear, but I had a spare stock for the mosin (still have the original cosmoline stock), the enfield had been sporterized, and the pump shotty was in very poor condition (I left it a bit shinier).
 
FPSAirgun said:
Ok I'm going to try it your way, what do I do with the areas that are checkered?
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unless you want to get a specialized file (they make them just for checkering), you might be best to just mask them off and try to blend the two areas. Presumably the checkered areas should be "high wear" areas and just full of awesome oils, goo, splizm and other natural protectorants (that's a real word, honest). I wouldn't just layer the tru oil over it, in case it reacted to whatever was there, but if you're adventurous or the gun will be mostly a wall hanger, go ahead. Basically just look at it and figure out what parts you want to look a little better, and might take abuse in the rain. Don't overthink it I think is what I'm saying :)
 
I personally use stripper when doing a refinish. Sandpaper is easy to round edges if your not careful or know what your doing, which it kinda of sounds like if your asking about sanding the checkering. Tru-oil I found to be so-so, ease of application being the only thing I liked, one bottle of it was enough to go back to Tung or antique oil.
 
J-06 I clearly do NOT know what I'm doing - however I'm not the kind of person to let a detail like that get in the way of progress.

Here's the plan

1) use steam towels and fine sandpaper to gently remove the finish, sanding everything gently and smoothly, but not sanding the checkered parts.

2)apply a thin coat of water based stain to everything (even the checkering), let it dry.

3) apply tru oil in light even coats to the whole surface, including the checkering, letting it dry for periods in between, and maybe wet sanding it gently at intervals.

If it doesn't work I will just blame everyone who gave advice.
 
Just remember the hot towels are only good if it's an oil based finish, not sure it would work with varnish, although it might soften it up a bit for sandpaper. When I did a mosin stock it was varnish and cosmoline...it took a steamer and quite a few afternoons in the hot sun to pull a lot of that out. I -almost- went to a chemical solution, but stuck with it.

For a really valuable rifle I would still use boiled linseed oil without question, but I'd also plan on a month worth of work, maybe more. I've been guilty of rubbing very small amounts into milsurps just to fill scratches and uncovered areas of wood, it's fantastic for blending. I don't think tru oil is the best finish, I've actually simply never had luck with tung oil, but for relatively inexpensive stocks that aren't going to spend a year in a muddy trench...

I used to do custom home bars. I'll still swear by spar varnish as the most weatherproof finish. I don't think I'd want to try it on a stock but I tell you it would likely last forever, AND you could set your drinks on it. Stinks to high heaven though :)
 
Just so you know I'm not talking out my backside... here are the stocks. Now I shoot that mosin more than I probably should. I put 100 rounds through the svt-40 that bashes the brass up, and then reload and shoot them through the mosin to pop the dents out- and repeat. This is a very good shooter, maybe better than my enfield, but I wouldn't shoot it very much in that original stock. I take her out almost every time I go, and that tru finish is about a year old, winter-winter, and it's still really nice. Maybe in 10 years she'll need a touch up, who knows.



 
I believe you and I appreciate the input, I'm a little worried about the checkering but I'll figure it out as I go. Back to my original concept, what's the worst that could happen? I'd have to strip it and start all over? No big deal. Even a goofy looking gun with different coloured checkering would be preferable to the boring ugly weak looking finish it currently has on it. However it turns out it will be more durable and unique, even if it's weird looking I'll sport it proudly
 
Maybe use a small amount of chemical peeler on the checkering. Wouldn't smell up the place too bad, and likely would clean it up enough to take stain/finish. BUT most of the modern checkering is done with a press, not the old cutter-and-file method, so it's possibly to pop the checkering out with steam/water. Same way you get small dents out of wood, it relaxes the fibers, some guys use an iron and a towel. I like ruts and divots so I've never tried it, but I would be careful around that finish.
 
FPS if this gun is just gonna be a beater, I'd say leave it as is. If you're worried about the wood drying out and cracking, just apply some tung oil from Lee Valley to the wood after it's been exposed to the elements. Pure Tung oil literally takes weeks to dry though so an alternative is Circa 1850 Tung oil which dries overnight.

Without knowing what the original finish is, you're likely better off stripping it and starting from bare wood which is a pain in the ass if you live in a nice condo. You also will have to strip off all the metal parts from the wood as well.

If you are intent on refinishing, use lots of newspapers, disposable nitrile gloves, disposable aluminum baking pans to minimize the risk of spills and find a place to hang the stock as it dries.

Also, use a wood block for sanding to avoid creating uneven surfaces or rounded edges. Also get a tack cloth to eliminate sanding dust before applying your finish
 
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