- Location
- Albertabama
Need help with stock on my new aquisition. This thing is soooo dry, I'm certain it will crack after a dozen or so shots. It feels like the weight of a pop-sicle stick with the barrel off! Any suggestions on restoring it?
Dry wood stock
- Thread starter Aaron Neville
- Start date
- Location
- Albertabama
no idea on wood type. oil, like gun oil?
Dry wood is just fine other than the looks of it.
Besides, wood is never truly dry. It exchanges moisture with the air around it all year long. Now if it sat in a super dry house in an eastern winter then it may well be a hair too dry if the house didn't have a humidifier. If that fits your situation then just keep the stock in the bathroom for about a week so the moisture from showering can help speed it back to equilibrium.
And like mentioned before the oil you want is some sort of wood finishing oil that will dry. But do NOT use lemon oil. That stuff won't ever dry and it's only intended for cleaning and to some extent feeding old varnish finishes. You want something like the boiled linseed mentioned above or treated tung oil (the raw stuff dries OK but it takes a couple of weeks) or Danish Oil. All of these options are available from the wood finishing section of the paint supply area in any hardware store.
Besides, wood is never truly dry. It exchanges moisture with the air around it all year long. Now if it sat in a super dry house in an eastern winter then it may well be a hair too dry if the house didn't have a humidifier. If that fits your situation then just keep the stock in the bathroom for about a week so the moisture from showering can help speed it back to equilibrium.
And like mentioned before the oil you want is some sort of wood finishing oil that will dry. But do NOT use lemon oil. That stuff won't ever dry and it's only intended for cleaning and to some extent feeding old varnish finishes. You want something like the boiled linseed mentioned above or treated tung oil (the raw stuff dries OK but it takes a couple of weeks) or Danish Oil. All of these options are available from the wood finishing section of the paint supply area in any hardware store.
If the stock is dry, that is what you want. If the stock is light in wght. it began that way and if bedded correctly will not crack. Walnut can be light / heavy when dry it all depends on type and grain density eg. black walnut is heavier, in most cases, than say english, having said that someplace along the dryness vs density curve in a stock of the same design both will wght. the same. I;ve tried a few finishes over the years but now use only Tru-oil.FWIW --- John 303.
zeek bindertwine
CGN Regular
- Location
- Bassano AB
stock
when doing teak and ebeony fretboards on musical instruments i use lemon oil i also use it on guns...wonderful stuff...be liberal soak a rag with lemon oil and rub it on...let it stand until it soaks in (you will see it disapear) then repeat...do this until it stops soaking in
thanks
zeek
when doing teak and ebeony fretboards on musical instruments i use lemon oil i also use it on guns...wonderful stuff...be liberal soak a rag with lemon oil and rub it on...let it stand until it soaks in (you will see it disapear) then repeat...do this until it stops soaking in
thanks
zeek
Use Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO) and some Tung oil. Mix a solution up of 50/50 and store it in a marked sealed container. It will dry out if not. Some people will add a small amt of solvent (varsol) to the mix to allow for a faster penetration, some don’t. I have done both methods and they have worked out fine.
Remove the action / barrel from the stock. Rub on generously, let soak for a few hours, and then rub in the excess. Make sure there are not drips of gob on the stock. Let dry over light. Repeat process 4X or until you are happy and put the stock and barreled action back together.
Beeswax, now a few folks have added this too the mix, but it will slow the drying time and leave the stock gummy for a few weeks, Still nice results, but very slow.
A few FYI’s…
1) Linseed oil is good but by it’s self takes a while to dry. Try to use double boiled linseed oil; most varieties have dryers in it to speed the process. If you are looking for pur linseed, go to an art store.
2) Tung Oil will dry over night or faster depending on the moisture in the air, how dry the stock is etc… Leaves a nice finish but it only is on the surface.
3) Truoil, my least favorite…. It’s basically Tung oil, goes on fast and easy as the others but it leaves a glossy shine.
Use the 50/50 mix, might take a bit longer to dry.
Pete
If you are worried about recoil cracking the stock, bed the receiver with Accraglas. As far as finishes go, tung oil is fast and gives a hard, very shiny finish; Tru-oil is okay but expensive; BLO can be shiny or dull, depending on how you buff it out but is not really durable or waterproof. I've come to prefer Danish Oil, which is waterproof, readily available, easy to use, not real expensive, comes in various stains from clear to quite dark, soaks in well, dries overnight and can be developed to a nice soft sheen or high gloss with multiple recoats any time. I use clear and medium walnut Danish Oil but stain the stock first with water based aniline stains from Lee Valley to get close to the tone I want, then take it a bit darker with the med. walnut if desired. The color mellows and the soft sheen improves with handling and time.
- Location
- Algoma region
Mix raw linseed oil 60% with mineral spirits 40% rub the stock with that,
put stock aside for a few days and reapply
let sit aside a couple days and repeat as nessessary,
the best wood finish I have found, takes some time but it seems to really feed the wood.
put stock aside for a few days and reapply
let sit aside a couple days and repeat as nessessary,
the best wood finish I have found, takes some time but it seems to really feed the wood.
Sounds like it has been kiln dried which removes all the moisture and "natural oils" in the stock and yes it will remove quite a bit of weight from the stock . If you ever feel the weight of a stock that is say 20% you will feel it, an experienced person can almost tell how dry the stock is by the weight.
Let it acclimatize where you will keep the gun for a week or two then seal the stock properly.
As it is so dry it will absorb some moisture. 7% moisture is very dry already.
Let it acclimatize where you will keep the gun for a week or two then seal the stock properly.
As it is so dry it will absorb some moisture. 7% moisture is very dry already.
