Lee Enfield Stock Help

ScubaCam

ScubaCam

Member
EE Expired
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Heres the story: I got a sporter, in great shape and with the correct front sight. I had a DeAct with full wood (in tough shape). So I'm moving the wood from one to the other. I have the wood stripped now and am ready to refinish. But dont want to screw it up. I understand that BLO is the thing to use. What type of finish does it leave? Most of the Enfield I have seen have a high gloss finish almost looking varnished; is this the case? What should it be finished with?
After the wood is done, what should be used on the now bare metal bands and fore-end caps? The finish on the rifle looks like a flat powder finish, although i'm fairly certain it isn't.
This is a No. 4. MK1* and my first firing enfield.
Please help!
 
You should use RAW linseed oil, not boiled. If the wood is prepped right, it will leave a semi-gloss, almost velvety shine to it. As for the metal, it depends. Originally they wold have been blued, if refinished, it could have been painted with something called suncronite, or parkerized. What year and make is it?
 
LeeEnfieldNo.4_mk1 said:
You should use RAW linseed oil, not boiled. If the wood is prepped right, it will leave a semi-gloss, almost velvety shine to it. As for the metal, it depends. Originally they wold have been blued, if refinished, it could have been painted with something called suncronite, or parkerized. What year and make is it?
Click to expand...

Well, those are things up to interpretation and opinion.

Most used boiled linseed oil since it's fairly easy to find. You do not want to end up with a glossy shiny finish. You want a medium dull military look.

In general, do not sand the wood...you will remove value with every stroke of the sandpaper. Some might polish lightly with steel wool, not something I've done but I've heard tell of it.

Put a good coat of BLO or RLO on the wood, inside and out, let it sit for an hour or two, then get a cloth and polish it hard, so as to create friction and heat. Once rubbed off, go on to another coat, continuing till you get sick of it. (which in my case doesn't take long...;) )

One issue is if the existing wood is already sealed with BLO, varnish, clear lacquer or similar, the new BLO will not want to penetrate very far or easily. It works best with a virgin surface of raw wood. One thing I've done is washed the wood set in the bath tube with dish soap...it's amazing how dirty the wood is and how much of the existing finish is actually filth...

When swapping wood sets, be aware that the forends and buttstocks need to be fitted.
 
Your Enfield stocks after manufacture and before final assembly were soaked in a tank of hot RAW linseed oil for approximately one hour or more depending on the wood type.

This hot soak allowed the raw linseed oil to penetrate deeply into the wood to protect it.

rawlinseedoil.jpg


Today’s “fake” BLO in most cases is nothing more than linseed oil with solvents, resins and driers added.

Real BLO is actually boiled in a pressure cooker which causes the oil molecules to form long polymerized chains that bond together when dry and strengthens and makes it more durable.

Both types of “new” and “old” “BLO” are thicker than RAW linseed oil and do not penetrate as deeply as into the wood as RAW linseed oil does and dry on the surface.

NOTE: Some of today’s BLO contain toxic chemicals that can make your genitailia rot and fall off, please read the online MSDS sheet on the products before you buy.

Below is a composite photo of my wooden deck in the back yard taken one year apart, please notice the wood dried out and shrank in the right hand photo.

driedwood.jpg


Guess what happens to your Enfield stock if it is not oiled on a regular basis, the wood dries out and shrinks altering the bedding forces which can produce shot gun like patterns on your target. (If you can hit it)


Step number one, give your stock a good long soaking in Raw Linseed Oil repeated many times over many days to rehydrate the wood in the hope that the wood swells to its original size. (why do you think they make ######)

If you can fit a feeler gauge between the rear of the fore stock and receiver ring you have wood shrinkage and you will need to shim the draws area at the rear of the stock.

IMGP0921.jpg


IMGP2022.jpg


IMGP2023.jpg


After this please go to Badgers “Lee Enfield On-line Knowledge Libraries (Index of Articles)” in the sticky above and read the Enfield manuals I donated on bedding the Enfield.

http://photos.imageevent.com/badgerdog/generalstorage/edhortonmanuals/No4Mk1Arm.pdf

http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=867

IMGP2800.jpg
 
The only problem with soaking in raw linseed oil is finding a heated tank to dunk it in. Unfortunately the price of the tank and heating apparatus would likely exceed that of the rifle not to mention the price of the oil.
On BLO, don't slather it all over the stock. work a portion of the wood at a time, rubbing it in. The first applications will look like CRAP until a sufficient amount soaks into the wood. To cut the shine, VERY fine steel wool between applications until the final coat.
 
Hmmmmmm Yuengling beer lubricates your brain

Some people with imagination can turn a wall paper wetting tray into a soaking tank for Enfield stocks.
(my stocks aren’t as dry as a popcorn fart either) :D

IMGP3254-1.jpg


Hey hoser!
Bob_and_Doug.jpg
 
OK some further details, I'd post a couple pctures but the camera has gone stupid.
No. 4 Mk. 1*
Longbranch
194(unknown can't see last number)
there seems to be a five point star on the barrell near the breach.
Now some questions, how long should it soak in the, now raw linseed oil? does it really matter boiled or raw? what size shim is too big?
Hope to get some picturesup soon
 
ScubaCam

My biggest beef with BLO is very simple, here in the U.S. OSHA safety requirements were butchered and watered down and American BLO can contain MORE toxic substances than our Canadian cousins BLO.

The only way to find out the contents of the product is look at the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) and some of these finishing products imported from China are extremely toxic and I would NEVER put them on anything.

Raw linseed oil takes much longer to dry than boiled linseed oil, so raw linseed oil will soak deeper into the wood when applied. The type of linseed oil you use is your decision, I like to rub the oil in bare handed and not worry about my fingers turning green and falling off because some greedy bastard in China decided to dump radioactive toxic waste in my linseed oil.

The starting size of your shimming material would be slightly larger than the size of the feeler gauge that fit between the stock and receiver ring.

Image15.jpg


Image16.jpg


Image17.jpg
 
So bigedp51 should I just rub in the BLO or tank it? And if tanking (wallpaper tray) how long should it sit?
 
What is the wood ? if it,s something like black walnut go see my post (making my own woodset) for pics, I should have them tonight after I re-assemble the Lee.

I used BLO because I could not find anything else.
 
How do you know what type of wood it is? I work steel not wood. It looks redish inside where the rifle beds, not that it is stripped the "exterior" wood looks greyish, red, brown
 
What did you do to strip the wood?

If you simply sanded (please say you didn't), or used a furniture stripper like "Circa 1850", the wood will likelky still be oily deep inside. Many thin coats of pure BLO (I use the one made by "Recochem" found in the paint section at Canadian Tire, in 1 litre plastic bottles) should be good enough for your needs.

Lou
 
No didn't sand That would be just wrong, I started, after much reading with Oven Cleaner, then when it wasn't stripping the varnish I got some Circa 1850, then went back to the oven cleaner to get the grease out. So now it's totally bare wood. I'll try and get pictures up soon but I need to set up an account at one of the photo storage sites.
 
I guess you probably could start with RLO, although I suspect it won't soak in much. Even with the oven cleaner, I think the "oil-free" zone isn't that deep, and that pure BLO would be more than enough to re-saturate it. But that's only my guess, so...

Lou
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom