M1 Garand Stock Staining Help

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Frost Cracked

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Apologies if this is something addressed before, but did a search and I didn't find exactly what I was looking for.

I picked up a Boyd's stock for my M1, unfinished... and was looking to finish and stain/oil, etc it.

Long story short I'm interested in doing a finish/protection that preserves the natural look of the wood. Something on the slightly darker side, but shows off the natural colour/patterning in the stock, and doesn't obscure it too much under blackening/etc, without making it look too un-Garand-like

Any help/tips would be appreciated.
 
Boiled linseed oil or raw linseed work well. I like the BLO from Lee Valley, they call it Tried and True Danish oil finish. Many milsurp rifles used raw linseed oil as an original finish, takes longer to dry. BLO will dry faster.

If you do a search on the milsurp forum there is a comparison test between raw linseed, BLO, and tung oil.

I haven't used tung oil yet, need to play with it so I can see if I like it.
 
Frost, this comes from the Black Powder Geeks who build their guns from the ground up: mix boiled linseed 50/50 with paint thinner. Wipe the stock down and let sit for 1/2 hour. Wipe dry. Repeat 4 or 5 times, allowing the stock to sit 24 hours between applications. If you have furniture grade wood, sand it down to about 600~800 grit, and use this method - you will end up with a stock that ripples and glows with the iridescent grains in the wood - the kind of thing you see on a Strativarius or something like that.

The problem is the second the gun goes over in deer camp or gets bumped or clunked on the bench at the range - the nicks and scratches will have you pulling your hair out in a rage! So a finish like that might not be appropriate for you...
 
Pick yourself up some linseed oil. It is correct for WWII Garands and gives a dark tone to the walnut. Much darker than it is right now. It seals the wood and waterproofs it. Wipe it on, wait 30 mins, wipe it off, let dry 24 hrs then repeat. Two weeks of this should get the thicker parts of the stock to where they absorb very little if any oil. The hand guards will fully saturate by this time and stop absorbing oil. Let it dry for a month then go at it again. It will weep oil when handled for a couple weeks until the oil begins to polymerize. The smell is worth it! Maintenance coats are done once a year to keep the wood healthy.
 
Before you start applying your finish don't forget to spray it with water and when it dries lightly sanded it will make a big difference to your final finish
 
I just get a kick of how helpful you guys are on this forum, even if it ain't the Milsurp forum, this place is a great place to hangout and ask questions! :D

Cheers and keep helping them nooobs!
Barney
 
Depending on the production date of your Garand, there are two ways that stock would have been finished.

The standard sanding was up to 150 grit to 180 grit, reason being IT IS NOT A SPORTING firearm. Going with a maximum of 180 grit provided a dulled finish while at the same time was smooth to the touch (Sand with the grain of the wood). Boiled linseed oil or raw linseed are very good, but Tung Oil provides quicker results. Hand rubbing the oil is provides heat to the wood allowing the grain to open up and take on a little more oil. There are those that suggest working in your oil with 400 grit carb. grit. This will yield a smooth and duller finish.

During Korea and Vietnam, the method changed slightly in the method of the sanding, but everything else remained the same. The sanding changed in that, the stocks were sanded in an "X" method over horizontal grain. This provided an even duller finish to the stock.

The tricky part is if you with the stock to have that reddish brown tone of 60-70 year old wood, or if you are happy with the lighter brown of new wood. It can be done, but the chemical needed to oxidizes the wood isn't easy to get.
 
Pure tung oil, 5 or 6 applications and light sand in between with 600 gr sand paper gave an incredible finish on my new Boyds M1A stock. Before applying each coat , I heated the tung oil slightly until it was thinner than water. It was hand rubbed into the wood then rubbed with a clean cloth. After letting the stock dry for a week I gave it a light sand in case the grain was raised and then another application. The end result was a deep rich colour showing the grain.
 
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M1 Rifles had two kinds of stock finishes depending on what wood your stock is. Birch and beech were secondary standard woods.
Pure Tung Oil(NOT TUNG OIL FINISH) and BLO are those two finishes. Tung oil gives a hard waterproof finish that has a low sheen. Tung oil will soak into the wood to about 1/4" and will not allow anything else into the wood, stains included. Best for walnut stocks. It takes shooterman's 5 or 6 applications(those are rubbed in, not just put on and left to dry) with 24 hour's drying time between coats, using a new clean, lint free, cloth for each coat. The birch and beech stocks don't have much grain so BLO is good for them.
BLO is flat. Gets applied with a clean lint free cloth and set some place to dry for 24 hours. BLO requires regular re-oiling and is not as good a finish as tung oil. Doesn't take a week to put on either.
Linseed oil never quite dries and does not seal or water proof anything. However, when you're making a million rifle stocks at a time it's cheap and quick to use.
 
Well I picked up some linseed oil, and some tung tonight.

Did a little block of the wood that came with the M1.

Rather like the look of the Tung oil, compared to the linseed. Believe I shall begin coats with that in the next day or so.

Thanks to everyone who replied, I really appreciate it.
 
I was in the same boat as you. I have 2 Dupage stocks (Boyd built) and am finishing 1 with tung oil now. It will likely take the better part of March to do it up perfect. I am using pure tung oil cut with citrus solvent 50/50 for the first 3 coats. It takes about 24 hours for each coat to set before applying the next. I wet sand with the 50/50 mix as the lubricant and use 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper. A sanding block works great for keeping the edges sharp. Work the paper with the grain until you start to get some 'sludge' buildup. This is good as it works to fill in the pores at the same time as you smooth out any scratches. After you have given everything a good rubdown, let it sit for 30 minutes then wipe clean. Let it dry again for 24 hours and then repeat. Tomorrow I will give the first uncut coat and go from there. I got my tung oil and solvent from Artantiquequebec. The tung oil in the big box stores is not pure or tung, just some chemical brew.

What I started with;


Where I am at with the second coat of 50/50 mix;


I will take photos of the finished 3rd coat in the daylight and post tomorrow.
 
I used about 8-10 coats of Boiled linseed oil on mine, sanding with 0000 steel wool in between. First coat was mixed 50/50 with mineral spirits.

After the final coat i roughed it up again with the steel wool and rub a coat of Minwax paste finishing wax onto it then buff it off.

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linseed:
One coat everyday for a week
One coat every week for a month
One coat every month for a year

at first i like to cut mine with some swedish pine tar and turps to sink in the wood abit and preserve

wet sand it if the grain raises (which it usually does )

a good finish takes time
 
mikebaker1129 said:
The stain sold by Chestnutridge is a great stain for M1 garand and M14 wood. It is expensive, but worth the price.
Click to expand...

The Chestnut Ridge stain comes out quite reddish. You can also use the cheaper and easier to find leather dye made by Fiebings in lt, med and dark brown. Fiebings also comes out on the reddish side. The Fiebings is good for refinishing used military stocks as it is alcohol based and will penetrate any residual oils in the wood. Many used military stocks do show a bit red due to old oxidized oils in the wood and the Fiebings or Chestnut Ridge will help to mimic this. I normally cut these stains a bit with methyl hydrate and see how it shows in walnut before going too far. Black shoe dye can also be mixed with it to tone down the red and darken the stock a bit.

Garand stocks were immersed in pure tung oil to treat/finish them at time of production. They were not stained prior to this treatment. Once in use they were maintained by applications of raw ,not boiled, linseed oil as required. We used to treat FN stocks with raw linseed after a spell in the field.

You can finish a Garand or any other stock to show a glowing piece of walnut which is a thing of beauty and a joy to behold. This is done by progressively finer sanding, raising the grain with water and successive applications of boiled linseed oil or a commercial finish like Tru-oil or Minwax Tung Oil Finish. Looks real purdy, but it aint what a military stock looks like.
 
Nice work!

Did you have to modify the stock to fit your Garand at all? My trigger guard will not close. I opened up the the angular cut outs some more, but no lock. I believe the main issue is the action does not sit flush. I have given up for now, as my patience is finite and the stock almost went through the wall! :)
 
berger said:
Nice work!

Did you have to modify the stock to fit your Garand at all? My trigger guard will not close. I opened up the the angular cut outs some more, but no lock. I believe the main issue is the action does not sit flush. I have given up for now, as my patience is finite and the stock almost went through the wall! :)
Click to expand...


I have played around with 3 different stocks and have found the culprit to be a good condition trigger guard. One assembly locks in snug and crisp and the locking lugs are a slight 'D' shape. Another trigger group will just come close but without forcing it, it will not lock. That trigger guard is mint and the lugs are perfect. I have been told that sometimes better is not best and to use a worn trigger guard.
 
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