Retouching an oil finish stock

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I have a very nice Sako AV that I took out hunting (after years in the safe) the other day. It has what appears to be an oil finish stock so no gloss to it.

I got a few light scratches on it from slinging along side my pack and even though it's a hunting gun it still p***ed me off.

I was thinking of sanding lightly where the scratches are most prominent and then rubbing in some Tru-oil (a Birchwood Casey product). Would any of you stock refinishing experts recommend this or should I just leave it alone?

I'd really like to keep it as nice looking as possible. I'm going to definitely get another pack that doesn't have any plastic buckles and crap to mar a nice looking gun stock.
 
well, dont take guns you can't scratch out hunting.

Steam will swell the compressed fibers, but you're almost trying to fix a fact of life. It'll be really hard to sand off an oil finish without gumming up the paper, and you're going to be a few hours into it all said and done because of some rub marks.

What kind of scratch is it anyway?
 
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You might want to look into what Tru-Oil looks like when it dries - I think it ends up fairly shiny - think Browning shiny. Sounds like you want to touch up actual oil finish - was what I was told was the advantage of a linseed oil finish - is not on top of the wood, it is soaked into the wood fibres - so if you get a scratch, just rub in another layer or two of oil. It won't make the scratch go away, but becomes really hard to see it.

It is a different matter if there has been wood fibres torn or ripped out.
 
Steam the scratches out, then us some true oil, let try, steel wool it (0000), and do it again if necessary.

The oil finished stocks are sensitive to dents and scratches, but they are very easy to fix.

DON"T use any sandpaper, this is the last resort, just one step before dynamite.
 
Leave it alone is my advice. Scratches would need to be sanded out and it would be difficult to obtain the same colour of stain on the sanded area compared to the rest of stock. It is an unfortunate part of using a minty rifle for backpack hunting.
 
If it’s truly a (linseed ) oil finish, the correct way to deal with minor scratches is to carefully work boiled linseed oil (BLO) in with 0000 or 00000 steel wool, rubbing with the grain. Wipe the slurry off, then do it again and let it dry for a day or two. Work gently, feathering the edges in and avoiding too much oil. Don’t expect perfection on the first application, you may need to go over it several times. If your scratches are deep enough to show bare white wood you may need to add some oil based stain to your second coat to get a match.
 
It's amazing how much scratches just disappear when you wipe a coat of linseed oil overtop of a damaged oil finish.
I use artist's linseed oil from an art store. Usually dries pretty quick, but doesn't gloss up much like Tru-oil.
I would only use sandpaper or steam as an absolute last resort. So much bad stuff can happen with them.
Fine steel wool is your friend.
 
Thank you guys for your good tips. I knew there were shooters who have done this procedure before and have some good practical experience.

Using linseed oil and fine steel wool for the touch up seems to be the ticket. As suggested I'll forego the steam and sand paper.
 
If you are going to play with linseed oil - is NOT like varnish - slosh it on very thickly - use a bristle brush or whatever to keep area dripping, soaking wet for say 5 minutes - then use terry towel or similar and rub HARD to try to get all what will come off the surface - was explained to me that you want the stuff that soaked into the wood - maybe an atom or two thick on TOP of the wood - it will feel dry to touch next morning - then can re-coat. Versus glob it on thick and leave it - can be still "soft" a decade later - forms a skin and never does "dry" - so UBER thin with that stuff - rubbed in hard, wiped off HARD and thoroughly dried before next coat - which will go right through the first stuff. Subsequent "coats" might amount to a few drops over entire stock - rubbed in hard with bare fingers / skin - create some friction heat to get the stuff INTO the wood, not ON it.

I did a Model of 1917 - so two hand guards and a full length stock - once I stripped it with chemical stripper - they looked like three different colours - I am sure the main stock was made in WWI. I am sure the rear hand guard was a WWII product. I do not know when the front hand guard was made - no clues at all. As per advice given, I mixed Home Hardware store "double boiled linseed oil" 50/50 with Red Mahogany Minwax stain - after first coat of that had dried - main stock and one hand guard looked similar - other guard was still lighter - so same stuff again on just that lighter hand guard - it then looked "close enough" to the other two pieces of wood. Then was 3 or 4 more coats of just "double boiled linseed oil" - no stain - I poured some into a pill bottle - dipped index finger in pill bottle and that amount was about what went on for a "coat" on the main stock and both hand guards. Repeat - one coat per day and dry over night - until you get bored with that. Do another coat in a month, or a year, or whenever. Linseed oil will darken as it oxidized with oxygen in air - a Lee Enfield that I did circa 7 or 8 years ago is noticeably darker than it was when I set it in the cabinet - really has never been out in weather or sunlight - just got darker from reacting with air, I think.
 
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My experience with Sako stocks is the wood is soft

I would steam any marks first then refinish

you might have to use paint remover first the steam then refinish ( you can also stain a stock to darken it before you refinish(wax/oil finish)

you can make your own finish but lee valley has

ht tps://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/supplies/finishing/finishes/112236-allback-natural-linseed-oil-wax?item=56Z1200&utm_source=free_google_shopping&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=shopping_feed&utm_campaign=CAN-EN%7CPLA%7CPMax%7CTools%7CLowPriceTier&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_5vLypvQggMVQBCtBh1kKQDAEAYYASABEgKPmfD_BwE


if you use linsead oil use boiled or it will never dry
 
If its a true oil finish, you can put one or two coats of Schaftol oil. It will dry dull. It has saved a few of my stocks over the years. It comes in a few different colours. It takes 10-15 minutes to wipe on.
 
A local guy brought over a bottle of Schaftol Dark - I'm not sure, but I think it is linseed oil (flax seed oil) or similar, with a dryer added, and probably something for a stain in it. My impression was buyer would pay many dollars for that label and a few cents for what was inside the little bottle.
 
I'd avoid sanding - you'll never get the repair finish to match and it'll look blotchy. Just rub some tung oil (or Schaftol, or Danish Oil, or Boiled Linseed Oil, or Walnut Oil, etc etc.) into the scratches, wipe off any excess, let cure 24hrs, and repeat 2 or 3 times. You'll never get them completely out, but it'll darken the scratches up to about the same place as the rest of the wood. Over time, as the gun gets used/handled and picks up stains and oils from your hands and more scratches from use, the marks will become more and more subtle. I've been doing this for years on my rifles and shotguns.

If you want to get real fancy (and this will turn out nicer), CAREFULLY melt about 10% per total volume of pure beeswax into the tung oil, then buff and repeat a couple times. It'll almost be like the scratch never happened. I do this to restore hardwood knife handles. It will cure with a slightly umber colour that will blend with your stock beautifully. Like I said though, be careful - it's pretty flammable. I put a jar of tung/wax mix into a half-filled pot of water on the stove and heat that way - like a double-boiler for canning.

IMO, True-Oil is better for a complete refinish - not the best option for small repairs as it requires sanding, and that sanding will mar the finish around the scratches too. Sandpaper is evil and should be avoided - lol.

I feel your pain - It's always a bummer when you get those first couple scratches on an expensive rifle.

Good luck
 
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Tru oil will give you a glossy finish.
If the wood is bare then I'd dilute boiled linseed oil 50/50 with thinner for the first couple of coats so it can penetrate the wood then a couple of undiluted coats. The trouble with BLO is that it takes a long time to cure, I've had really good results with Minwax Antique Oil Finish, it give a flatter finish than BLO with a fraction of the curing time.
 
Falconflyer said:
Tru oil will give you a glossy finish.
If the wood is bare then I'd dilute boiled linseed oil 50/50 with thinner for the first couple of coats so it can penetrate the wood then a couple of undiluted coats. The trouble with BLO is that it takes a long time to cure, I've had really good results with Minwax Antique Oil Finish, it give a flatter finish than BLO with a fraction of the curing time.
Click to expand...

that's why you use 0000 steel wool afterwards.

I refinshed 100+ guns with true oil, gloss and matt finish, and it always works great.

With all the respect to all the previous posters, but some are posting absolute nonsense.
 
I also like Tung oil, it is thinner then True oil, much like a thin BLO.
If it is just light fine scratches, You could just try a couple drops in a fine artist brush, in a small scratch, lit it sit for a bit and wipe off and see if it looks close to a match.
It is real hard to get a match on a touchup.
Warm oil will soak in better then cold , but be carefull , no flames, just hot water if you want to heat the jar if its cold.
and don't leave oily rags in a bunch, they can start to burn. save if you spread them out to dry, I do that out side the shop door, or a pail of water.

handy when we had a burning barrel for garbage on the farm, and saved a lot of landfill land.
 
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