What finish should I use on my de-sporterized Longbranch with NOS wood?

I have been using BLO cut 50/50 with turpentine, man it smells so don't do it in the house. wipe it on rub it in good, wipe it off after 20 minutes and rub with a soft cloth until you have your desired shine. I find two to three gives a good dull but protected finish. Same thing with tung oil I wipe it off and do it in layers and can get the same dull military finish. Tung oil does stays hard even in hot temperatures but doing the BLO properly should not cause you any issues and was standard for common wealth rifles! They look the same to me when done dull and slowly.
 
cantom said:
Sorry but Tung oil is the wrong thing for a military stock.
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I believe the US switched to tung oil during the second world war for the M1 because the BLO was leaking from the wood due to heat from sustained fire in combat. Correct me if I am wrong
 
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zerstören said:
I believe the US switched to tung oil during the second world war for the M1 because the BLO was leaking from the wood due to heat from sustained fire in combat. Correct me if I am wrong
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Not really correct. For a period of time when linseed was in short supply, some us arsenals used a product called boiled tung oil. It is no longer made today, but basically it was blo with raw tung used instead of linseed and mixed with chemical drying agents. Key here is that it is no longer made. In service, soldiers were only issued blo to maintain stocks, regardless what the factory used.

Short answer is use rlo or blo. Period.
 
And don't forget that these oil finishes dry exothermically, so wadded-up rags will spontaneously catch fire. Best toss them in a fireplace when done, or lay them out flat away from anything flammable.
 
The last linseed oil I bought is wrong...it dries too fast. They're not all the same.

You want the stuff that stays liquid a long time and dries slowly.

The Raw Linseed Oil...I don't think that stuff ever hardens up.
 
The new made enfield stocks are not New Old Stock. I have finished hundreds of both. For the new wood you can lightly oil stain to age and match, followed by boiled linseed oil etc. Or just use boiled linseed oil, which will appear light and darken over the years.
New Old Stocks I just degrease storage coating with Laquer Thinner, outdoors. Then wipe and dry. Apply boiled linseed oil, let sit for 1 hr then wipe down. Day or so later wipe and buff, for a nice look to the grain. Repeat again for darker rich wood grain look.
For the bowling pin glass stock look I apply usually 1 thicker coat of oil and let stand for a week. Might repeat a few weeks later. Gives a bright gloss.
I have used Boiled Linseed oil, Raw Linseed Oil, Tung Oil,True Oil, Linspeed, Herters a vintage cut oil finish,Spray Varathane and others. Use a stain for a closer match of different hardwoods, if you must.
PS as others mentioned I soak my used rags in water and immediate disposal. Safety first.
 
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Wood darkens with age, so with an original Lee Enfield stock that goes with the territory. They would have looked different brand new, but nobody's seen that in a long long time.
 
Sometimes you end up with 4 pieces, all of different woods and or colours. Of course it would be nice if all of the wood was matching but...forends for example are damned hard to find. You can be stuck with what you can find.

The aniline alcohol dyes come off easily with alcohol. And you can easily darken up the wrong wood quite a bit with it.

I heard the armourers used to have a pressure cooker or similar to stain the wood to walnut colour.
 
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