Stock finish

[psalm7]

I use TRU-OIL on every stock I finish , Iv used it on walnut knife handels Iv made too . Its tuff and proven over the years and in my opinion easier to use then polyurathane . I know of a gunshop that is using plain spray can clear laqure . Anyone try this and what could thier customers expect after time and elements have worked on this finish ? I will add that when new it does make a nice looking finish . I do not see it holding up like a oil finish .

[jaguarxk120]

Tru-Oil in not a oil finish, it is oil modified varnish. As a finish it will work wonders on any stock, it is very good.

The ploy finishes are very durable and will last a long time, but it is just not the same a Tru-Oil or a oil finished stock.
A stock finished with slackum oil will bring out colors in the grain that the poly covers up. And many times oil finishes give a depth to the wood that is unequalled.

Many manufactures used lacquer finishes on wood stocks, fast easy and of course cheaper than varnish. Lacquer will give a flawless coating when sprayed well. But if there is orange peal it surface can be reflowed with heat lamps.
Thats how GM got the great finishes in the 60's & 70's, cars were sprayed then went into a drying oven then they were baked to reflow the paint to give a flawless finish.

[Doyle]

My brother in law is a great woodworker (but doesn't do any gun work at all). His favorite finish that he swears by for almost everything is a spray-on catalyzed lacquer. I don't recall which brand but it is very hard and very durable. I've often though that it would work great on a gunstock.

[Huffmanite]

I generally make a stock for some plastic stocked rifle I've brought home from some gun show, pawn shop or gun store.

Never have used a spray can of Lacquer on a stock, but have used the Minwax brushable lacquer a number of times. Brush it on right, little problems with a run to deal with. Basically, I only use the Minwax wiping polyurethane or the brushable lacquer to finish a stock. Happy with both of them. Just kinda depends on the wood/rifle I'm working on, which one I'll use.

[603Country]

I'm a woodworker. Had an old Ruger with an oil finish that was looking not so good anymore. Was going to use Minwax Antique Oil but a buddy that's a pro woodworker had recently suggested Waterlox Original for a side table I had made. It came out terrific, so I used it on the Ruger stock. It has teak oil in it, so it pops the grain. And, unlike the Minwax, it will fill the pores. It isn't a fast finish to apply, but a coat a day (applied with a small foam brush) should fill the pores in 5 or 6 coats. Apply it in thin coats so that it won't run. Once applied, don't continue to work the finish. I had the stock hung from the ceiling in my shop, with a screw eye in the butt of the stock.

Once applied, let it cure for at least two weeks, and longer is better.

I used Waterlox Original in satin. After a year of toting the rifle around (I hunt year round), it still looks terrific. Seems to resist scratches very well.

[tobnpr]

I think a distinction that's often overlooked is build, and durability/hardness.
"A" coat of lacquer might provide valuable waterproofing, but little durability against nicks and scratches.

Also, when that does inevitably happen, how easily is it touched-up?

I've always been tempted to use multiple coats of a two-part, clear, linear polyurethane. Used it often in marine applications, very expensive, tough as nails.

[Doyle]

I've always been tempted to use multiple coats of a two-part, clear, linear polyurethane. Used it often in marine applications, very expensive, tough as nails.

From what I can gather, that is exactly what the Remington "bowling pin" finish was. At that time Remington was owned by Dupont which produces Imron and other marine finishes.

[Unclenick]

Psalm7,

Tobnpr touched on what I see as a main dividing line between the finish types. In general, oil finishes are easy to repair locally because they blend into and bond to old oil finish on adjacent areas around the damaged spot. The varnishes and lacquers are harder to repair and blend. Polyurthane and epoxy finishes, in particular, bond so poorly to previously cured areas of themselves, that you often have to strip the whole piece and refinish from scratch to do a good repair.

Originally Posted by jaguarexk120

Tru-Oil in not a oil finish, it is oil modified varnish.

That's actually not how its classified. Tru-Oil is what is called a polymerized oil. That is, they start out with actual oil (usually linseed, but it can be tung nut, or some other mix of natural drying oils), and put it in oxygen-free containment and heat it to around 500°F for an hour or so. This causes the polyunsaturated fatty acids in the oils to chain to form longer molecules.

When you apply a polymerized oil, those long molecules cross-link during curing, same as the short molecules of the unmodified oil do, to give you the dried finish. The difference is the long molecules offer much better strength and protection. You may have noticed that if you let a BLO finish get wet, it takes on water marks. The short natural linseed oil molecules can't block water from getting to the wood well and can bond to them, leaving the mark. It constitutes poor wood protection by modern standards. A polymerized oil's long molecules won't let that happen. Tung nut oil is not so prone to water marking as linseed, but if it isn't polymerized it generally takes at least five or six applications to begin to get good wood protection from it.