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October 5, 2012, 12:56 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: September 19, 2012
Location: West Texas
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Need advice on dry Garand stock.
I have a wood stock on my Garand that seems a bit on the dry side. I don't want to do a full on refinish of it but would like to just recoat it with something like tung oil or linseed oil. Is that even possible and what kind of results should I expect?
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October 5, 2012, 02:13 PM | #2 |
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Join Date: August 1, 2011
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I used a tung oil on mine after I stripped off the cosmoline. Take your time and let it soak in between coats. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is be patient and pay attention to the small details.
There is alot of information on the CMP forum and other similar forums |
October 5, 2012, 02:51 PM | #3 |
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Location: West Texas
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There doesn't seem to be any cosmoline on the stock. I don't think this is an original stock since there are no markings on it anywhere, although it could be and someone may have sanded them off. The color is nice on it but it just needs a bit more oil.
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October 5, 2012, 03:05 PM | #4 |
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Seems to me I found the information on the CMP forums. If I remember correctly there is a difference between straight linseed oil and boiled linseed oil. I don't remember the finer points. I think boiled is cut with solvents.
I was able to get linseed oil at Michaels (craft store) in their art (oil painting) department. Be careful with any rags that end up soak in oil as it can become a fire hazard and even spontaneously combust. |
October 5, 2012, 03:32 PM | #5 |
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Thanks guys! I didn't think of looking at a crafts store for the oil. I'll have a look next time the fiance wants to look at craftsy stuff!
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October 5, 2012, 03:37 PM | #6 | |
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October 5, 2012, 06:00 PM | #7 |
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Use boiled linseed oil, and you can mix in a small amount of mineral spirits or turpentine. It'll penetrate better. Soak the wood till it won't accept any more oil. After that, wipe off any excess oil. Soak again at least one more time and wipe off the excess.
It'll penetrate even better if the oil is heated, but do not heat over open flame. And then soak all rags in water and leave them wet, so they won't combust. |
October 5, 2012, 06:28 PM | #8 |
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Back in the day, before round wheels, when I was a young worthless "boot" at Parris Island we were issued MANLY guns, M-14s, made of wood and steel and not some girly firearms made of plastic and aluminum. The first thing the DIs did was make us rub the stocks with linseed oil. And all was well in the Corps.
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October 6, 2012, 12:45 AM | #9 |
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The best finish for military wood gunstocks is paste wax. Good old Johnson's Paste Wax, in the yellow can. My customers ask me how I get that finish, I just smile and tell them it takes time to learn how to do that. And it's true! For the first 10 years I was a gunsmith, I would rub military stocks with boiled linseed oil. Then I learned.
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October 6, 2012, 08:22 AM | #10 |
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Best advice seems to be this, and this worked for me:
Use BLO and be VERY patient. Let it thoroughly soak in and dry between coats. I let my stocks sit four days between reapplications. |
October 6, 2012, 01:09 PM | #11 | |
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October 7, 2012, 05:40 PM | #12 |
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I'd use the Boiled Linseed Oil and then use the paste wax. Paste wax will not penetrate the stock at all, wears off very fast, and offers little if any weather protection.
Sand the stock to 220 grit, if it needs sanding. Then soak the stock with BLO with a bit of turpentine in it. Wait a day or two and then soak it again, but this time with unthinned BLO. Just keep on putting oil on the stock with a sponge until you can see that it isn't taking any more oil. Then wipe off and wait a few days for it to dry, which varies with your temp and humidity (you could add a bit of Japan Drier to the BLO to speed drying). Then rub on the paste wax. You could follow the same approach but use pure Tung Oil or even Walnut Oil. I find the the Walnut Oil seems to dry harder and gives a better looking finish and I've read that it holds up better against water, though I haven't used it yet on a gunstock. You can buy Walnut Oil online from Woodcraft or other vendors. The Walnut Oil darkens wood a bit more than BLO does, so I should mention that. |
October 7, 2012, 06:34 PM | #13 | |
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October 7, 2012, 09:03 PM | #14 |
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I think that I need to retract my advice on the finish. I was talking about more of a replacement of a finish, rather than cleaning up an existing finish. If a person didn't want to damage an original finish, with original markings, in order to maintain a historical value, then the approach that scorch recommended is preferable to what I suggested. However, if you did want a new finish, then my suggestions are unchanged.
For the sake of information, the original finish on the stock would most likely have been BLO or possibly Tung Oil. |
October 8, 2012, 09:09 AM | #15 |
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Tom's 1/3 mix:
http://www.thegunstockdoctor.com/ This stuff is great, used it on my Garand stock and love it. (sorry no pics as of yet)
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