Just received a new air arms TX 200 in Walnut today. Would like to know what the expert consensus is about conditioning the stock right out of the box? It looks a little dry. Thanks for any help.
Air Arms Conditioning new Air Arms walnut stock?
- Thread starter thevinoman
- Start date
I will tell you what I do and what my grandfather told me about 65 years ago:
Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO), applied with your fingers (A few coats inside where the action goes, too.)
Applied with your fingers and get them nice and warm…
”Once a day for a week.”
“Once a week for a month.”
“Once a a month for a year.”
“Once a year for the rest of your life.”
Then keep a rag saturated in BLO in a zip-lock plastic bag to refresh the stock after every use.
Use this rag for nothing else.
Keep another rag saturated in a good gun oil (also kept in a zip-lock bag) for the rifle’s metal parts.
Some shooters use London Oil and others use Walnut Oil but applied the same way.
Note: This also works for beech stocks…
Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO), applied with your fingers (A few coats inside where the action goes, too.)
Applied with your fingers and get them nice and warm…
”Once a day for a week.”
“Once a week for a month.”
“Once a a month for a year.”
“Once a year for the rest of your life.”
Then keep a rag saturated in BLO in a zip-lock plastic bag to refresh the stock after every use.
Use this rag for nothing else.
Keep another rag saturated in a good gun oil (also kept in a zip-lock bag) for the rifle’s metal parts.
Some shooters use London Oil and others use Walnut Oil but applied the same way.
Note: This also works for beech stocks…
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Another option being FURNITURE GRADE Paste wax & Highly recommend English BRIWAX !
If going the Wax route ... Use fresh wax as it contains a lot of oils that will allow greater soak in before wax dries resulting in a very deep and lustrous color .... Do several times & enjoy a non slippery and very easy to do over & over again as the years go by. Just like Fine Wood Furniture
If going the Wax route ... Use fresh wax as it contains a lot of oils that will allow greater soak in before wax dries resulting in a very deep and lustrous color .... Do several times & enjoy a non slippery and very easy to do over & over again as the years go by. Just like Fine Wood Furniture
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Are the two products that you gentlemen mentioned above OK to touch the metal parts without harm, as long as they are wiped off quickly or is that a no no?
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ALWAYS remove the action from the wood stock when doing such work.
Wax the Inside surfaces as well outside to further weatherproof the wood.
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BLO is combustible. An oil saturated rag is how my business burned down. Never keep a rag that has been used for oil.
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well first off, a question like this will get as many answer as there ways to do something in this case walnut wood care is it, good, bad, confusing
but what you need to do is take the answers and do a heavy Google search because none are wrong but we all use, do what we have for years
so, i like Break Free for metal even though there are better products
and for raw wood i use Hope brand Tung oil
and Bear is 200% right most of us have had shop class and there was always a metal can for rags that had finish on them to keep them from spontaneous combustion
take the rag outside and hang on something metal to air out for days
now Frank has a good idea but maybe not the best of storage ideas
and i will just say Break Free on wood is also a good look
but what you need to do is take the answers and do a heavy Google search because none are wrong but we all use, do what we have for years
so, i like Break Free for metal even though there are better products
and for raw wood i use Hope brand Tung oil
and Bear is 200% right most of us have had shop class and there was always a metal can for rags that had finish on them to keep them from spontaneous combustion
take the rag outside and hang on something metal to air out for days
now Frank has a good idea but maybe not the best of storage ideas
and i will just say Break Free on wood is also a good look
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I like linseed oil or Watco and wax. I like shoe polish. It's a great quality carnauba wax.
I'm not fond of hard finishes and sweaty hands. The oil and wax leaves a great finish that feels wonderful.
I'm not sure what AA uses for finish. But linseed oil won't penetrate a hard finish. A coat or two with lots of palm pressure will slick up any finish though. I like steel wool to apply it too. Then a couple good coats of carnauba wax.
Steel wool (and rags) with any linseed based product will spontaneously combust. Especially in hot weather or under other old rags. Keeping an oily rag or chunk of steel wool around is a bad idea. I have a metal can to put every scrap in and I empty it regularly. In the summer you can see pinhole burns in the rags and the steel wool almost disintegrates.
Linseed oil is especially nasty stuff. But steel wool is a hazard with any oil. One tiny spark will ignite clean steel wool. It's what most guys use to start a fire with flint and steel. I love to use it to rub oil on wood and it leaves the perfect finish (IMO) but if you toss it in the trash can or leave it on the floor sooner or later your going to have a fire.
I'm not fond of hard finishes and sweaty hands. The oil and wax leaves a great finish that feels wonderful.
I'm not sure what AA uses for finish. But linseed oil won't penetrate a hard finish. A coat or two with lots of palm pressure will slick up any finish though. I like steel wool to apply it too. Then a couple good coats of carnauba wax.
Steel wool (and rags) with any linseed based product will spontaneously combust. Especially in hot weather or under other old rags. Keeping an oily rag or chunk of steel wool around is a bad idea. I have a metal can to put every scrap in and I empty it regularly. In the summer you can see pinhole burns in the rags and the steel wool almost disintegrates.
Linseed oil is especially nasty stuff. But steel wool is a hazard with any oil. One tiny spark will ignite clean steel wool. It's what most guys use to start a fire with flint and steel. I love to use it to rub oil on wood and it leaves the perfect finish (IMO) but if you toss it in the trash can or leave it on the floor sooner or later your going to have a fire.
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BLO doesnt dry very well . I’ve mixed turpentine in it to help the drying. I scratch built flintlocks for 30+ years. I quit using it. It’s not water proof. on a deer hunt w/ a flintlock it was raining, by the end of the day the nice mellow glow finish of the BLO was gone. Now I use Danish oil. It soaks into the wood & drys. A nice mellow finish without the hrs. Of rubbing BLO. & waiting for it to dry. I live in NW OHIO & is fairly humid so your experience may be different. Btw, I would guess AIR ARMS uses a durable finish, just because it doesn’t shine does not mean it’s not protected or dry.
kent
kent
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It’s called spontaneous combustion. Comes from oxygen in the bag. Or if the bag wasn’t completely sealed and started to smother. Is it worth taking the chance?
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Agree 100% with Bear (who spent a good part of his life working with wood finishes). In theory, if it's in a sealed bag with no oxygen, then it shouldn't be a problem. In THEORY. In practice, anything soaked in an oil that dries/cures (like BLO) will get hot as it chemically reacts with oxygen and can spontaneously combust. Please don't take that chance!
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Until the pores in the wood are sealed and filled no amount of oil will get a build.
This topic is a delicate one as many think they know .. Many accept what they are told to know.
This topic is a delicate one as many think they know .. Many accept what they are told to know.
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OK, well I certainly didn't mean to ignite a firestorm of controversy. I am simply unaware of what the best practices would be regarding conditioning an air arms walnut stock and I understand that there are different opinions but it's always good to read those different opinions. I personally rehab vintage speakers so I am aware of many of the products mentioned but I was not sure of what might be more appropriate for a gun stock such as these. Obviously I am not hauling 120 pound speakers out into the weather and trying to hold them steady as I am firing a pellet so I think that there are differing applications here as is evidenced by the posts within this thread. I really appreciate all of the input.
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what kind of speakers.
Depends on what look your after. You want sealed wood or just richer look. Do not use Tru oil unless you want to have gloss look. Tung oil blends work well.
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You make those flintlocks for sale or for yourself? I’d love to have a scratch built flintlock.
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