Air Arms Conditioning new Air Arms walnut stock?

[dormitionskete]

I'm forbidden to use BLO because of the smell, so I used TruOil on our HW97K & Pro-Sport. I applied it by hand, either on the tip of my finger or on a small rag using a very light touch.

The PS was the easiest stock "re"-finishing job I've ever done, and it turned out one of the best I've done as well. But one thing I learned in using TruOil was that it went on a lot better if I thinned it out considerably with paint thinner, and put on very thin coats of it.

There are quite a few threads that talk about refinishing stocks in the archives. This one that I started has a lot of info you might find helpful. Especially page 2.

Tuning - Question: Birchwood Casey Sealer & Filler

I'm getting ready to finish the walnut stock on our ProSport. It looks like Air Arms didn't put any kind of sealer at all on it. It looks like it's just bare wood. I've been planning to use Birchwood Casey Sealer & Filler, followed by Birchwood Casey TruOil finish on it. But in looking at...

www.airgunnation.com

 

[Renman]

Then you have learned two important facts about steel wool this morning!

1) Steel wool is excellent tinder for starting a fire with flint and steel.

2) Steel wool is a fire hazard in the shop whether it is saturated with oil or not.

Another fun fact... Watco Danish oil is modified linseed oil with some additives. It will spontaneously combust on steel wool or rags too. Almost any oil will to some extent if the conditions are right. Some less than others. Almost all wood finishes are some blend of plant based oil (flax, safflower, rapeseed, cotton seed) and pose the risk of spontaneous combustion. Linseed oil (flax, safflower, rapeseed, cottonseed) is the base for almost all oil finishes including Watco Danish oil, teak oil and even polyurethane hard coats and oil based enamel paints. So whether you use BLO or not the risk of spontaneous combustion is there with most oil based finishes.

Didn’t learn anything I didn’t know before. Been building long rifles over 30 yrs.finished a lot of stocks & done some restoration/ repair on milsurps & antiques. BLO was the go to finish in the past because that’s what was available. Imo there are many finishes now superior for wear etc. I doubt any manufacturer now uses BLO as a stock finish…………and finishing stocks that haven’t been finished before is much different than recoating a commercialy finished stock. My advice, try different finishes on same type wood your stock is , see what the results are then the guess work is reduced, hopefully, whatever you choose good luck.
kent

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Didn’t learn anything I didn’t know before. Been building long rifles over 30 yrs.finished a lot of stocks & done some restoration/ repair on milsurps & antiques. BLO was the go to finish in the past because that’s what was available. Imo there are many finishes now superior for wear etc. I doubt any manufacturer now uses BLO as a stock finish…………and finishing stocks that haven’t been finished before is much different than recoating a commercialy finished stock. My advice, try different finishes on same type wood your stock is , see what the results are then the guess work is reduced, hopefully, whatever you choose good luck.
kent

Thanks for the advice!

I'm not refinishing a stock though. My post wasn't about finishing stocks.

It was about using steel wool as tinder. You said you had never used it and had seen no one use it. That sort of shocked me because many outdoorsmen use it. It's pretty much the standard tinder for a spark since I was a small child. I understand that in your "competition" it isn't allowed. But outside of the mountain man club it's very common.

I also pointed out that no matter what type of oil finish you use it could create a fire hazard similar to BLO.

I guess you thought I was looking for advice on finishing a gunstock and I apologize for not communicating effectively. If I ever refinish another stock it will be with bedliner or spatter paint. I might try a dipped camo pattern. But I don't see many more hand rubbed oil gunstocks in my future. If there are I'll probably just use BLO and shoe polish like I always have.

 

[.20calguy]

This is a fact. Spontaneous combustion can and will happen with linseed oil products. I have seen it happen twice. Especially when driers have been added to the oil. On a jobsite you must have a metal can filled with water to put used rags in. When doing stain work on new homes I would NEVER leave used rags in a house. I might leave them in the yard away from the house for a few days. Never bunched up. Once on a commercial job I told a subcontractor he must not leave used his used rags on the premises overnight. The idiot hid them in a pile behind something, I don't remember where. 5 am I get a call, the jobsite is ablaze. Fire marshall determined the rags were the cause. $1,000,000 damage. $200,000 of it was drawn from MY liability insurance. I was very angry at that monkey head. Another time I saw it cause a dumpster fire on a commercial job. NEVER leave any rags with oil products of any kind without a proper disposal.

We learned this in school, a class called Industrial Arts, we called it Shop.

 

[Renman]

Thanks for the advice!

I'm not refinishing a stock though. My post wasn't about finishing stocks.

It was about using steel wool as tinder. You said you had never used it and had seen no one use it. That sort of shocked me because many outdoorsmen use it. It's pretty much the standard tinder for a spark since I was a small child. I understand that in your "competition" it isn't allowed. But outside of the mountain man club it's very common.

I also pointed out that no matter what type of oil finish you use it could create a fire hazard similar to BLO.

I guess you thought I was looking for advice on finishing a gunstock and I apologize for not communicating effectively. If I ever refinish another stock it will be with bedliner or spatter paint. I might try a dipped camo pattern. But I don't see many more hand rubbed oil gunstocks in my future. If there are I'll probably just use BLO and shoe polish like I always have.

No sense getting nasty, you sound angry, there are always several ways to skin a cat. Others may find the info useful. Us “ mountain men” Try to replicate the traditional arms etc. there 100’s of clubs across the US. btw, LEWIS & Clark had an air rifle with them on their cross country journey.

 

[.20calguy]

Empty as all AIR ARMS are.
You finish speakers. what look do you want ? Then advice will flow. Just don’t use true oil. Unless you want glossy plastic.

And that's what I like.

 

[A.G.R]

Probably would've been better if I had sanded to fill the pores, but It's not bad. And yeah, at least 3 days between coats, longer is better I think.

if you wanted a sealed look, that being said ,I’m sure the kiwi does it in a way.

And that's what I like.

its ok, really. . It’s not a bad finish .. Just not for me. I knew this thread was gonna ignite some fires ( pun intended). It’s why I have not chimed in of how and what method I use. There are 100 ways to finish wood. Having worked and trained professionally in the finish industry. I know Enough to know to sit back and watch . Its like asking for Gramas cookie recipe. Then telling the grand kid it is not rightly good.. .

 

[.20calguy]

if you wanted a sealed look, that being said ,I’m sure the kiwi does it in a way.

its ok, really. . It’s not a bad finish .. Just not for me. I knew this thread was gonna ignite some fires ( pun intended). It’s why I have not chimed in of how and what method I use. There are 100 ways to finish wood. Having worked and trained professionally in the finish industry. I know Enough to know to sit back and watch . Its like asking for Gramas cookie recipe. Then telling the grand kid it is not rightly good.. .

A lot of finishes can be cut and buffed if they're semi gloss to a gloss. Mine generaly start a gloss where I handle them anyway.

 

[KWK]

AGR You hit the nail on the head.
AND My sand tart recipe is the world's FINEST!
BTW I do share it

 

[Bedrock Bob]

No sense getting nasty, you sound angry, there are always several ways to skin a cat. Others may find the info useful. Us “ mountain men” Try to replicate the traditional arms etc. there 100’s of clubs across the US. btw, LEWIS & Clark had an air rifle with them on their cross country journey.

I'm not sure what any of this has to do with anything ive posted. Nor do I see any conflict.

Good day sir!

 

[Bedrock Bob]

A lot of finishes can be cut and buffed if they're semi gloss to a gloss. Mine generaly start a gloss where I handle them anyway.

I like them slicked up where I handle them. It shows the use on them. It's character. A rifle without a little wear where you handle it lacks soul. If you've shot it enough to buff a glassy spot on the forearm and grip its like an achievement award.

I shoot a lot of informal contests. A guy with a worn in rifle is generally tough to outshoot. I keep my wager reasonable until I see what he can do. The wear indicates experience and you can only beat that if you have more of it. A guy shooting a fancy rifle with no wear on it will generally have less experience and be easier to outshoot. I'll bet a few more bucks in a match with him.

That slick forearm is another reason I like the wax. No matter what finish you have the wax provides a little tack. It can be as glossy as you want it and still handle nicely.

I have very few wood stocks on my rifles anymore. I haven't hunted with a wood stock in years. When I did they were waxed up metal and everything. It keeps the blood spatter from rusting them and protects whatever finish is on the stock. It feels tacky in your bare hands. It's slippery with gloves on at first but a mile and a few drops of moisture in the glove makes it perfect for handling.

I like a little rearward pressure with my offhand when shooting an air rifle. I can leave my off hand open and still get enough tack on the stock to pull it into my shoulder without gripping the rifle. The wax provides just the right amount of tack to do that.

If the metal is clean and dry the wax is a superior protectant. So is BLO. I regularly use both on the metal. I make sure to wipe it all off and clean the metal regularly so not to trap grime in the wax or get buildup. It helps preserve the bluing on the barrel and left side of the receiver where my hand rub it off. If I don't wax the metal on my springers I have shiny spots from handling them within 10k shots. The spot on the barrel onder the objective lens will rust easily. That is eliminated with a good waxing too.

 

[bustachip]

if you wanted a sealed look, that being said ,I’m sure the kiwi does it in a way.

its ok, really. . It’s not a bad finish .. Just not for me. I knew this thread was gonna ignite some fires ( pun intended). It’s why I have not chimed in of how and what method I use. There are 100 ways to finish wood. Having worked and trained professionally in the finish industry. I know Enough to know to sit back and watch . Its like asking for Gramas cookie recipe. Then telling the grand kid it is not rightly good.. .

Never heard or seen the shoe polish thing, what's that all about?

 

[Renman]

I'm not sure what any of this has to do with anything ive posted. Nor do I see any conflict.

Good day sir!

You brought up the mountain man comment along with basically telling me I didn’t know anything or steel wool in general Or about primitive fire starting or the contests we have, and the fact I’ve never seen in 50 yrs. Of primitive craft steel wool used as “tinder”. My original comment was BLO takes a long time to dry ,and it does.
no further traffic, out.

 

[Frank in Fairfield]

And, so it ends…

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Never heard or seen the shoe polish thing, what's that all about?

It's just good carnauba wax. It buffs out of the checkering a lot easier than Johnsons paste wax. It's oilier and will slick up a BLO finish better.

I like black polish in the checkering panels. It highlights them nicely by darkening the grooves a bit. I use it on a lot of carvings to add depth. Like antiquing wax.

 

[Gunnertrones]

Junkers bench oil. Or Danish oil. The two I normally use.

View attachment 520656

 

[Bedrock Bob]

You brought up the mountain man comment along with basically telling me I didn’t know anything or steel wool in general Or about primitive fire starting or the contests we have, and the fact I’ve never seen in 50 yrs. Of primitive craft steel wool used as “tinder”. My original comment was BLO takes a long time to dry ,and it does.
no further traffic, out.

I didn't say or infer any of this. I made the statement that steel wool would catch a spark easily. So much so it was commonly used as tinder to start a fire with flint and steel.

You said you had never done it nor had seen anyone do it. And that it was not allowed in competition. The implication was that I was trying to blow smoke up your fanny because you, a competitive flre maker, had never seen it done that way.

I assured you it was true and asked you to try it for yourself. I understand that within your group it isn't done that way. And since you hadn't seen it done nor had done it yourself i assumed you had learned something.

I was wrong to assume that and if I have offended you or slighted you in any way I truly apologize. I revel at every new thing I learn and sometimes I forget how difficult that can be for some guys. I didn't intend to diminish your knowledge or experience. I honestly thought you had never seen it done before and didnt believe people used steel wool to catch a spark in.

Let's start again. I don't want to spar. Its just a piece of steel wool. Let's talk about stock finishes some more.

Since you use traditional methods and materials in your group and BLO takes too long to cure what do you use on your flintlock stocks?

I'm partial to a beaver castor and boiled beeswax finish on mine...

 

[RicL]

I may need to oil to darken. Image enhanced below to see what it may look like. In reality its closer to the first image

 

[thevinoman]

View attachment 520689I may need to oil to darken. Image enhanced below to see what it may look like. In reality its closer to the first imageView attachment 520690

Very nice!

 

[bustachip]

View attachment 520689I may need to oil to darken. Image enhanced below to see what it may look like. In reality its closer to the first imageView attachment 520690

Nice. They are dry looking from the factory IMO.
Even still they have the best looking wood and bluing.