I have an AA S500 with a walnut stock that I want to get finished but am not sure what direction to go. I've never finished a stock before usually have a synthetic stock or some kind or AR stock.Open to input, thanks
Walnut Stock Finish
- Thread starter jackstraw
- Start date
I really like ARH Royal London Oil. I've used it on 3 different walnut stocks and have been very happy with it. On my AA TX200, I used 3 coats and it brought out some life in the wood and provided just a hint of a satin sheen.
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I've refinished alot of stocks and I'll give u my current favorite process.
If you can find citrus strip at your local hardware store that is a excellent way of getting the existing finish off it. Next step once dried is lightly sand with 600-800 grit.... The finish I really like now is Minwax Antique oil....shouldn't have a hard time finding locally. Once you hit it with sand.paper I'll clean it off with mineral spirits and let dry. I then use the Minwax Antique oil and hand rub in....just a.dab at the end of my finger and rub it in the stock until gone then move on until the whole stock is.finished. let dry at least 8 hours before you put your next coat on. I usually put about 4 coats on and if you want more shine it will come with each additional coat you apply. Most important part is rub in good with fingers until the oil disappears and.let dry at.least 8 hrs between coats
If you can find citrus strip at your local hardware store that is a excellent way of getting the existing finish off it. Next step once dried is lightly sand with 600-800 grit.... The finish I really like now is Minwax Antique oil....shouldn't have a hard time finding locally. Once you hit it with sand.paper I'll clean it off with mineral spirits and let dry. I then use the Minwax Antique oil and hand rub in....just a.dab at the end of my finger and rub it in the stock until gone then move on until the whole stock is.finished. let dry at least 8 hours before you put your next coat on. I usually put about 4 coats on and if you want more shine it will come with each additional coat you apply. Most important part is rub in good with fingers until the oil disappears and.let dry at.least 8 hrs between coats
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My S500 is brand new and by the looks of it is not finished, just smooth walnut. I’ll continue to gather more advise and see what I can do.
That Royal London Oil job is beautiful.
That Royal London Oil job is beautiful.
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My understanding is that comercial "oil" finishes on walnut stocks are a penetrating dye for uniform color, followed by a light poly seal coat. They are intended to give the appearance of a hand rubbed oil finish, but using a production compatible process. There is usually little to no buildup on the surface of the wood, but it is sealed against moisture.
The Minwax Antique Oil is made of linseed oil plus driers, the Royal London is probably the same type of product. These are rub on, rub off products where you let the finish soak in then rub off the excess. The Miwax starts to dry in minutes, so you can't wait too long between application and removal of any excess. The Royal London might dry a little slower and be easier to work with. You don't want buildup in the fishscales. I have used an old toothbrush in those areas to remove any excess before it dries.
If someone has used the Royal London to add depth and sheen to an AA stock and had good luck, I would just do that. To get started you might cut the finish with about one third mineral spirits to improve penetration and slow down the drying time. That's what I do when finishing furniture to control the process and slowly build to the desired sheen.
Good luck!
The Minwax Antique Oil is made of linseed oil plus driers, the Royal London is probably the same type of product. These are rub on, rub off products where you let the finish soak in then rub off the excess. The Miwax starts to dry in minutes, so you can't wait too long between application and removal of any excess. The Royal London might dry a little slower and be easier to work with. You don't want buildup in the fishscales. I have used an old toothbrush in those areas to remove any excess before it dries.
If someone has used the Royal London to add depth and sheen to an AA stock and had good luck, I would just do that. To get started you might cut the finish with about one third mineral spirits to improve penetration and slow down the drying time. That's what I do when finishing furniture to control the process and slowly build to the desired sheen.
Good luck!
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Here is an online tutorial using Minwax Antique Oil.
https://www.airgunstocks.com/do-it-yourself/oil-finishing.html
https://www.airgunstocks.com/do-it-yourself/oil-finishing.html
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Very nice on the Royal London finish!
I purchased a bottle of an individual's personal formula "Gunstock Oil" at a Gun Show many years ago that was likely to be mostly comprised of linseed oil. Smells quite nice and I've used it on several dry appearing stocks so far. My favorite was a Daystate Huntsman. I coated it fairly heavey and let dry completely..... then buffed off completely with 000 steel wool. Did several coats and then waxed with Minwax furniture paste wax. The result was a very nice satin sheen that just felt amazing to hold. The finish was thoroughly integrated into the the wood but not a top coating.
Just another option.
Bob
I purchased a bottle of an individual's personal formula "Gunstock Oil" at a Gun Show many years ago that was likely to be mostly comprised of linseed oil. Smells quite nice and I've used it on several dry appearing stocks so far. My favorite was a Daystate Huntsman. I coated it fairly heavey and let dry completely..... then buffed off completely with 000 steel wool. Did several coats and then waxed with Minwax furniture paste wax. The result was a very nice satin sheen that just felt amazing to hold. The finish was thoroughly integrated into the the wood but not a top coating.
Just another option.
Bob
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One thing I forgot to mention, I would avoid sanding at all costs! It is almost impossible to not cut through the existing seal coat(s), and if you do those areas may be very difficult to blend in. If there was any colorant applied to the stock, either dye or as part of the seal coat, those areas will be impossible to blend in and you will have to strip the original finish and start over. You don't want that.
I did just refresh the finish on a 50s era teak bedroom set for my daughter. The original finish was a brownish dye followed by a couple lacquer seal coats. It was dried out and had some minor water damage. I used Minwax Antique Oil, wiping it on and then wiping it off with a rag. After two or three coats the result was similar to what is shown in the pictures of the TX stock. The Minwax penetrated through the existing finish, adding depth and lustre. My only reservation with the Minwax is that it dries fairly quickly and may cause problems in the checkered areas. If you do decide to use Minwax, I would definitely thin it to give longer working time. The only disadvantage to doing that is that it may take more coats to produce the desired sheen.
I did just refresh the finish on a 50s era teak bedroom set for my daughter. The original finish was a brownish dye followed by a couple lacquer seal coats. It was dried out and had some minor water damage. I used Minwax Antique Oil, wiping it on and then wiping it off with a rag. After two or three coats the result was similar to what is shown in the pictures of the TX stock. The Minwax penetrated through the existing finish, adding depth and lustre. My only reservation with the Minwax is that it dries fairly quickly and may cause problems in the checkered areas. If you do decide to use Minwax, I would definitely thin it to give longer working time. The only disadvantage to doing that is that it may take more coats to produce the desired sheen.
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When I bought a Cooper rifle the dealer gave me a bottle of Feed-N-Wax. Seems to work very well.
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The process I use for walnut is to first strip the existing coat of oil/sealer off with citristrip. Then rense and scrub that off. While still wet, sand the grain smooth with 320 grit paper. Let dry for a day. Apply your choice of oil to a test patch to see how it will look. If you don't like it, strip/sand that patch and try again.
Coat whole stock and let dry for at least a few hours, sand 400 grit, and coat again.
Next day wet sand 600 grit and let dry. Re-apply oil again.
Next day wet sand with 800 grit. And repeat, til I reach 1500 grit, and then I'll finish off with 0000 steel wool and one last coat
Coat whole stock and let dry for at least a few hours, sand 400 grit, and coat again.
Next day wet sand 600 grit and let dry. Re-apply oil again.
Next day wet sand with 800 grit. And repeat, til I reach 1500 grit, and then I'll finish off with 0000 steel wool and one last coat
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Lots of good suggestions here. If you want a gloss stock then you might want to try Birchwood Casey's TruOil. Whatever you do I urge you to take the time to make a positioner to put the stock in which allows you to move quickly and methodically because with the faster drying finishes you will only have a few minutes to get a coat on. You will want to start at an end, I start at the fore stock and move to the butt going the entire way around. Do not try to do the entire side as you need to keep a wet edge and the smallest edge possible. Below is an Mrod I just stripped and finished with TruOil. 
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For those who sand between coats. Consider applying several coats without sanding. Then block sand before your final coat. All sanding between coats does is put your finish on the floor. The roughness you feel in the first coat will be mostly covered over by the third coat. Now block sand it and "put the icing on the cake"
Naptha is another thinner you can use to help hold out a wet edge. After application it actually speeds drying. Odorless paint thinner has some in it. I don't personally find the need for super fine paper. Oil finishes are self leveling.
I'm talking about apply wet and let dry finishing. Not rubbed. Some like it wet.
Naptha is another thinner you can use to help hold out a wet edge. After application it actually speeds drying. Odorless paint thinner has some in it. I don't personally find the need for super fine paper. Oil finishes are self leveling.
I'm talking about apply wet and let dry finishing. Not rubbed. Some like it wet.
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The oil I use wont get a super-nice sheen to it unless I do the sanding between coats. Unless I get the wood it's-self super smooth (having it saturated in oil helps) it will look dull, and wont have nearly as much marble accentuation
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Here's my MRod with at least 20 coats of TruOil......no sanding in between. Just really thin coats wiped on with fingers. This is just some cheap hardwood, I'm certain walnut would turn out looking even better.
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Nice job on the Mrod BigTin. Pretty sure my Mrod stock is beech. I could not stand the factory finish. I really like the gloss finish TruOil gives. I have no problem with satin but it never stays satin. It always turns glossy where it is handled so you eventually have a stock that is part satin and part gloss.
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G
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Before and after Turkish Walnut stock, Minwax Gunstock stain and 15 coats of Tru-oil.
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My go to is Minwax Antique Oil Finish. With mulitple coats it builds to a nice satin sheen.
Here is my lastest stock project. Started out as a gray pepper laminate. Finished with the Antique Oil Finish .
Before oil coats
After mulitple coats of oil.
A Walnut stock with MANY coats of the same oil.
A birch stock I made.
I like how you can build a nice deep lustrous finish, but is still satin....Just my personal preference over Tru Oil that creates a mush higher gloss finish. Just my old school coming out.
Here is my lastest stock project. Started out as a gray pepper laminate. Finished with the Antique Oil Finish .
Before oil coats
After mulitple coats of oil.
A Walnut stock with MANY coats of the same oil.
A birch stock I made.
I like how you can build a nice deep lustrous finish, but is still satin....Just my personal preference over Tru Oil that creates a mush higher gloss finish. Just my old school coming out.
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