My next stock refinishing project

[cash_tx]

After refinishing the stock on my friend's Remington Model 10 a few weeks ago, I've been casually looking for my next project. Yesterday I found this Remington 550-1 22LR semi-auto made in October 1948 at a local gun store for a good price, and decided to bring it home with me. The metal work is in really good condition for the age, but the stock has a number of scratches and dents to merit a refinish. I think this time I'll go with either Alkanet oil or Linspeed oil; leaning towards the Alkanet, but will decide after I get it fully stripped and smoothed to see what I have to work with.

 

[cash_tx]

Stripped, steamed, and (mostly) sanded. Just needs a little more touch up, then ready for the oil finish. I think I'm gonna go with the alkanet oil.

 

[SCHUNTER73]

That’s a nice, old piece of furniture to work with.

 

[cash_tx]

That’s a nice, old piece of furniture to work with.

Thank you. I finished up the last of the sanding today, and applied the first coat of alkanet. A little darker than I expected, but looks very promising. The plan is to do one coat per day for at least the next 10 days, but maybe even more if it keeps improving. For reference sake, the oil I'm using is the SB McWilliams London Blend, which can be found on Ebay.

 

[cash_tx]

24 hours after the first application of alkanet oil. About to apply the second coat.

 

[Shootist43]

Checkering would be a nice addition.

 

[cash_tx]

Checkering would be a nice addition.

Thanks, and I think that is a "Chocolate vs. Vanilla" discussion. For this particular stock, some of the best wood grain is right where checkering would obscure it. I prefer to see the wood grain; and on a light duty firearm like this, I don't view checkering as very imperative. Jusy my $.02.

 

[rdog]

Stripped, steamed, and (mostly) sanded. Just needs a little more touch up, then ready for the oil finish. I think I'm gonna go with the alkanet oil.

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I might be wrong but Alkernet oil is to give the wood colour not to finish it, you need to give it a coat of some type of sealer over it.

 

[cash_tx]

I might be wrong but Alkernet oil is to give the wood colour not to finish it, you need to give it a coat of some type of sealer over it.

Correct. I'm going to order some satin varnish from the same maker as the alkanet oil, and use that as the final coat or two.

 

[Elkeater]

I recently did my first stock refinish on my M77 mark II in .300 win mag. I opted for French red with a hand rubbed oil finish. I even bought a couple of checkering tools to clean up the checkering a bit. Very satisfying project.

I like the way yours is going!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Correct. I'm going to order some satin varnish from the same maker as the alkanet oil, and use that as the final coat or two.

@cash_tx
Why spoil it with varnish when you can use LINSPEED.
Bob

 

[Woodcarver]

Correct. I'm going to order some satin varnish from the same maker as the alkanet oil, and use that as the final coat or two.

@cash_tx
Why spoil it with varnish when you can use LINSPEED.
Bob

^^^^This!^^^^

Varnish is not any better than poly for a gun stock. It will also yellow over (a short) time unless you use spar varnish with UV inhibitors. Varnish is really best used on indoor furniture, or the teak on a boat. Bob's suggestion of LinSpeed is a good one if you're looking for a soft, satin finish that shows the grain well.

I might be wrong but Alkernet oil is to give the wood colour not to finish it, you need to give it a coat of some type of sealer over it.

Correct. The oil is simply the vehicle to get the red of the alkanet root into the wood. Much like Danish oil, provides virtually no sealing properties to the stock. Once you have the tone you're looking for, an actual finish needs to be applied.

Edit to add-if I remember correctly, that SB McWilliams blend is an actual oil finish, rather than just a solution for the alkanet to stain the wood. So it should work as a final finish as well.

I recently did my first stock refinish on my M77 mark II in .300 win mag. I opted for French red with a hand rubbed oil finish. I even bought a couple of checkering tools to clean up the checkering a bit. Very satisfying project.

I like the way yours is going!


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Looks good!

 

[cash_tx]

Thanks, @Woodcarver and @Bob Nelson 35Whelen ! I didn't realize that Linspeed could be my top coat, but I do have an unused bottle of it on hand. I just did my eighth coat of the alkanet oil, and am probably going to do a few more. Then I may give it about two weeks for the alkanet oil to fully cure, and then do the Linspeed.

 

[MS 9x56]

Keep us posted. I am curious to see how it comes out.

 

[cash_tx]

I am nine coats in on the Alkanet oil (SB McWilliams London Blend) as of today, with plans to do at least an even dozen. Then I'm leaving town for a week, so I'll let it cure while I'm gone; and then maybe after an additional week of cure time, I'll finish it up with a few coats of the LinSpeed oil.

 

[Woodcarver]

Thanks, @Woodcarver and @Bob Nelson 35Whelen ! I didn't realize that Linspeed could be my top coat, but I do have an unused bottle of it on hand. I just did my eighth coat of the alkanet oil, and am probably going to do a few more. Then I may give it about two weeks for the alkanet oil to fully cure, and then do the Linspeed.

As a general rule, oil can go over oil, but it absolutely won't go over poly or varnish. The SB blend, with alkanet added, as you have seen, will yield a darker hue with every coat. Once you like the tone of the color, that's when to switch to LinSpeed, as it will add to the rubbed oil finish, without deepening the color.
Looking good!

 

[cash_tx]

As a general rule, oil can go over oil, but it absolutely won't go over poly or varnish. The SB blend, with alkanet added, as you have seen, will yield a darker hue with every coat. Once you like the tone of the color, that's when to switch to LinSpeed, as it will add to the rubbed oil finish, without deepening the color.
Looking good!

Thanks, and that being the case, I will probably stop at the current 8 coats of alkanet oil; it is as dark as I want it to get. I'll give it a week or more to cure (since I'll be gone anyway), and then do a couple coats of LinSpeed once I get back.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Here's how I speed up Linspeed application. Apply a thin coat with finger (avoid checkering until last coat). Let dry about forty minutes. Then rub off with paper towels till back down to the wood. Continue this until grain is filled. Then do final coat and lightly apply over checkering with a toothbrush. If you want satin finish, rub out final coat down to wood and you're done. If you want a glossy finish just add last two coats (after grain is filled) without rubbing out. But it can take up to two days for glossy coat to dry before final coat can be applied. Linspeed, like all oil finishes, is not very hard. Easily scratched. This is why I prefer satin finish. Less to get scratched. Nice thing about Linspeed is scratches are easily restored with a bit of the oil rubbed on with finger tip.

 

[Woodcarver]

Here's how I speed up Linspeed application. Apply a thin coat with finger (avoid checkering until last coat). Let dry about forty minutes. Then rub off with paper towels till back down to the wood. Continue this until grain is filled. Then do final coat and lightly apply over checkering with a toothbrush. If you want satin finish, rub out final coat down to wood and you're done. If you want a glossy finish just add last two coats (after grain is filled) without rubbing out. But it can take up to two days for glossy coat to dry before final coat can be applied. Linspeed, like all oil finishes, is not very hard. Easily scratched. This is why I prefer satin finish. Less to get scratched. Nice thing about Linspeed is scratches are easily restored with a bit of the oil rubbed on with finger tip.

The reason you're experiencing an easily scratched, "soft" finish, is due to the oil taking literally months & months to actually begin drying when it is applied in what amounts to a very thick coat and gets sealed in by the top coat. Even allowing just 24 hrs between coats will allow each coat to harden some. If you really want a durable finish, let each coat dry a week before the next. Takes longer for sure (months, not days), but the end result is a durable, water resistant, easily maintained, deep finish. Topped with Renaissance wax on an annual basis, a proper oil finish will withstand a lot of abuse and still look good. Too many people are too impatient to achieve a good oil finish (think that's why poly was invented).

A psa for those looking at refinishing a stock. DO NOT use straight linseed oil; it literally will never dry. Boiled linseed (BLO) will, but it does not dry overnight. Tung oil suffers the same issue, but it's requirement is additives, not boiling. There are a lot of wood finish products that combine the 2 to take advantage of both oil's properties. LinSpeed is a BLO with additives (thus the "Speed" part of the name) that works well, and will return a beautiful finish, but it must be allowed to dry between coats to get the full benefit. Avoid TruOil completely.

 

[cash_tx]

@Woodcarver , I think I'll try giving a week between coats of LinSpeed. Do you do anything after applying the Linspeed other than wiping off the excess?