doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com "Proper" Stock Color

So guys, do you think that alkanet root tinted oil will help Steve's stock...darken the wood and bring out the figure?

Hi, well i can't see the pics so i can't comment but it seems like if he wants the root oil to work then the finish that has just been applied will have to come off or else the root oil wont penetrate and will do nothing.

The Red Alkanet oil that Small Bore (Dig) was so kind to send me has made a world of difference in the look, color and grain highlights of both stocks I have done. Right now I am still in the process of applying the finishing oil, painstakingly putting it on in very, very thin layers. I should think I will have both of them done by the end of June. If anyone would like to see some pics of the "Works in Progress" let me know and I will take some photos if someone will be kind enough to post them for me.

Steve

Hi there Steve, so turnbulls that did the work on your stock sanded it, prepared and then linseed oiled it? or have you had to sand it lightly before putting the root oil on to colour it?
I used a kit the other day from Kynoch, it came with root oil (most likely raw linseed / alkanet), grain filler wax (bees wax, linseed and rotten stone) and finishing oil (dries in one day so has a touch of resin and driers in or just driers). Nice finish but takes about 4 weeks to do. I found the root oil was not red enough so better to make your own (raw linseed boiled in a small sauce pan with alkinate root flakes bought from internet health store, this takes 10mins not 4 weeks!)
I was talking to a gun maker the other day and he told me how to make up the famous "slakum". He said to boil up some "boiled linseed the dark sort in a sauce pan then add a nob of bees wax stop heating it when it starts to get thick and sticky, add some thinners terps or w spirit and a small amount or "terebene dries" to aid drying. When you apply it use a generous amount and rub it with a flat cork block until it starts to go sticky then just before it sets rub some linseed on with a pad to smooth it all off. Then let it dry and apply more till you get the finish you want. This finish is in the wood and fills the grain.

Steve if you could email the before and after pics that would be great, cheers

Thank you for your offer, I will take some pics this evening and e-mail them to you. Just to clarify.... Turnbull did not do any work on my stock. Long before I knew about this board, I sent this gun to a stockmaker to have it stripped, checkering re-cut and oil finish. I then learned about the variances and subtleness of the the different stains and colors that are considered "correct" for what guns.

I then simply stripped the wood with a Wax and Grease remover and wiped it down with acetone. After I let it air out for a few days I began applying the Red Oil. This process took about ten days, applying at least two to three coats per day. The Army & Navy stock that I am doing at the same time took the stain much easier and is also darker. The A&N Stock was also pre black with soaked in gun oil. I could not get it all out, particularly ih the neck of the stock, but this was my first attempt at this.

Once the stain had dried, I began the process of rubbing in the oil finish that has carnauba wax, driers and other compounds. After each rub-in with my bare hands I "rub off" a couple of hours later with a cotton cloth that has a bit of the oil on it, rubbing very hard. After a two to three coats, I dash a bit of rottonstone on the wood working it in with my palm and fingers.

I am about two weeks into this process and it appears that ie may need at least two more weeks of two or three coats per day, one or two in the evening when I get home and another in the morning when on my way to the office.

Sorry for being so long winded.

Sounds good, may be in that slackum recipe carnauba wax would be good as well. Sorry to trouble you but what make is your oil finish it sounds good. Would you think outdoor furniture oil would work well on walnut stocks, i know it sounds a bit daft! just a thought as i used some last week-end on outdoor stuff.

Cheers

I have previously used a blend of boiled linseed oil and Formby's tung oil. While the results were adequate, they are not as good as the blend I am now using. The current blend was put together by a member of this forum, "SmallBore" and I obtained it from him. He has researched the subject of stock refinishing and has duplicated what is beleived to be the same sort of blend that was used by London gunmakers for at least a couple of hundred years. I will post his link below.

http://www.vintageguns.co.uk/

I'd be a bit careful putting the linseed on to "boil". I melt some beexwax chips of the chunk in a baby food jar (floating in a saucepan of water); add the (ambient temp) BL away from the burner, then add a bit of mineral spirits, sometimes shoe polish for color cast. I like Simichrome metal polish on a rag for buffing. I keep the rag with the wax and the embedded Simichrome in a sealed plastic coffee can and just keep using it sort of forever. I guess I'm the Shoeshine Boy cause I like a little shine.

jack

htpcorsica, I have a couple of before and after photos. Where should I send them?

I'm sure this has been covered before, but i can't find it. The posted pictures in this thread show as "red X's". How do I correct that?

Thanks.