doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Tru-Oil

Does anyone actually know the make up of Tru-Oil?
If you read the spec sheets it is listed as mineral spirits , modified oil, and varnish . But anyone know better?
Why would I be asking?
Well despite numerous wonder brews available , many rely on good old Tru-Oil, yes it is readily available , but there is no better feeling than refurbishing a stock using your own labour and your own brew.

Salopian I seem to recall , and I could be wrong mind you ...that tru-oil was linseed oil based

Back in 1970's, I spoke with the man who made Linspeed and asked the difference between Linspeed and Tru-Oil. He said that Linspeed was linseed based while Tru-Oil was a varnish.

I like them both but Linspeed can be slow to dry, and sometimes never, on old wood. Tru-Oil dries faster but is not easily rubbed in because of that trait. I have often mixed them and regularly mix Tru-Oil with Tung oil varnishes.

Salopian the answer is there but the ingredients list does not explain the how and why. Now I don�t want to find myself in the midst of some legal arguments over mixtures and ownership.
So!!!!!!
Mineral spirits well we all know what that is and can be purchased from paint stores and Art supply shops.
Varnish basically can be a mixture of a drying oil or another oil with a siccative added to encourage it to dry also the oil can be altered by removing its colour and of course smell. A resin is added to the oil now this resin can be a natural type of which there are many, or a manmade resin along the lines of an Alkyd types.
To make the whole mixture usable a spirit carrier is added to make the mixture workable, this will evaporate when the finish is applied because it has no further part to play.
Now by juggling the three constituents in various quantities you can make a product that can be applied with a brush that will dry slow so it loses the brush marks and at the other end one that will dry extremely fast and of course every stop between the two.

Mr. Flynn;
Good to see a post from the Master himself, and to know that you are still at the bench. I have often said to individuals that James Flynn does the best leather covered recoil pads in the world, bar none, even whoever does Purdey's for them.

Bv

I've used a True-oil-linseed oil mixture with a couple drops of Japan Drier added to control drying speed. Otherwise the blend takes a very, very long time to dry and never seems to in humidity. Once done it does last well but I try to do a little top coat freshening up once a year by rubbing a few drops in and working it by hand. But as noted earlier I suspect every fellow who has finished more than three stocks has his own secret blend and perfected ways of doing it. I'm still looking for a long lasting, easy to do way that is fast and not too costly. LOL.

The gunsmith at Merkel named Herbert told me to mix Tru-oil 50/50 with terpintine not mineral spirits for best results to refurbish my Merkels. It works very good for me. He told me that the mineral spirits would soften the original finish, whereas the terpintine would simply slow the Tru-oil for easier application.
Karl

The data sheet doesn't go into much detail but may give an idea. The download failed from Birchwood Casey but it works from the Bisley site.
I've no idea how to post it as it's PDF file.
I was told it sets hard enough to blunt checkering tools pretty quickly. Actually I was told off for part finishing a stock and fore end before taking it to the lady who does my checkering.

Gentlemen,
Thank you for all your replies, as I hope I explained only asking from an interest point of view , as I am old enough and soft enough to have tried all the concoctions. Tru-Oil does stand the test of time and frankly many Professional Gunsmiths whilst shrouding their finish in smoke & mirrors with a dash of dragons blood actually do use Tru for quickness.
An internet search brings up various percentages and ratios , but it would be nice to actually have an educated guess at the Tru constituents.
Lagopus we both know that our concoctions work well and if you would like to PM me it would be appreciated. Have you got any projects on the go at the moment?

P.S. I have tried Linspeed and frankly I am not very impressed at all.

lmii.com, a site for luthier tools and supplies has a nice write-up on using Tru-Oil for guitar finishes. I find it works well for both guns and guitars. Even used it on the Bastone wood inserts in the dash of my '28 roadster pickup.