Woodreaux. The rather long posting of Damascuses traditional oil stock finish was in part a history in the reason behind how stock finishes evolved, also how to achieve the finish using the best traditional mixtures. If you also read the article through I suggested a method how to make a finish using modern varnish instead of going to the trouble of going down the Copal road. Using Copal is just one ingredient Amber works well and so does Pine Resin. In my posting my aim was to give all the information on how to produce a traditional finish. Woodreaux you seem to be fixated on the finishing oil rather than the full how to get there using traditional grain filler red oil etc of my posting, so your question about why go to the trouble? You go to all the trouble and the knowhow to put a traditional finish on a gun stock, but if you dont want to go to all that trouble that is your choice and True Oil is always available. I think you will find that real Spar Varnish is not that easy to obtain because makers use synthetic resins, Copal is far to expensive to be used in bulk varnish manufacture that is why I gave instructions how to make it.
