What is everyone’s preferred method to use? Is it felt pad and BLO? Some other sort of cloth and BLO or other oil?

I use an old spice jar as a dispenser to shake it onto the stock. then, depending on what I'm trying to do with it, rub it in with a bare hand, a cotton cloth, or a chamois (the real goat or sheepskin kind). for rubbing out slacum between coats of oil, a cotton gauze cloth with a little boiled linseed oil to rub in the rotten stone works well. stubborn spots of slacum can be rubbed out with the base of the hand with a touch of blo and rotten stone.

Jim,

I am wanting to rub down a stock I have refinished using Pro-Custom oil. I want it to shine, but not like a high gloss plastic looking finish.

I found that Birchwood Casey Stock Sheen & Conditioner cuts that high gloss shine back very well. I used it on a glossy, refinished Fox a couple years ago and was pleased. Up until it was suggested to me I didn't even know what the purpose of the product was. It was very easy to use.

I know that doesn't directly address your question about rottenstone but, just trying to help.

Stan

I don't have much experience with urethane finishes, but I would try the product Stan mentioned, or try something like wire wool or 3m polishing pads to cut the shine

I did use rotten stone in the past but found it made other work removing it from chequering action and trigger guard joints, 0000 Steel wool using canola oil as a lubricant for the first matting down. As a final treatment to give that fine luster I found that 0000 Steel wool with wax furniture polish polish to slow down the wool's cutting properties. In the latter years I did move over to Automobile paint cutting compounds because they did work quicker and you can choose how much of a mat finish you get in the end also it stays even no mater how hard you rub in places so no patchiness, though it had that problem of finding its way into the chequering and joints. Though Steel wool and oil is slower there is less cleaning up.

Stephen Dodd Hughes has a chapter or pamphlet, posted on this site some time ago and searchable via Google, in which he has photos and discusses how he used rottenstone in finishing a gun stock. Well worth reading. SDH is a poster on this site. Maybe he will chime in. Good luck.

You might also want to try a small square of gray scotchbrite with shoe polish . Be very gentle as it can cut really fast. Clear or a color can make it pop.

Steve has been permanently banned from this site due to inflammable comments towards others.

I was under the impression that he decided not to return after the temporary suspension he and a few others incurred. Maybe I missed something. Anyway, it's a shame he doesn't post on here anymore, since he was unquestionably a great resource, regardless of inflammable or inflammatory comments.