doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com Timberlux

Thanks much keith, and I'm with you on trying samples. I have a back burner rifle butt that I'd like to push over the finish line. Nothing fancy, moderate figure wood that I'd like to see the grain run through the wrist instead of seeing it too broken up by checkering.

I had given thought to the extra thin CA idea. A flat board soaks up finish unevenly, as you mentioned, all that end grain tends to exaggerate the effect. On a side note, mostly subjectively, for me thinned and the same unthinned finish doesn't seem the have much penetration difference into the wood. Mainly, I use the strategy so that things that might not be going right are smaller and somewhat easier to get back on track.

It probably has to do with the products I lean towards and my technique, but that's why I've been thinking about the sealer angle giving me a possible subtle little difference. Anyway, Happy New Year to you and the folks that visit the forum.

edit to add, for regular paint, for many years I've just laid a layer of saran on the surface. When it comes time to use the paint again, I don't try to remove it. I just shake or stir the paint and pretend it's not even there.

Woodreaux, that is exactly why I strongly recommended Flexner's book. We don't have to do 3 months of research and experimentation when we have the benefit of picking up a good reference book written by a professional who has spent over 20 years learning, experimenting, and compiling all of that knowledge in one handy place. But I would never say he is the be-all, end-all, one and only source.



And this is precisely how and why someone can make a fortune and take advantage of those who are unwilling to learn, and those who refuse to believe that products like Timberluxe are, in my opinion, highly over-priced and less effective than many other far less costly alternatives. As I said, Boiled Linseed Oil is about $25.00 a gallon at Home Depot. Sunflower Oil is even cheaper at around $12.00 a gallon, and Naptha is around $8.00 a quart. Dryers aren't terribly expensive either considering the small amount used. A manufacturer would buy these chemicals in much larger volumes at even lower prices. So there is a lot of profit in catchy names, hype, and slick sales pitches.



That much is obvious, demonstrated by your willingness to make your own slacum. With that attitude, you are far less likely to get stuck in a rut of outdated and sub-standard finishes, or fall prey to slick sales pitches. Hey, even products like Linspeed and Tru-Oil are expensive when you consider what's in them and what they cost for a small bottle. We pay a premium for convenience quite often. But sometimes the price of convenience is ridiculous. When they started selling plastic bottles of filtered city drinking water, I thought it was insane. But it is a billion dollar industry that has a bigger carbon footprint than Al Gore's jet. Great for those who profit from it though.

I think we're mostly on the same page, Keith, even if we count some of the costs differently. If I tried Timberluxe, and it gave me outstanding results, I would certainly consider trying to make my own version of it for the experience as well as the saving.

I'm going to try to make Damascus's slacum for a gun sometime soon. Maybe for my 1892 Henry Atkin boxlock. Seems fitting to use the old school oil finish for a gun of that vintage. I won't be taking it in the duck blind anyway.

And actually the Flexner book is sitting on my shelf waiting to be read, as it turns out. I bought it with regular woodworking in mind, but maybe I will have to add it to my 'Books for the Amateur Gunsmith' list.

Thanks for your input on the slacum Jim. I have not seen or used the "tried and true" product line. I may have to give that a go.
Steve

A local guy (private) who picks up work from different gun shops around here. I sometimes visit him to see what interesting guns or wood he�s working on. When it comes to wood finishing, he explained to me how he gets a good satin finish. He simply stains the stock, using either stain or wood dye, which depends on the type of wood. Then simply uses Minwax wipe on poly. The results look great.

How do you guys feel about this process?

I used the Minwax wipe on poly to refinish a Tobin, I got from John Mann, a long time ago. It took a while, and I rubbed between coats with a white scotchbrite pad. I didn�t want a bunch of money tied up in a lower grade gun.
It worked excellent. A friend wanted an old gun to shoot, with the same requirements, (not much money) and bought it from me. I wouldn�t say the gun received heavy use, but, it got plenty of use, friend is very conscious of the limitations of a Tobin and likes it anyway, but, has developed MS and seldom hunts anymore.

The stock still looks excellent. I�ve refinished two stocks with poly, and I�d happily do another with the same product. No cachet from using it on this board, but, the results met my expectations. If I am not mistaken, there is a version of that product that is indoor use only, so, be careful of which one you buy.

Best,
Ted

I have really enjoyed using it and like it. If you call them they have a high humidity version that is about to come out and they will sell you a bottle of that to try as well. Great customer service

Yesterday evening, I went back to the store that had Watco Danish Oil for $3.99 a one pint can, and I bought 16 more pints. Of course, I planned to use it for other things besides gun stock finishing.

Today, I'm having second thoughts...

I should go back and buy all they have. And since they have several other stores within an hour of me, I should go and buy up all those stores have too. Then I could put it in little 2 ounce bottles and sell it here for $29.95 a bottle by calling it Genuine Winchester Custom Shop Hand Rubbing Stock Oil.

And I could sleep well knowing that I was selling you guys a better stock finish than a linseed/sunflower oil concoction.

Some of those concoctions go hard in the can. I had a can of Formby�s rubbed oil finish, that I bought for a table, that went hard after about a year. I did get my table done, but, the Minwax wipe on poly I used on the gun would have been better. It never went hard in the can.
My walnut gun cabinet and the black walnut speaker stands set I built for my Klipsch Heresy speakers were finished with Watco Danish oil. It was OK indoors. Not sure about using it on a gun. The gun cabinet was replaced with a safe.

Best,
Ted

Watco Danish Oil is perfectly fine for finishing a gun stock Ted, if you aren't looking for a high gloss built up finish. I have other cans of it that are at least 5-10 years old that are still good, so I'm not concerned about shelf life at all. I liked the idea of buying pint cans because there will never be very much to possibly lose in an opened can. It has linseed oil, and other ingredients in it such as varnish resin and gilsonite that make it superior to Timberluxe for stock finishing and moisture resistance too, at a small fraction of the cost. And as Mike Hunter pointed out earlier, his research as President of the Winchester Arms Collectors Assn. led him to learn that the Winchester Custom Shop used Watco Danish Oil when a customer requested a hand rubbed oil finish. So there are a lot of Model 70's and Model 21's out there that suggest it is OK.

I have plenty of sealed cans of varnish, polyurethane, and various other finishes that have remained liquid for years. I still have most of that over 50 year old can of Sherwin Williams Spar Varnish that belonged to my late grandfather, and it is still fine. But when I put my cans of Watco Danish Oil on the shelf last night, I noticed that some Gillespie Tung Oil Varnish that I had put in an empty rubbing alcohol bottle had jelled. It may still be usable if I thin it, but I wouldn't use it on anything valuable. I mentioned earlier that you can keep opened cans fresh and good by using a product like BlOxygen or Argon-CO2 to displace the air in the can before resealing it.