Its Done !

[Tim Ault]

Well I believe I getting close to the end . Have the pewter nose cap poured and all filed down and polished last weekend ,this week I sanded down the wood smooth and there's figure and stripes popping out the whole length of this piece of wood  Shes gonna look purtty I think.All I have to do is some of the final metal work on the barrel like install FH liner and cut the dovetails for the sights .
   Now on the barrel browning should I apply the solution and brown with the sights and liner installed? or install after? .Im gonna be using Laurel Mt solution.

   And the tricky part for for me finishing the wood. I have very little experience doing this so I dont want to mess it up . I have been playing around with my home brewed vinagar and iron solution  then heat and tried it on a scrap pc. of the forend  turned out very well I think after I just rubbed some mineral oil on it after I applied the heat to get a feel of what it will look like.   Question I have is what finish to use ? I didnt order any when I got the rest of my parts,Just wasnt thinking that far down the line then. So all I really have to pick from is whats available at the hardware or Walmart or whatever ,Stuff like BLO or the Formby's oil finish, Ive also seen Teak oil or danish oil I might be able to find Tru Oil from BC at the gun shop but didnt really look yet , So will any of these be suitable? Im not looking for something dark Id prefer to have a honey or more natural color and have the stripes provide the  darker contrast as theres alot of them. Any advice?

Thanks,Tim

[Dogshirt]

Tung oil should be fine. Just remember that it is a "hardening" oil varnish and any runs or drips will set up hard. Little bit at a time and rub in well.
Several thin coats are better than a couple heavy coats. It's one of those "Don't ask me how I know" things.

[Razor62]

I've been using Tru-Oil for years with no complaints.

[William]

I will second on Tru-oil, it does a good job and is easy to apply, plus it's available.  I will also second on the advice to go slow and apply thin coats only.  Be patient, go slow and if it ends up being too shiny you can then just knock it down to a satin finish with some 4O steel wool.  Be sure that when you are done sanding and before applying any finish that you use a tack cloth, which will remove most all of the dust and expose any areas that you may wish to further sand down.  Be sure and let each coat dry thoroughly before the next application. Tru-oil doesn't contain any pigments or dyes if I remember correctly and should enhance the dark and light grain of the walnut very nicely.  It will seem to darken the wood slightly but that is just how the light is reflecting off of it.

[Tim Ault]

Picked up a bottle of Tru Oil so I will be working on it this week. About how many coats do you all usually put on? 

[William]

The number of coats that will be needed is going to depend on a number of factors, not the least of which is your up-close and personal opinion of what it should look like.  Since you aren't going to use any stain you are basically just letting the dark tones of the walnut shine through, so it's really your choice.  I would plan on at least 3 coats, and be sure to put on each coat very lightly with adequate time in between for drying.  You might even want to sand with a very fine grit paper or steel wool in between for a satin smooth finish.  The directions will also help you a great deal, don't forget about those.

If you are getting drips and runs then you're using too much.  Also, think about how you are going to place the stock to dry between coats as you want good air flow all the way around.  Don't set it on it's side on some paper towels and not expect it to stick, just plan ahead.

[mongrel]

Thread a small eye bolt or cup hook into the hole for the rear buttplate screw, and hang the stock from whatever's handy.

Tru-oil is a fine stock finish, but as has been said, apply it in thin coats.

My first coat of tung oil on bare wood goes against all instructions as to how to apply it, but it works extremely well. I pour some of the oil into a small container (I have a bad habit of eating cake frosting, minus the cake, so I have lots of those small white plastic cans, which work very well for most finishes as well as stashing small parts when I have a gun in progress), then use a 1" chip brush to slop the stuff on and into every surface of the stock, including as far into the ramrod hole as I can get. I give it a minute or two to pool and run and also soak into the wood, then wipe the whole stock down with a piece of clean cloth. The cloth goes into the can, with the oil, for the next coats. I keep an eye on the stock to be sure that no runs escape from areas like the lock inlet, where there are a lot of corners and holes the oil can build up in and then run out of if it's not monitored.

This guarantees deep penetration of the oil into the wood. All coats afterwards are wiped on, and I don't worry about getting the oil into the deeper inlets -- the first, thick coating seals them fine and everything after that is for the portions of the stock that will be seen when the gun is assembled.

One area to be sure to coat heavily is the end grain under the buttplate. End grain soaks up finish like you wouldn't believe, and has to be sealed completely, otherwise it will act as a form of door through which moisture can both enter and exit, resulting in slight shrinkage and swelling of the wood over time. It's easy to make the mistake of figuring, hey, it's under the buttplate and won't show, but this area does need to be sealed well.

[Tim Ault]

Thanks again , the stick is a piece of Verrrrry striped maple though not walnut . I can not wait to get the finish on it and see that figure pop it's so holographic even now!   Got the sights dovetailed and installed so all I have to do now is wait till tomorrow to get the tap at work for the FH liner . Should have some pics by  next weekend .

One last thing when I apply my vinegar and iron stain would it be a good idea to neutralize it after I apply . It's not real aqua fortis(strength wise)  but I ve read some have and some don't after applying it ?

Thanks again Tim 

[William]

Oh gosh, I was thinking it was walnut for some reason!   Sorry Tim, I had a BF but the previous advice to start slow with multiple think coats still stands.

[mongrel]

I deleted my original post when I re-read and saw that Tim was fixing to use vinegar and steel wool, which when activated by heat creates a very nice and traditional stain for maple.

I had offered to send along a quantity of alcohol-based red-brown stain, sufficient for a couple of guns.

As far as neutralizing the vinegar-and-steel-wool blend, I never use aquafortis or anything similar to it, so I don't know the proper follow-up for it. That stuff (at least for me) raises the grain something awful and requires re-sanding even after a stock has been whiskered (wetted to raise the grain, then re-sanded to smooth it back down). My approach to building is to use finishes that can simply be applied with consistent results and minimal labor. I stick to alcohol-based stains or oil by itself, depending on the wood.

[mongrel]

Incidentally, my approach to sights is to cut the dovetails and verify a good, snug fit, but leave the sights off till after the barrel is finished. It's easier to apply browning solution and card off excess rust for a more even finish, without the sights in the way. Even if you're using steel sights (which most rear and some front sights are), and want them browned, they can be done separately from the barrel. I prefer the front sight in particular to not be touched by the browning or bluing, since the focus of my building is hunting rifles and the front sight in particular should stay as bright as possible to pick up any available light in a cloudy fall woods.

[Tim Ault]

Yes it did require a decent scuffing with a 000 wool pad to smooth it back down on the piece of foreend scrap I tried . But It did smooth back down well .  My mix is  diluted down to about less than a quarter  of full strength and is a nice light red color in the jar. I didn't  use steel wool just some rusty iron and some old nails and let it sit for about 2 months Or so . Full strength it's almost black in color . And a thin layer of iron actually formed floating on top of the liquid . My first experience with making it so i was real surprised at the reaction of simple vinegar . 

Thanks again , Tim

[BruceB]

This rifle is done with vinegar/steel "salad dressing" stain. Not the color I had hoped for but what the heck.  Nope no neutralizing was necessary. Just dried it with a heat gun. polished the whiskers off and used tung oil for finish.

[mongrel]

Maybe not the color you had hoped for, but very nice all the same.

[Tim Ault]

This rifle is done with vinegar/steel "salad dressing" stain. Not the color I had hoped for but what the heck.  Nope no neutralizing was necessary. Just dried it with a heat gun. polished the whiskers off and used tung oil for finish.

Did you apply it atfull strength or dilute it some more ?my diluted mix is a light red color in the jar.