Lin Speed Oil

[Dean Romig]

My first deer rifle, a 1941 Winchester 94 given to me in 1961 by my Dad, came with a cleaning kit, two boxes of .30 -.30 Silvertip bullets and a bottle of Lin-Speed Oil. Dad told me to dip my fingertips in the oil and dab just a few drops on the stock and rub and rub until I couldn't bear the heat on the palm of my hand any more. I brought this stock to a wonderful shiny lustre with about all the pores filled. It has seen just about any kind of weather you can think of and the finish took a beating and I redid the stock again sometime in the mid-seventies but without the zeal of a budding new deer hunter. This is what it looks like today with nothing having been done to it since that time in the seventies. I find Lin-Speed and TruOil to be about the same in all respects.

[Austin W Hogan]

Roger; I use french polish on guns that have some finish remaining; I scrape the bare spots and clean the rest, then apply new french polish. I have done some stocks that had no finish with french polish; it is good in every aspect except that it does wear thin in a season of skeet, trap or 5 stand. It is quickly repairable at the end of the season. Probably 95% of all Parkers and 99% of high grade guns were finished with french polish, although oil, varnish and no finish were options. French polish was especially suited to Parker production because it can be applied in a dusty environment, can be brought to final finish in one day, and can be easily applied around the intricate carving and checking patterns of guns B grade and higher.

I have some fine furniture my great grandfather made 1865 - 1895 that is varnished and finished with oil and pumice. I had to refinish some of the table surfaces and learned to match his finishes. I apply three coats of Man O War; the first is leveled with 220 grit, the second with 320, and the third with 400 grit. A thin fourth coat is applied and leveled with 600 grit, then the final finish is achieved with fine pumice followed by rottenstone. This requires an hour a day for a week, but the result is worth it. The final finish is as tough as nickel plate, and the appearance is unmistakable.

Best, Austin