Brian,

I think it was you or maybe another member who is of the opinion that most original Parkers are shellac finished. Is shellac the proper finish?

What is your take on the outdoor wear & weather resistance of shellac? I've thought of using it but have been apprehensive not knowing how shellac holds up in wet weather conditions.

You're input will be appreciated.

By the way: The finished gun you pictured is beautiful!!

Shellac was a traditional wood finish for a very long time and well past the turn of the century. And it is my belief that a great many of our American doubles were finished with it.

The introduction of lacquers and then polyurethanes took its place. And along with that came the negative publicity of shellac being inferior to these other finishes and having poor moisture resistence.

Sound a lot like what happened to Damascus barrels after the widespread use of fluid steel???

I have done testing of the effects of water on shellac finishes and have found no ill effects from it. I am not saying that moisture in extreme cases will not have an effect on a shellac finish or on a finish that has a lot of thinning and wear or of the moisture is allowed to get under it. And other finishes can also be effected by moisture as well.

Yes, there are many types of more modern finishes that may be superior in ways to shellac. But we are talking about this more from a standpoint of what was and wasnt used originally. Not what is better that others in certain situations or modern day applications.

Thanks to everyone for the lessons on stock finish and color. Puglisi guns have always looked to me as if they been a little bit more than cleaned up. Have never seen a gun that looked well used listed by him. Am not saying they are not nice.

Parker Finish
 

I've purchased my stock refinishing supplies from Brain Board (417)-448-4892 and his Parker mixture seems to match the original colors better then anything I've seen. Just an opinion.

I use timberluxe for jobs that call for it as well. It also does a good job of adding the right color to the wood.
This W&C scott was done with it. Sorry, lighting is not the best.

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Brian,

Thank you for the information!

Does he have a website address?

TIMBERLUXE

I've used Timberluxe in the past. I was unaware Brian offered a Parker mixture. Do you have to call him & make a special order for the Parker mixture?

You can check with him and ask. I dont think he offers anything specific for Parkers.

If you find out differently, please let us know.