wood oils or finish

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Joe Graziano

Unfortunately, I tried the Big 45 pad on my LC Smith with Hoppes. It removed the minor surface rust, and a swath of blue. What a shame. Those armor steel barrels will need to go out for reblue.

Joe, that has never been my experience with Frontier pads on any of my barrels.
Dare I say your barrels may have been improperly re-blued sometime in the past?
I don't want to appear insulting but they advertise the Frontier pads as safe for blued steel and case colored steel. I can't imagine what went wrong.






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[TxHuntermn]

[QUOTE=Dean Romig;234368]Joe, that has never been my experience with Frontier pads on any of my barrels.
Dare I say your barrels may have been improperly re-blued sometime in the past?
I don't want to appear insulting but they advertise the Frontier pads as safe for blued steel and case colored steel. I can't imagine what went wrong.

I agree with Dean, I have been using them on his recomendation. I will say, if the surface has what i call bottle or cold blue, the pads will take it right off!,, THANK GOD!!

[Dean Romig]

For those who might doubt... read the small red print.


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[Campchair]

Originally Posted by Paul Harm

Try a pad wet with water and a iron on high. Lay the pad over the gouge and apply the iron to it. Keep it moving back and forth. When the steam after a couple of seconds quits coming off it, move the pad to a wet spot and redo. If wood is missing this won't work, but a dent will usually rise. You may have to do it a number of times, maybe 20 or 30, but don't be in a hurry. Brownells sells a little triangularly one with a handle but I just use a old iron I bought for $2 at a garage sale. I've raised many a dent with it and a old white sock with a cup of water.

I’m not sure if the WEN type soldering guns are even sold these days, but I have one I got back in the 1970’s. It was in a plastic suitcase- like box with several accessories. One of these is a tip ending in a small steel square about 1/2”x1/2”. I’ve found it is the best heat source for dent removal I’ve ever used. I take a piece of un- dyed cotton and a small saucer of water. Fold the cloth till it forms a pad 8-10 layers thick. Lay the pad over the spot, then go over it in an ironing-type motion. When it dries out, re-wet it. Been using it for several years and I’ve raised some pretty deep dents.

[Tom Flanigan]

With respect to the negative comments about Tru Oil, I have used it successfully for years to refinish stocks and also to refresh old finishes. I suspect that the negative comments may be because of the way it is used or the fact that it has to be thinned occasionally.

On refinished stocks, I wet sand the wood with Tung oil and then use my fingers to work the mud into the pores against the grain. I repeat the process, letting the mud dry fully, until all the pores are filled.

Then I rub a small amount of Tru Oil into the stock and wipe it down with an old clean T shirt. This leaves a very small amount of True Oil with each iteration. I re-do the process until I get the depth I am looking for.

I’ve never had a problem with Tru Oil. If used properly, it works well……in my opinion.

[Robert Brooks]

I have done stocks in the 60s with Tru-Oil and they still look great. Bobby

[King Cobb]

I refinished a VH with Truoil about 6 or 7 years ago. Still looks great. You can find the discussion on here somewhere where Brian Dudley and others were giving me suggestions and info on the process. Also had some good succes with laurel mountain forge. Especially the sealer finish.

[Campchair]

Originally Posted by Bill Holcombe

I refinished a VH with Truoil about 6 or 7 years ago. Still looks great. You can find the discussion on here somewhere where Brian Dudley and others were giving me suggestions and info on the process. Also had some good succes with laurel mountain forge. Especially the sealer finish.

This might not be the "right" place for this posting, but since it is discussing stock finishes, I believe everyone that does any gunstock finishing or refinishing should get a copy of "Understanding Wood Finishing: How to Select and Apply the Right Finish (Fox Chapel Publishing) Practical & Comprehensive with 300+ Color Photos and 40+ Reference Tables & Troubleshooting Guides" Pretty long title, but it is a pretty impressive book. Although it is aimed primarily at the furniture builder, all the usual firearms finishes are covered as well (The author even covers TruOil) He enlisted the help of coatings chemists to de-mystify wood finishes. The author takes each type of finish for wood that exists, notes what each of the manufacturers call each type, and then shows what happens chemically as it is applied and dries or cures. He starts at raw linseed oil and finishes with the latest polymer finishes. He answers most of the questions I have had in 30 years of finishing and refinishing gunstocks. He SHOWS how to properly "cut" shellac, do French Polishing, and has hints on application pads you can make, methods of application, etc. Now, I have no connection with the author, publisher, or any booksellers, but I have found it is a valuable tool for any wood finishing project. His discussion of what was available popular for all wood finishing in the 1800- early 1900's might be particularly interesting to those with restoration projects.