Walnut Rifle Stock Surface Preparation & Finish

Hi All,

I have done a fair bit of searching on the forum but I haven't an answer, so excuse the noob question....!

I am getting close to completing a rifle stock in "X Grade" Walnut (I have no clue what that is...) I have inlet, shaped, done the action bedding etc. All good so far.

What I need clarification on is preparing the walnut for waxing. I finished shaping & smoothing with 80 grit paper, then worked through 120, 180, 320, 400 ,800 and I am about to do 1200.

Should I do the final sanding wet?

I am happy to have "open pores" as long as they are sealed (slight weather proofing) and want a satin type finish. So I was planning to apply the wax with a rag and cut it back with steel wool for 2 or 3 coats then a final 2 or 3 coats rubbed back with a cloth.

Does this sound about right?

Many Thanks

Colin

The best commercial finish I have found for gun stocks is Birchwood Casey's Truoil.
Should be able to get it at the better gunshops.
They also have a grain sealer if my memory serves me correctly .

Have use both in the past ,got a very nice finish .
I still use the Truoil for tool handles ,just bought some recently so its available.

Kev

Some ideas....for what it is worth....

I have never done a gun stock but I was told by someone that the best way finish gun stocks is to burnish it with oil through the grits (up to 1200) and after a week or so when it is throughly dry, give it a couple of coats of polyurethane if you want a truly weather proof finish (I imagine satin wipe on poly would be good)

I have used this finish on some of my stuff and it looks good.


Cheers,

Chipman:)

Woodlee,

I considered Truoil but I have seen a couple of wax finished walnut stocks recently and I really liked the results.

Chipman,

This is actually going to be a target rifle, so the waterproofing is more for airborne moisture rather than rain etc. I may put some "other" sealant on the front of the forestock and under the buttplate as it is endgrain and I imagine it would be a little more absorbent in those areas.

Thanks for the ideas, tonight I might sit down, have a beer and a good think about it!!

Colin

One of the good feature about "wax finishes" is that they are very easy to restore, a good rubbing, or another coat of wax that you buff up, and your good to go.

Waxes, work better when applied in thin applications, its easier to work.

Another thought you might consider, place the paste wax inside a piece cloth, then press the cloth down on the wood to force out the wax, work small areas and then you can easily buff it up.

Good Luck

Stick with the oiled or waxed finishes, they are well and truely water proof enough for the odd walk in the rain. If you bump your stock against a rock or a tree with hard bark polys/estapols etc scatch and look crapy very quickly especialy if you go spotlighting you get bumps and scratches. A good oiled finish doesn't scratch, you get the ocasional bruse but they seem to go after a while. Close grain is good, I have a 222 Tika with an open grain stock and it often tends to grab your whiskers or beard, hurts like hell. Shouldn't have to have a shave before you go shooting.

A funny thing happened while having a beer and a think last night. I was sitting in the shed trying to workout what finish to use when I remembered that I had bought some wax from a chap from Geelong at the Sydney Royal Show. He made butchers blocks and similar types of furniture. I used it on some small "nest of tables" I was fixing up for a relo.

So I dug out the tin, it turns out to be U Beaut Traditional Wax... Well if that isn't an omen.

So a wax finish it is.

From my original post I still have some unanswered questions, should the final sand be with 1200 grit wet? Or should I do it dry? Will this make a difference on the timber?

I will also follow the directions on the U Beaut site regarding using the Trad Wax on raw timber.

Thanks Again for the help.

I will let you know how it goes...(it'll take a couple of weeks to get time to do it right)

Colin

You can still wax over the Truoil .
The beauty with Truoil is that you can restore it easily by a light rub back with a fine wet and dry recoat with Truoil rub with fine steel wool and then re-wax.
Truoil is a mix of linseed and other stuff anyway.

Kev.

Ditto to what Woodlee posted.:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

I would have to agree too...burnish with oil first and then the wax. (the poly was only for a truly waterproof finish but as others have said, harder to repair if bumped or scratched).


Chipman:)

Your best bet is a poly finish, if the stock absorbs moisture from either the air or rain it will put your sights out, enough movement will affect even a fully floating barrel.

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Originally Posted by Rabbitz

Hi All,

I have done a fair bit of searching on the forum but I haven't an answer, so excuse the noob question....!

I am getting close to completing a rifle stock in "X Grade" Walnut (I have no clue what that is...) I have inlet, shaped, done the action bedding etc. All good so far.

What I need clarification on is preparing the walnut for waxing. I finished shaping & smoothing with 80 grit paper, then worked through 120, 180, 320, 400 ,800 and I am about to do 1200.

Should I do the final sanding wet?

I am happy to have "open pores" as long as they are sealed (slight weather proofing) and want a satin type finish. So I was planning to apply the wax with a rag and cut it back with steel wool for 2 or 3 coats then a final 2 or 3 coats rubbed back with a cloth.

Does this sound about right?

Many Thanks

Colin

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Mt Colah - I'm at Berowra Heights - small world ! - I think you're going overboard to get up into 1200 grit on a rifle stock - I've done a few in my time but probably finished with no more than 400 and then finished off with shoe polish (appropriate to the colour of the stock) - beautiful finish, waterproof and easy to maintain - only my opinion of course....:cool:

Done a few of these over the years. Me - I'm a burnished oil fan. But I do this all over the stock, including the inner bits which you don't see. I think a lot of peole forget the hidden parts, and if left untreated they are hydroscopic and will take in moisture. Even furniture etc I make I always coat the inside for this reason. It gets rid of the possibility of timber movement.

I reckon wax would be OK also. I'd probably stay away from polyurethane, as over the years I have had rifles with polyurethane stocks, one that comes to mind was a Browning 308. the poly did get damaged, and it was basically irrepairable. All the poly came off, and oil went on. Easy to fix dings & stratches, you can steam out a lot of bumps and re oil and they look like new.

Our kitchen bench had a poly finish on it, and after 12 years or so looked rotten. Two days to sand off the poly and now its oiled also, the mix for the benchtop is 1part pale boiled linseed oil, 3 parts pure turps, dash terebine.

Wipe the bench over once a week always looks new. And you can steel wool out scratches etc

There you go my 2 bob's worth

Regards

Personaly I would dry sand and would go to 1200, then you will produce a realy nice deep luster if using wax, I have made and finished about ten rifle stocks over the years

Bob McCarthy of Hornsby RSL Rifle Club? Whatever happened to that blonde .303 No.4 that you had?