| Building a Muzzleloader - Finishing the Stock | |
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I'll tell much of the story with photographs, so each page may be a bit slow to load. Click on any photo for a larger image.
When it comes to working with wood gun stocks, the best of the best, for me, has always been finishing. All of the stripping (for refinish work), sanding, and rubbing start to pay off with the application of a good oil finish. This is when even the plainest wood shows a bit of hidden beauty, and on nicely figured wood, it can be a real treat.
The first stock I ever refinished was on my Ruger .44 Magnum carbine (old model), and I used LinSpeed Oil. That was a mistake -- it never hardened, and stayed a bit tacky thereafter. When I stripped it again and applied Birchwood-Casey Tru-Oil, the world once again began to make sense.
All that to say, Tru-Oil is where it's at when it comes to gun stock finish. So, when I found it in a spray can, I had to pick one up. And when it came time to finish this stock, it was only natural that I'd try the spray can, rather than hand-rubbing it, as I've done in the past.
Here's
the can of finish I used for this stock.
(No larger image.)
After staining the stock, all I had to do was rub it lightly with medium steel wool, hang it up, and spray it down. The biggest risk with any spray finish is applying too much and getting runs, so I had to be careful. Not to worry -- in the four coats I gave this stock, I only had one small run, which was easily worked out with steel wool after thoroughly drying and before the next coat.
This shows the stock hanging from a tree in my yard, immediately after I applied the first coat.
The spray can is infinitely easier than the hand-rubbing method, though I still have a fondness for working the stuff in with my fingers. Simply hang it somewhere in the open, spray it carefully and thoroughly, hang it somewhere safe to dry, and get away from it. After allowing it to dry thoroughly (minimum of 90 to 120 minutes, although in the Florida humidity it took considerably longer), go over it lightly with steel wool again, remove all dust with a clean cloth, and recoat.
Left side of stock after four coats...
...And the right side.
The four coats I gave this stock aren't really enough in my opinion, though they provided a fairly good finish. I'd be happier with at least another four coats, and I imagine it won't be long before I once again remove the hardware, degrease and steel wool it, and whip out the Tru-Oil.
Next Page - The Tools I Used
- Russ Chastain
