Stock finish

[Tom A Hawk]

Stock finish
                Hoping for some more help, almost done with my smooth bore. Problem I have, if it is a problem is using boiled linseed oil. I now have about twenty coats of hand rubbed oil on the stock it looks good for a few days (nice satin finish) then it goes completely flat. Question is how can I have it stay satin gloss for more than a few days. I like the looks of it but would like it to last a bit more than a few days Thanks again to every one who helped me through this build.

                                                                                       Tom

[Captchee]

if you have that many coats , then chances are your not dry  enough . let her dry .
 then buff it out to a high gloss . then  bring that gloss back down to  the level you want .
you cannot rush linseed . its not a hard finish to begin with . so as you wooo and ahh over it , just running your hands along it  can dull it right up

[pathfinder]

Ageed Charles. I too feel that it's not TOTALLY dry before the next coats go on. It may take a couple of day's to dry depending on weather and humidity.

Are you rubbing fairly briskly to help generate a little heat and drive the oil a little deeper into the wood,then wiping it down with a clean soft cloth,letting it dry a day or two then repeating?

[Tom A Hawk]

Captchee and Pathfinder,
           I only let it set over nite before applying another coat although it did generate some heat by rubbing. What I did not do is wait long enough for it to dry between coats and never rubbed it with a soft cloth. Looks like another problem solved.  Thank you again.

                                                    tom

[Capt. Jas.]

It needs sunlight

[pathfinder]

Sunlight helps,but not absolutly neccasary. Never had sunlight in my re-finishing shop Heat from rubbing should be suficient. youay want to use a hair dryer for a bit,and if oil "bubbles up",wipe it down,let it set a day or two,hit her with the hair dryer again,and if no oil comes out,rub with a cloth rather vigorously,let it set again,and if ya think it need's more, VERY SPARIGLY add more oil with your finger tip,making sure you rub her good and wipe her down after,check the next day,and if good,wax her up and enjoy!

[Captchee]

Sun light will help speed things up . But as pathfinder said , its not totally necessary .
 What is necessary is warmth .  .
 Linseed never completely dries  so it can be fickle to work with .
  I often let a coat cure only over night ..  But that’s over a flood coat that’s dried for a good 24-48 hours . And if im between sanding coats
Also  I  normally only put on 5-7 coats of oil . Letting everything dry  for a good 72 hours  after the last coat .
With 20 coat , you have a thick base of oil . So as I said . I would let it dry . Not just to the touch , BUT dry  for at least 72 hours . Then buff it

[Capt. Jas.]

No not needed but the UV will help speed the polymerizing process. Good airflow is a big help as well to shoot the oxygen to it. I always run a few soaking coats cut with a good turpentine initially.
What kind of linseed are you using?

[Feltwad]

Too much oil does not hurry the job ,use very little a few drops is ample  , leave for a couple of days then burlap  the stock ,repeat  these operations .Always remember a good oil finish does not come overnight it can take several months or even a year to get the gloss required .
Feltwad
A Flint Lock will not secure a chicken house door

[pathfinder]

My first 2 coats are thinned flood coats,then after that I just dip a finger tip in the oil and apply.

With 20 coats,I think it's gonna take a while for this puppy to cure!

[Tom A Hawk]

Thanks again guys I belive I should be ok now. Another thing I am going to do is make a new ram rod out of osage orange it has no knots in it also straight grain. I have made a few bows from osage so it should be plenty strong. also it has a nice brown color to it as it ages almost black in time.



tom