which oil finish is best

[JL]

What is the best oil finish. I've heard of true oil, tung oil, linseed oil, and even
old english furniture polish. I was just wondering which is the best and what
is the best way to apply.

[aack73]

i guess this is  mostly opinionated, but i would say a hand rubbed finish with either the more popular true oil or royal london oil. here is a link to the royal london oil with nice directions. i have used this on several of my stocks for pellet guns and pb rifles with good success. sanding is the key. dont skimp out no matter what you decide to use.

http://www.airrifleheadquarters.com/catalog/item/251486/42975.htm

[sleepy]

I get very nice results with "Watco" oil. I apply it with a little piece of folded clean cloth. I used my bare fingers sometimes too. Both worked very well. I just followed the can directions. Keep putting on as many coats as you like. Until you think it just feels right.
Let it dry of coarse, between coats. I lightly use a very fine steel wool between coats. This may not be a fancy traditional gunstock finish, but I just like it.

[stathisk]

ive oil finished more than 15 shotguns , tru oil is not an oil finish is a varnish, the best i used is purified  linseed oil, you can find it in art painting supplies,
the key to a good oil finish is not the oil, is the preparation of the wood when fine sanding, to remove the old varnish use paint remover, and then pressure wash it or dip the stock in paint thinner for 30 minutes this also removes the factory coloring from the wood

[airguner]

true oil
god bless

[eicodle]

x2 for the Watco Danish Oil. 

Prep the wood well down to 320 grit or better.

The first couple of applications you can wet sand it with 320 grit to help fill open pores with oil/wood-dust slurry.  Wait about 20 minutes and then wipe against the grain with a smooth cotton cloth to try to keep as much of the slurry in the pores as possible.   Takes about a day between applications to cure, warmer environments are better.   When you've finished the wet sanding stage and it has cured, lightly sand to remove any of the cured slurry on the surface. 

Then as many applications of oil as you please, scuffing the surface with 000 steel wool between applications.  Wipe it on, wait 20 minutes, and wipe it off.  In a day or so it will cure and you can repeat.

The result is a surprisingly durable finish, much deeper into the wood than a varnish.  Glassy smooth but not so shiny though, if you're going for gloss you'd better go the varnish route.

The Danish oil has additional dryers and is thinner than, say, boiled linseed oil.  I wouldn't used it bare handed as the dryers are things like cobalt and other metals that aren't particularly good for you.

[Plekto]

The problem with oil is that if it has solvents or chemicals or citrus in it (Pledge or similar) it will leave nasty gummy residue when you add the oil on your hands to it/start using it. (perspiration and most "oil"s don't mix well over time) This is the same issue that you see with guitars.(fret boards and necks especially)

1 - clean your DNA off with Simple Green if natural wood or a tiny bit of lighter fluid (few drops) on a rag if it's got gunk on it and it's a lacquer type finish.
2 - apply linseed oil to it.  It will make the wood slightly darker over time.  A few drops is enough for the whole thing.  If the surface is rough, sand it down a bit - but not enough to take of the finish.  800 grit wet/dry is optimal, though for rougher stocks that need a proper re-finishing, you might have to use 320 or 400 grit first. 
3 - rub or buff it.  Taking the stock off of the action is very helpful.    It might take multiple coats.

The stuff is safe to use without gloves to use but as eicodle mentioned, linseed oil is much thicker and takes a fair amount of buffing and elbow grease.  I prefer the less toxic route myself as I'll be touching the stock with my bare hands.  But hand-rubbing a finish is good for you - and your muscles

[stathisk]

guys try this you will love it  purified  linseed oil, you can find it in art painting supplies

[eicodle]

Linseed oil or flax oil is a major component of most of oil finishes, even most "tung" oils out there.  You could probably eat the purified version, I know of some people who take flax oil as a supplement.  It is a drying oil and will dry quite slowly, though the closest I've used is boiled linseed oil which generally has dryers added to speed things up.  BLO is quite slow compared to Danish oil, which has more dryers still and naptha and such to thin the mix and improve penetration.

It doesn't take long to tell if a finish has linseed oil in it.  You can smell it, and boy does it smell nice!

How long are some of you waiting for a coat of raw linseed oil to dry? And in what kind of ambient temperature?

[stathisk]

it takes around a day in 20 degrees C, the purified it has the consistency of frying oil so you can ad 2-3 layers a day it also penetrates deeper in the grains of the wood

[ZipSnipe]

danish oil thinned out with mineral spirits. My new favorite finish. As someone else said too , its all about the prep, tons of sanding and then 10 coats of finish

[eicodle]

it takes around a day in 20 degrees C, the purified it has the consistency of frying oil so you can ad 2-3 layers a day it also penetrates deeper in the grains of the wood

Are you waiting for the previous coat to cure before applying the next one?  I tried adding layer after layer of straight BLO on some mahogany once and it took over a month for the whole sticky mess to dry.  Turned out nice though!

I'll have to check out the friendly neighborhood art shop to see what they might have.  Maybe get some high-grade purified linseed oil and gum spirits.

-Eric

[stathisk]

the oil is absorbed by the wood you keep applying oil , you will know when to stop when it takes a day to absorb one coat of oil. after wipe it of and leave it for a a day. you will know when its cured, if you touch the wood and oil comes out, wipe the wood with a towel and leave it usually it takes 2-3 days to cure,
The first coats are really heavy then you thin them out,

[jct842]

I like watco.  I even put a new finish on a oak toilet seat and let me tell you that when you sit you can tell the difference!   john

[Camoclysm]

Boiled linseed oil is best for oil says many pro stock refinishers. Takes forever to recoat though (about a day).  But well worth it if you're choosing oil over laquer or poly or varnish or enamel or whatever. No need to go past 500 grit.  Do 10-20 coats and call it good.  I may do a stock with oil but I like poly for now.

[Camoclysm]

... And mixed about 50/50 at first with turpentine. The outer layers will want more boiled linseed oil than turpentine.

[eicodle]

I can't get over how tough these oil finishes are.  I had a mahogany piece that had cured for about a week after nearly 30 coats of Watco danish oil applied over several months.  I basically kept recoating until it started getting worse instead of better.  So after all that time you can imagine how I felt when it fell over onto some rough steel grating.  I was sure it had to be damaged, but I couldn't even see where it had contacted the dirty grating.

And even if it had left a mark, you can rub it out with 000 steel wool and buff with a soft cotton cloth to remove all trace.  Oil is definitely the right choice for field use items like gun stocks for toughness and ease of maintenance.

Probably preaching to the choir here!

-Eric

[rsterne]

I use the Watco Danish Oil, but I wet sand it during application.... sand with 180 grit before starting and make sure the wood is clean and dry....

First coat, keep it wet for 2 hours, basting with more oil, letting it soak in.... then wipe dry every 20 min. until no more oil seeps out of the pores in the wood.... Allow to dry 48 hours....

Second and third coats, keep it wet with oil for an hour, then wet sand with 220 grit wet-or-dry paper, wipe off the oil and sludge across the grain to allow the wood dust to fill the pores.... then wipe dry every 20 min. until no more oil seeps out of the pores in the wood.... Allow to dry 24 hours....

4th & 5th coats, keep it wet for 30 min, then wet sand with 400 grit, wipe off the oil and sludge across the grain to allow the wood dust to fill the pores.... then wipe dry every 20 min. until no more oil seeps out of the pores in the wood.... Allow to dry 24 hours....

6th & 7th coats, repeat the above with 600 grit.... You can use a final coat of MinWax if you want a bit more gloss.... Takes a week, but worth it !!!

Bob