I looked at my M1 30 Carbine "I" cut stock today. The wood is appearing to dry out. I thought about rubbing Boiled Linseed Oil into the stock with hopes of giving the stock a little conditioning. I dont want to alter the original finish by sanding the stock, just condition it. I have read that just plain BLO will never dry and make a sticky mess. It has no drying agent to it. I read to mix it it 50/50 with turpentine. What should I do. I am fine with just BLO and wipe off the excess if it will dry correctly. If I wipe off the excess will it dry fully after I put two or three coats on? Remember I dont want to alter the original look of my stock.
Need Advice on M1 30 Carbine refinish
- Thread starter michael m
- Start date
Your info isn't quite right. People do cut it, mix it, etc. I never have
BLO dries. It is a good choice for your stock. Here's some examples that I have personally done with BLO. And they are all dry, no shots of anything wet, tacky, or sticky. All USGI stocks:
Cleaned this one with odorless mineral spirits, it was quite dirty. It was parchment white and ivory afterwards, and it bummed me out a bit; it is my Pop's. This is after only one coat of BLO dried; I put on a few more
This one was already nice, but I gave it another coat for kicks. This one's mine
Not wet- honest. Just a lot of rubbing and a lot of coats of BLO. This is mine. I went whole hog on this one- wood had some splinters so I did sand it lightly in some spots and carefully worked it in others, then oiled oiled oiled and rubbed. 20 coats? 30? I forget.
I've done two other stocks, an M1 rifle and M1 carbine. They also came out with excellent results
The trick, in my opinion, is to let a coat dry a day, two days, three days if you have to. Be patient
BLO dries. It is a good choice for your stock. Here's some examples that I have personally done with BLO. And they are all dry, no shots of anything wet, tacky, or sticky. All USGI stocks:
Cleaned this one with odorless mineral spirits, it was quite dirty. It was parchment white and ivory afterwards, and it bummed me out a bit; it is my Pop's. This is after only one coat of BLO dried; I put on a few more
This one was already nice, but I gave it another coat for kicks. This one's mine
Not wet- honest. Just a lot of rubbing and a lot of coats of BLO. This is mine. I went whole hog on this one- wood had some splinters so I did sand it lightly in some spots and carefully worked it in others, then oiled oiled oiled and rubbed. 20 coats? 30? I forget.
I've done two other stocks, an M1 rifle and M1 carbine. They also came out with excellent results
The trick, in my opinion, is to let a coat dry a day, two days, three days if you have to. Be patient
Chris B those are beautiful rifles. So will the BLO soak into the wood even after the original USGI finish? I know I have to let the first coat dry a day or two. After I apply additional coats will this condition my wood and not be so dry? I have read to wipe the excess off after a day. Then apply more is this correct? I am afraid the stock will crack because of drying, and the "I" cut stock for a National Postal Meter is hard to find.
You cannot use linseed when another film finish is already present.
If that original finish is shot, use acetone, MEK, or methanol to dissolve and remove it, not heavy stripper. use nothing but heavy steel wool. Once you have bare wood, then, you can use penetrating oil. do not let the oil dry as a film.
If that original finish is shot, use acetone, MEK, or methanol to dissolve and remove it, not heavy stripper. use nothing but heavy steel wool. Once you have bare wood, then, you can use penetrating oil. do not let the oil dry as a film.
madcratebuilder
New member
I use a 50/50 mix of blo and turpentine with 0000 steel wool to clean the surface, this removes the dirt and grease. I wipe it dry and allow it to air dry for 24hrs. Then I rub in a heavy coat of blo, let it stand for about 20-30 minutes, then wipe dry with a clean cotton towel. Allow it to air dry for 24hrs and you are dry to the touch. You can repeat this as often as you need to get the desired finish.
After the blo has dried for a few weeks I follow up with three coats of Tom's Gunstock Wax. Tom's is a 1/3 mix of blo, turpentine and bee's wax with a little Texas dust added as a binder
There are several methods for applying the blo, the important part is to wipe the stock down after application. If you leave standing blo on the surface it well not dry and be a sticky mess for a long, long time.
After the blo has dried for a few weeks I follow up with three coats of Tom's Gunstock Wax. Tom's is a 1/3 mix of blo, turpentine and bee's wax with a little Texas dust added as a binder
There are several methods for applying the blo, the important part is to wipe the stock down after application. If you leave standing blo on the surface it well not dry and be a sticky mess for a long, long time.
Original GI finish
If the stock hasn't been refinished with anything else over the years, then boiled linseed oil is the way to go, as the GI finish was exactly that.
As the man says, rub on a light coat, let it dry, then rub on another, let it dry, and keep on rubbing it in, letting it dry between coats and buffing with cheesecloth when you have reached saturation.
If the stock hasn't been refinished with anything else over the years, then boiled linseed oil is the way to go, as the GI finish was exactly that.
As the man says, rub on a light coat, let it dry, then rub on another, let it dry, and keep on rubbing it in, letting it dry between coats and buffing with cheesecloth when you have reached saturation.
Wipe it down with mineral spirits on a clean rag to get the top layer of grime off the wood. Don't be afraid to rub it......
-This will not damage the wood or finish.
Be sure to let the Mineral spirits evaporate and dry thoroughly before applying the BLO, I don't cut it when I do it, others do with success. Rub the BLO on with your fingers and let it sit for 1/2 hour. After the 1/2 hour wipe down the stock. Let it sit over night then rub it out with a clean dry rag the next day.
Three coats of BLO done this way will make it look new.
-This will not damage the wood or finish.
Be sure to let the Mineral spirits evaporate and dry thoroughly before applying the BLO, I don't cut it when I do it, others do with success. Rub the BLO on with your fingers and let it sit for 1/2 hour. After the 1/2 hour wipe down the stock. Let it sit over night then rub it out with a clean dry rag the next day.
Three coats of BLO done this way will make it look new.
I explicitly said Mineral Spirits and no it will not ruin anything. I've done it many times.
Here is a great link where I learned a lot. There are guys on this site that really know their stuff and can handle just about any kind of stock.
Look for Cabinetman
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Some pretty good advice here
regarding markings on the wood, they are generally called cartouches- symbols or initials stamped into the wood
Some things will hurt them. Mineral spirits won't. Acetone is a thing you don't really want in contact with your skin and I wouldn;t use it on wood anyway- why bother. I've used denatured alcohol but it wasn't as effective as mineral spirits. MEK- double yikes. Keep MEK away from me- look at the MSDS sometime
If a stock is so dry that it is worrisome that the wood needs to be 'conditioned', then oiling it, to my mind, is not much of a risk at all, and after all, this type of finish was what many rifles had originally
One thing that oiling won't do is repair the wood. You'll read about how some people put stocks in the dishwasher. I caution against that. Firstly, heat and moisture are what is traditionally used to warp or bend wood on purpose. Heat and moisture can also damage cartouches. Lastly, this type of treatment can harm the natural binders in wood, and nothing under heaven can repair that. Sure, I will hear a dozen guys say "nothing bad happened to mine after I used the dishwasher!". Glad to hear it. Nothing happened to mine either- except I never ran the risk you did
Heat and moisture can, if applied carefully and locally, raise out dents that you want to remove, but just like a dent (because they really are just organized dents), it will also raise cartouches, and if you're not really careful, it can also lighten the wood locally, too. I've had great success with a hand held steam iron and a damp facecloth, but I'm very careful and I do a tiny bit at a time. It's not hard to get too aggressive.
regarding markings on the wood, they are generally called cartouches- symbols or initials stamped into the wood
Some things will hurt them. Mineral spirits won't. Acetone is a thing you don't really want in contact with your skin and I wouldn;t use it on wood anyway- why bother. I've used denatured alcohol but it wasn't as effective as mineral spirits. MEK- double yikes. Keep MEK away from me- look at the MSDS sometime
If a stock is so dry that it is worrisome that the wood needs to be 'conditioned', then oiling it, to my mind, is not much of a risk at all, and after all, this type of finish was what many rifles had originally
One thing that oiling won't do is repair the wood. You'll read about how some people put stocks in the dishwasher. I caution against that. Firstly, heat and moisture are what is traditionally used to warp or bend wood on purpose. Heat and moisture can also damage cartouches. Lastly, this type of treatment can harm the natural binders in wood, and nothing under heaven can repair that. Sure, I will hear a dozen guys say "nothing bad happened to mine after I used the dishwasher!". Glad to hear it. Nothing happened to mine either- except I never ran the risk you did
Heat and moisture can, if applied carefully and locally, raise out dents that you want to remove, but just like a dent (because they really are just organized dents), it will also raise cartouches, and if you're not really careful, it can also lighten the wood locally, too. I've had great success with a hand held steam iron and a damp facecloth, but I'm very careful and I do a tiny bit at a time. It's not hard to get too aggressive.
Here is my IBM Carbine and my Winchester Garand for your reference. Both were a lot dirtier and dried out before I started this process. The Carbine was nearly totally black around the grip before I cleaned it with Mineral spirits. I mean "really" black from handling. You'll be surprised how much black oil and dirt comes off when rubbing with the mineral spirits.
jimmythegeek
New member
HK - drooling here
You did a fantastic job. Really treated them right.
You did a fantastic job. Really treated them right.
Thanks very much, you are far too kind.
I really owe "Cabinetman" from the site I posted above a sincere debt of gratitude for sharing his extensive knowledge with me. I certainly would have messed them up if I hadn't sought his expert advice.
OP, post back some before and after shots when you are done. I'm very interested in how your carbine turns out.