oiling stocks?

T

troy_mclure

New member
I've got my gramps 336, my dad says he remembers him oiling it every year after hunting season.

my dad has had it since 99 and has never oiled it.

so whats the best way to oil the stock?
 
Depends on the condition of the wood. You could use Linseed oil, Tung oil, or Teak oil to seal the stock if you're getting surface cracks. Use Lemon oil or furniture polish to clean the wood and give it some shine. You don't need to oil the stock though; wood gets dried out and cracked from low humidity, not lack of oil. Too much of the wrong oil can soak into the wood and soften it.

How does it look?

I would use Eezox, Break-Free CLP, or Corrosion-X for the metal.
 
What that means for me, and what I do on my old U.S. milsurps is a yearly, or more often if the notion grabs me, is a simple can of tung oil. Read the label on some of those- some are called tung oil, but actually have little if any tung oil in them. With oil in hand, I like a cloth diaper-type rag and rub in like kiwi on boot leather. It'll be tacky until cured. But even in West Tx- I just sleep better at night knowing the wood is sealed and kinda weather-proofed. I don't think there is a need to soak the wood- it's just kinda like a preservative/preventive measure that keeps the old gals looking sharp.

There are a ton of different ideas, components, and options for oiling the wood. And I'm guessing some very good suggestions will be posted here as usual. Pick the one you're most comfortable with and that makes the most sense to you and give it a whirl.
 
Do the dark patches bother you? The wood is probably oil soaked from using the wrong oil. Or, it could be dirt/grease covered with dried oil.

I would clean it with something like Murphy's Oil soap first and let it dry. You might need to use acetone to get the dark spots out if it's oil-soaked.
 
cool, cleaned it with Murphy's(had it on hand) and drying it now. the dark patches are much lighter.


cant find tung oil locally, how about linseed oil?
 
cool, cleaned it with Murphy's(had it on hand) and drying it now. the dark patches are much lighter.
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Try a wipe down with paint thinner.

It will not damage any finish and can remove greasy grime.

Boiled linseed oil is OK, but it tends to take a long time to dry and slowly turns black.
 
When using linseed oil, use only a few (5-6) drops of oil at one aplication. Rub the oil well into the stock, you don't want it wet, just a very thin film on the surface of the stock. Set it in the corner for a week and then give it another coat, you building up several thin coats on the surface.

Many of the older gunsmithing books have sections on how to apply and maintain a oil finish.
 
I saw a really nice Savage 99 @ Cabelas last weekend. The forestock was nice-natural finish. Id probably Tru-oil it.
The butt stock was heavy and discolored with bore oil that ran down the barrel, thru the action and into the stock for 40++ years. As far as my opinion-he oil ruined the rifle. I suppose the same thing could happen with stock oilings..
 
Boiled linseed oil is OK, but it tends to take a long time to dry and slowly turns black.
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Got it backwards. the boiled linseed oil is treated and dries quicker. The raw takes longer to dry and I prefer it but either will do and both will darken over time.
 
Old Grump said:
brickeyee said:
Boiled linseed oil is OK, but it tends to take a long time to dry and slowly turns black.
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Got it backwards. the boiled linseed oil is treated and dries quicker. The raw takes longer to dry and I prefer it but either will do and both will darken over time.
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Boiled linseed oil... slow to dry.

Raw linseed oil... really, really slow to dry.

And just for the record, boiled linseed oil isn't boiled any more -- it has heavy metals added to speed the drying time. So it's fine to use on rifle stocks and furniture, but don't use it on salad bowls, or anything else that comes into contact with food.

To renew a shabby, dry-looking oil finish, sand lightly, clean off with mineral spirits, saturate the wood with oil, and wipe it off very thoroughly -- don't leave the surface wet. Let dry completely (for boiled linseed oil, a week is good). Wipe down with oil again, wipe off, let dry... repeat until you're happy with the surface.

To maintain an oil finish, wipe the surface with just a few drops of oil, wipe it off, let it dry. Unless it's getting a lot of use or exposure to weather, once a year is plenty for a surface that's basically in good shape.
 
Boiled linseed oil... slow to dry.

Raw linseed oil... really, really slow to dry.
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This.

And the drying time (really curing time) is one of the causes of the black showing up.

ANY dirt present gets embedded into the finish until it finishes curing by slow oxidation.

The BLO finish method was daily for a week, weekly for a month, monthly for a year, yearly after that.

Even old varnishes give a better finish.
 
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