What would you treat a new raw wood stock with?

F

FunGramps

New member
I'm expecting to receive a new Zastava M70 AK47 in a few weeks. It has the dark stained finish, but I've heard they have nothing else applied to the wood, and it's still porous.

Any suggestions on how what I should apply to the wood? I'm thinking maybe beeswax? I don't want a varnish-type surface that can peel or crack.

Thanks.

zastava.jpg
 
I'm no expert. It might matter what the factory already put on it. I don't know what they come with.
Its not unusual for a military grade wood stock to be finished with linseed or tung oil. If thats what it looks like ,thats probably what it is.
If its started as an oil finish,you may have a compatability issue if you try? a urethane,for example.Linseed might be traditional. Its not really great stuff. It will do. Tung ,IMO,is a little better. You might be able to use LinSpeed or True-Oil ... Watco makes a marine grade tung sort of a Danish oil.

Here is the thing to know. Don't paint on a coat. You don't want to build it up on top of the wood. You'll get a gummy mess.
You apply a few drops and rub it into the wood.Rub it till it gets warm.It can have a soft shine but no wet coat.Then give it a couple of weeks at least. Then you can give it a few more drops.

Realize you get caught obsessively rubbing your gun all the time people are going to talk about you. Have fun.
 
I've gotten excellent results using pure Tung oil.

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I'd contact the manufacturer and ask whether they actually ship them unfinished or, if not, what they used. I find it hard to believe they wouldn't have any finish other than stain but perhaps that's a "feature"..

If they truly are unfinished, I'd apply a water-based polyurethane applied in multiple VERY light coats using a rag.
 
tru-oil gun stock finish
https://www.amazon.com/Westlake-Market-Birchwood-Casey-Disposable/dp/B07MTK6H9F/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=34QHGXNV3KNNF&dchild=1&keywords=tru-oil&qid=1635608288&sprefix=tru-%2Caps%2C213&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A2ELSKIX3ODGB3&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzMlQ5NEpDVU5PR1pJJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjQ4MzcxM0RMNFJVWEhDMFZVSSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjg3ODA5MllYWUQ3TzdHQUtZTyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

If you decide on boiled linseed, its good stuff. However most of the stuff you get in the store is chemically altered to dry faster rather than boiled. Also boiled linseed has the bad tendency to heat up and set rags on fire while drying so use caution. you cant get real actual boiled linseed oil here, but its a touch spendy https://www.solventfreepaint.com/cleaned_linseed_oil.htm

I have used a mix of 1 part each boiled linseed oil, turpentine, and pine tar for axe and tool handles. soaks in nicely, seals well, adds a small ammount of grip to the handles. smelly strong going on, about like pine-sol, but mutes a good bit after it dries.
 
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HiBC said:
I'm no expert. It might matter what the factory already put on it. I don't know what they come with.
Its not unusual for a military grade wood stock to be finished with linseed or tung oil. If thats what it looks like ,thats probably what it is.
If its started as an oil finish,you may have a compatability issue if you try? a urethane,for example.Linseed might be traditional. Its not really great stuff. It will do. Tung ,IMO,is a little better. You might be able to use LinSpeed or True-Oil ... Watco makes a marine grade tung sort of a Danish oil.

Here is the thing to know. Don't paint on a coat. You don't want to build it up on top of the wood. You'll get a gummy mess.
You apply a few drops and rub it into the wood.Rub it till it gets warm.It can have a soft shine but no wet coat.Then give it a couple of weeks at least. Then you can give it a few more drops.

Realize you get caught obsessively rubbing your gun all the time people are going to talk about you. Have fun.
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Ha-ha! I think there's a metaphor in your last line. :)
 
Tru Oil, or triple boiled linseed oil; buffed between every coat - and if it has good figure, plan on 20-40 costs with a few days drying for each and you will have a winner of a stock

Friend had a custom shotgun stock made and they did 35 coats; took several months; the look was amazing - totally 3-D, looked like it had some fancy polymer finish but it repelled water and was the most amazing stock I ever saw
 
Boiled Linseed Oil, (the name of the material) you don't boil it.

But you do want it hot. I did a stock that way a long time ago, Did it the way my Dad told me. Heated the oil on a Coleman camp stove (do this OUTSIDE) and apply it as hot as you can stand it (wearing gloves) Hot, but not boiling.

Rub it in, rub hard. Rub so you can feel the heat of friction. Allow several days drying between coats. And expect to apply many coats, to get a water repellent finish.

everyone seems to have a different idea of how many coats you "need" expect it will take several to get a decent finish. There are a couple of advantages to doing it. Done right, the more coats you apply, the better it looks (and works) and since its an oil finish, damage to the finish can be repaired with reapplication of the oil.
 
FunGramps said:
I'm expecting to receive a new Zastava M70 AK47 in a few weeks. It has the dark stained finish, but I've heard they have nothing else applied to the wood, and it's still porous.

Any suggestions on how what I should apply to the wood? I'm thinking maybe beeswax? I don't want a varnish-type surface that can peel or crack.

Thanks.

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Click to expand...
I agree with the linseed oil. Please, don't shine it up like a custom hunting rifle. :eek:
 
As an electric bass player, one of my fretless basses had a bare, untreated wood fingerboard from the factory. This is how I treated it, the wood finish and preservation have been fantastic. This treatment was designed as an interface between our skin with the wood that we touch.... without being glossy or shiny.

Tung oil, let it dry thoroughly, brush with 0000 steel wool, tung oil again. I actually did 3 cycles for the bass fingerboard. As I recall, the tung oil was Formby's
 
I know tung or Linseed will work as the traditional military oil finish. Every once in a while,rub a few drops in, giving it some love.

Now...TruOil,Watco, etc. To do a complete stock finish job from new,bare wood,they have their own application process. They harden. They work good,I have not finished a wood stock in quite a while.
These finishes ,while they do contain oil, they also contain ,for lack of the most accurate term,varnish of some form. It takes pure oil longer to set up,and it may never set up as hard.

Here is my concern. IF Zastava started with Linseed Oil...No problem! Thats probably what every US Military Rifle that left the Armories used since the Trapdoor through the M-14.. (Or some concoction thats mostly linseed oil)

But think of the wood as a piece of toast. If you smear mayonnaise on it, you can smear more mayonnaise on top. No problem. Oil on oil.

If you start with peanut butter,you can smear peanut butter on top.

If you start with Peanut butter, you can smear mayonnaise over it.

But if you start with mayonnaise, its hard to spread peanut butter over it.

I can't say that you cannot apply TruOil (or Watco,etc) over a stock that was initially finished with just oil,...maybe it works. But I cannot tell you that it WILL work just fine. I'm not sure Linseed oil makes a good "primer" base coat for the finishes that harden. I just don't know enough.

I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction.
 
I've used mixture of equal parts boiled linseed oil, turpentine, and bees wax, warmed over flameless heat and mixed. Once cooled, grab a little and rub it into the stock, nice matte finish with weather protection.
I think it's called Gunny Paste.
 
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