Stock Conditioning Without Danish Oil?

[Craig-P]

Any boiled linseed oil based conditioning oil.
Leave on for an hour, wipe off with 3 in 1. Apply 24 coats a day if you have time.
Job done.

[deejayuu]

Leave on for an hour, wipe off with 3 in 1.

apology for hi jack. Is that 3 in 1 oil? Or ratio o BLO turps etc?

[Craig-P]

apology for hi jack. Is that 3 in 1 oil? Or ratio o BLO turps etc?

Yes, 3 in 1 oil.
You can buy TS95 ( from Philips if I remember correctly ) but if you're doing a high volume of work then it becomes pricey, so it's better to source something else with similar properties.

[deejayuu]

Yes, 3 in 1 oil.
You can buy TS95 ( from Philips if I remember correctly ) but if you're doing a high volume of work then it becomes pricey, so it's better to source something else with similar properties.

Well, well! Thought 3 in 1 was straight SAE 20 oil or was when our Mam squirted it on everything. Sewing, machine, our bikes, Dad's alarm clock, the shed door hinges etc etc
Always thought lube oil in the wood would oxidise and stain it black.
Thanks for the info. Going to have a play.
Is the 3 in 1 just soaked into a cloth and wiped or rubbed hard please?

[4end]

Danish oil is adulterated linseed oil that sometimes contains harmful additives and would be one of the last finishes I would apply to a decent gunstock. As for using 3 in 1 you would be mixing a mineral oil with a natural one and not to be recommended. If as you say you do not spend much time with your gun then a wipe-over with raw linseed is as good as it gets, it will have soaked in within a couple of days leaving no sticky residue as the boiled version can do. As someone who was apprenticed to the trade 60 years ago and was taught all about the different finishes, I am sometimes horrified at advice given and consider a little knowledge potentially dangerous. If you stick to natural oils and polishes rather than other propriety products then you will not go far wrong.

[chris u'5]

Thank you guys, much appreciated.

So if I do get my finger out and do the job properly how easy is it to mess up? I've never oiled a rifle stock before and I'm worried about the final finish.

[4end]

It's certainly not rocket science and anyone can do it using traditional means. Buy, beg, steal or acquire some Alkanet/Red oil if you want to deepen the wood colour otherwise buy some refined artist-grade linseed oil. I won't recommend boiled linseed as it can give problems if applied too thickly and turns into a sticky mess. Pour out a capful and dab the pad of your forefinger just into the surface of it, flick off the excess and there you have enough to do half of one side of a stock. Spread this over the butt and massage into the surface, repeat for the forend and for the cut outs where the action sits. Repeat for the other side.
If your stock is dry and hungry the oil will soak in quite quickly, when it has disappeared give it another coat. If you wish to achieve a traditional oil finish rather than applying a oil dressing, carry on reapplying oil until it will not soak up anymore and once the oil has oxidised within the wood it can be polished to a lustrous finish with the palm of your hand.
Now tell me what is difficult about that?

[xbow]

I thought Tru-Oil was something of a standard for gun stocks?

Danish oil can contain any old crap the manufacturers want to put in it so can vary wildly from one manufacturer to another. I can’t stand the stuff.

[rapidresponse1]

i used to use boiled linseed but very thinly

[Moss74]

It's certainly not rocket science and anyone can do it using traditional means. Buy, beg, steal or acquire some Alkanet/Red oil if you want to deepen the wood colour otherwise buy some refined artist-grade linseed oil. I won't recommend boiled linseed as it can give problems if applied too thickly and turns into a sticky mess. Pour out a capful and dab the pad of your forefinger just into the surface of it, flick off the excess and there you have enough to do half of one side of a stock. Spread this over the butt and massage into the surface, repeat for the forend and for the cut outs where the action sits. Repeat for the other side.
If your stock is dry and hungry the oil will soak in quite quickly, when it has disappeared give it another coat. If you wish to achieve a traditional oil finish rather than applying a oil dressing, carry on reapplying oil until it will not soak up anymore and once the oil has oxidised within the wood it can be polished to a lustrous finish with the palm of your hand.
Now tell me what is difficult about that?

If you were oiling a stock like a factory HW tyrolean with a lot of fine chequering would this method still work?
I tried this and the oil was clogging up in the panels,
It looked a mess.

I stripped it, oiled it again with BLO and wiped it down with an oily cloth as advised by Craig p.
after three coats it looked like a conker straight out of it's shell and still does, after five years.

Martin