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  1. #1

    Default Applying an oil finish on a gun stock and painting the metal surfaces.

    I have recently discovered that you can wet sand oil into a stock using a random orbit palm sander. I have been making and finishing stocks for years and have always done the wet sanding phase by hand using Tung oil or similar and 400-600 grit wet/dry sandpaper. It works the fine sawdust into the pores of the wood making a beautiful finish. I tried it with an orbital palm sander and it really works. Has any one tried it?

    Also, I painted the barrel and action on a rifle with Krylon Dual Superbond paint. It's just lawn furniture paint. People laughed at me.
    Well, let me tell it is really tough/good stuff. It is tougher and stays on longer than any modern blueing that I have seen. I have used the rifle fo one year including the cape buffalo hunt.

    Hope this is helpful/fun for other DIY folks.

  2. #2

    Default Re: Applying an oil finish on a gun stock and painting the metal surfaces.

    Can you post some pictures?

    Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L31 using Tapatalk

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Applying an oil finish on a gun stock and painting the metal surfaces.

    Please give more detail on the paint job? How do you proceed to keep the paint coat even? Your .577 surely did not look like grandma's garden furniture!

  4. #4

    Default Re: Applying an oil finish on a gun stock and painting the metal surfaces.

    Sorry, Stefan, no photos. I will happily answer questions or I can email you a photo of the rifle. The rifle picture was posted for a long time on my "lowveld" thread by another good member, Ds J.

    PS. I can write detailed instructions if it would help. . I will be gone for a week. (cuba) and will check the thread when I get back.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Applying an oil finish on a gun stock and painting the metal surfaces.

    Hello Ds J. Good to hear from you! Happy new year.
    The paint is in a spray can. Pre heat the barrel and action in the oven to about 150F then take it outside and spray the paint on. The finish is smooth and flat if you keep the can moving as you spray. People never guess that it is a $10 paint job. They think it is a $300 hi-tech coating. There are great colors too.

    PS. I am making up another single shot in 50 -110 Winchester. 500 grain bullet at 1900+ fps.
    It will have a nice fancy walnut stock with ebony cap and a moss green barrel/action. I have booked in the lowveld for more buffalo in 2018.
    I hear that there is plenty of rain there now. Good thing!

    "Grandma's garden furniture." That very comment comes up often in reference to my .577NE! It always gets a chuckle.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Applying an oil finish on a gun stock and painting the metal surfaces.

    I would hesitate to use an orbital sander for wet sanding the stock for a couple of reasons the first being cross graining and the second being that tghere are parts of the stock that would be very difficult to do so there may well be areas that show the different sanding effect between handsanding in the difficult areas and the orbital sanding on the larger more easily accessed areas.
    For myself I will continue to wet hand sand with 360 then 600 w&d paper

  7. #7

    Default Re: Applying an oil finish on a gun stock and painting the metal surfaces.

    I tried it and it works. You should try it on a spare piece of walnut. With wet sanding by hand one uses a small circular motion with a small rubber block about 3cm x 3cm. 400-600 grit.
    With the orbital sander I use a soft hook and loop pad and go everywhere except parts of the pistol grip. I was very impressed/surprised how well it worked. It's surprising.
    Instead of spending 1/2 hour on one application for one butstock, I did one in about 5 minutes. It really drives the oil and wood dust into the stock. Deep glass smooth finish. It surprised me, for sure.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Applying an oil finish on a gun stock and painting the metal surfaces.

    I have also used one on on stocks and found it worked better than my hand attempts, I did not know why, thanks for that info.

  9. #9

    Default Re: Applying an oil finish on a gun stock and painting the metal surfaces.

    Yes treeman, it's my new secret weapon for doing a "hand rubbed" finish on a gun stock.

    Here are some tips from my experiment:
    1. dilute the tung oil ( Pure, non drying agents in it. Not palmarized) 30 % with mineral spirits for first 2-3 coats.
    2. First coat by hand. no sanding. just rubbed in. Waite 3-4 days.
    3. second coat, do the power wet sanding. Apply thick and the sander will make it dry. Stop sanding as soo as it is dry.
    4. I run the sander at slowest speed.
    5. get some soft thicker hook and eye pads for the sander. Iy makes a difference with the contours.
    6. dry for 3 days between application.
    7. One or two applications and there it is. On third and any subsiquent coats use full strength tung oil. (not diluted with mineral spirits) Could finish with one or two coats of palmerized oil for brighter finish. I use Lee Valley Tung Oil. I think that any of the wood working oils would be fine.
    8. I stopped sanding as soon as the oil and subsequent "mud' have gone dry. Wipe off excess and then hand wet sand ( small circular motions with small rubber sand in block) in the places that the sander wouldn't go.

    Could also go from first three steps above to Birchwood Casey True Oil for a shinny bright finish. ( The secret to applying True Oil is the sanding off of each coat but the final one. with fine steel wool and some bad language.

    If you look closely at the rifle on the youtube video "Brian Hunts cape buffalo" you will see it's True Oil finish. I don't think I will use it on this project as I am so pleased with the power wet sanding results. It will have a real old school oil finish look. I am not sure yet. I am losing interest in True Oil. I will keep you posted.

    We are hopping on a plane to cuba today. No deep show for a while! See you later. Abrum

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Applying an oil finish on a gun stock and painting the metal surfaces.

    Abrum - perhaps you can solve a mystery. I had a friend who too fond of the bottle and it killed him. He had two amazing abilities sauces, marinades and wood.
    He had a thing he did with cheap wood old dried out wood, good wood, but mainly most remarkable with cheap poor or not really suitable for anything woods. He would soak it in something and dry it and sand it and it came out like it was glassed - like there were glass molecules between the wood.
    When ever he was too deep in the old potato end product I would try get it from him, "the how ?".
    He once said its just resin thinned down Dave thats all, ordinary resin Dave.
    Tried to do his finish a few times never got it right.
    Description - a very porous light junk would becomes like polished Teak in appearance feel.
    Have you any idea what he did to achieve this?.

    He also made a cheese sauce with red wine and a splash of what I think was vodka - went well with a loaf of bread per person.
    *****************************************ya Kieth I am talkin of you my old friend,RIP.

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